Playwright Tools – 14 Days

14 Days

Tell me the story of your life from the day you were born until know, using only fourteen days to show.  Some pick the most significant days.  Some pick those with the most intense memories.  This is an exercise in selection so it’s very hard to do wrong.

Do strive for some concrete specificity.  “The day I learned an important lesson” or “When I was sad” don’t offer the same veracity as “The day with the flat tire at Kitty Hawk,” “The Saturday Cindy told me the truth” or “August 17, 2009.” You should have some clear marker of an individual, actual day.  I won’t ask about it; you are not obliged to write anything more.  Don’t write out long descriptions, that isn’t the point.  The lesson here is about detail selection and the shape plots naturally take. 

After you’ve selected the 14 days, put them in roughly chronological order.  Then decide how you would reveal them to an audience for maximum effect.