LibGuides: THEA 255 (Playwriting) Course Resource Guide: Home

General writing resources

The following resources are study tools to support your writing assignments.

Mapping story structure or character:
- Go Conqr Mindmap: this tool allows students to “connect the dots” to visualize their learning.
  - Tool to understand all of the “branches” from a central concept.
- Jamboard: this is an interactive whiteboard you add to individually or with collaborators.
  - Adding “post it notes” and other textboxes to see a concept or plot visually.
Prompt generator: you can use these as you are working on writing exercises, and to help jumpstart your imagination when confronting writer’s block.
- These websites are for story ideas:
  - Service Scape: sorted by genre and stock characters
  - Story Shack: provides random writing prompts of different varieties
  - Random word generator: short suggestions for themes, ideas
- These websites are for random story elements
  - Behind The Name: for names, sorted by gender association and culture. You can also opt for the option “generate life story” as an additional jumping point.
  - Random Lists Place Generator: generates names of cities.
    - This website also makes up names of fake cities/towns.
  - Random Lists Prop Generator

These podcasts, perfect for on-the-go learning, can help you understand other writer’s processes and methods.

Start with This Podcast: hosted by the writers of the serial podcast Welcome to Night Vale, Start with This dives into genres, challenges of writing, and insight on their own authoring experiences.
- The hosts also provide writing tips as well as recommendations for works to listen to/read to understand other author’s
Manhattan Rep Playwriting Podcast: hosted by Ken Wolf of the Manhattan Rep Theatre, this podcast is all about becoming more creative and skilled at the craft of playwriting
American Theatre’s Offscript: this is the American Theatre Organization’s podcast covering current arts happenings.
- From their discussions, you can get ideas of new ways to create written work.

These videos can help you grasp concepts about the writing process, as well as provide ideas for your plays.

YouTube search of “playwriting workshop” will bring up videos with acclaimed playwrights, including:
- Sarah Ruhl (wrote The Clean House)
- Lauren Gunderson (accredited as the most produced playwright in America)
- Paula Vogel (wrote How I Learned to Drive)

Drew University Library Research Resources by subject: visit this page for links to databases that are geared specifically towards theatre arts.
- Links include Kanopy (for documentaries), Performing Arts Periodicals Database, International Encylopedia of Dance, and more.