Main Rules for Writing a Monologue
Writing a monologue is a type of creative work that requires simplicity and ease of storytelling. There are various types of this phenomenon, each of which is unique and has many of its own characteristics. For this reason, you should pay attention to certain instructions. For instance, if you work with drama, writing a monologue can be a very difficult task since this genre requires a detailed description of everything related to the characters. A monologue can complement your work and greatly improve it. Below Tutoriage company highlighted some stages of the writing of the play.
- The uniqueness of the monologue. Remember that the stated thoughts should be harmoniously connected with the image and character of the hero to whom they belong. Often, writing a monologue is resorted to in two cases. It can be used to give a voice to a nondescript character and draw the attention of an audience to it. Secondly, a monologue can be associated with another element of the work and emphasize the further development of events. For instance, this type of art can contain an idea, worries, mystery, an answer to a question that bothered a character or just his thoughts.
- Highlighting the main task. The monologue helps the character significantly get closer to readers. It performs functions that are impossible for dialogue or other elements of the play. Thanks to this, the author will be able to add a touch of tension and emotionality or make him look at certain phenomena from a different angle. This part of the work is very important, so you should carefully study it. For instance, if the hero did not speak earlier, it is important to mention this in a monologue and indicate the reasons. This item is very influential.
- To whom the monologue is addressed. Your character can talk to himself and open up to the audience. This option will greatly facilitate the work of the author and allow readers to get closer and feel the story of the hero. Also, the character can address his speech to other participants in the play.
- Break the spelling into stages. The traditional separation of the beginning, the main part, and the conclusion will help you structure your work and not be exhausted by an infinite number of tasks. All of the above items should have their own unique message. You can draw up a work plan and gradually fill each of them. Moreover, it is possible to think over in advance what the first and last lines will be, and later to connect the remaining parts with them.
- Check out other works. Despite the fact that this is not a scientific article that requires the availability of information from various research sources, reading other monologues will definitely not be superfluous. You can highlight the similar and distinctive details of each of them.
Workflow Steps
As mentioned, the main task of the monologue is to express the hero’s feelings for himself, readers or other characters. This solo speech is common in comedies and performances.
The beginning of the monologue
- Interaction with the audience. Your work should be emotional and attract other people. Try to add as much creativity as possible. You should not overload the listeners in the first parts of the work. A good monologue combines the appropriate tone of the hero, actions and manner of communication. The first line sets the pace for the whole story, connecting your character with the audience. You can also immediately begin to reveal the essence of your work. For instance, the tint of the narrative may depend on the manifestation of any character trait of the hero, which you write about at the very beginning. In fact, all every aspect is important and can affect the final result.
- Voice and manner of speech of the hero. The author must know everything about his characters and be able to foretell the commission of their actions. That is why you should pay attention to working with the voice and communication style of the hero. Remember that your task is to distinguish this character from the rest. It should have the greatest impact on the course of events. This hero is able to attract a large number of listeners. For this reason, the author should not only possess all the necessary information about this character but also be able to hear and understand him. Thanks to this, you can revive the play, add intrigue and plot twists to it.
- Keep in touch between past events and present. This item is very important. The success of your play depends on maintaining balance. You can make moments from the past the reasons for certain events of the present, or demonstrate the hero’s ability to learn from his mistakes or use previously acquired knowledge to solve pressing issues.
- Pay attention to details. Let us once again emphasize the importance of audience reaction. If you are writing a monologue, you want to express certain feelings or share your thoughts through your hero. However, it’s the opinions of other people that will determine the success of your work. Of course, the listeners will focus on the ability to combine storylines and the character’s story, and then convey all this to the audience. Do everything possible so that the listeners are completely immersed in the created atmosphere and understand you.
- Be honest. This item is also very important for your work. In fact, it is the character’s revelation that is the key aspect of every monologue. Moreover, it will greatly complement the whole play.
- Clear and understandable completion. Any research, analysis or reflection ends with a conclusion. Your hero must determine his position and move on to action. It is important that everything said by the character smoothly fits his final thought.
Monologue Structure
Each part of your work should have its own zest and attract an audience in a special way. The author’s goal is to create and structure thoughts that he wants to share with his audience. At the same time, your character can also be guided by his goals and talk with readers. You should make your monologue as interesting as possible and add unexpected twists, revealing secrets and more to it. Remember that each new line should make sense and be related to the goal of the hero.
As mentioned earlier, all the elements of your work should have its purpose. Often we are talking about the manner of communication of the hero and the tone that he uses at the same time. Laughter, screaming, crying or stuttering can decorate the play and make the audience freeze in a daze.
Some Tips
- Be concise. First of all, you need to get acquainted with the target audience. Thanks to this, you can take into account all the important aspects when creating your work. In addition, you can get closer to your fans and achieve success.
- Remember authenticity. Many people believe that synthesizing passages from other works will help them write a monologue. Plagiarism is very common. Moreover, some time ago its use was even welcomed. However, imagine that your listeners come to the presentation of the play and hope to see something exciting. However, suddenly they hear familiar words and immediately reveal your theft. Not nice, right? In addition, you should remember that copying the character traits of a character is also not a good idea. Create your own unique character who is capable of many great things.
- Make it entertaining. At this stage of the work, your main task is not to turn your work into a boring and uninteresting attempt to please the audience. Choose exactly the work for which you experience the warmest emotions and share them with others.
- Work on monologues. Do not forget that this speech presentation combines various aspects of your behavior, manner of speaking or feeling. A monologue is a great way to reveal yourself. It should not have falsehoods and exaggerations that supposedly can improve the experience of other people. When familiarizing yourself with your monologue, the audience should forget about what is on the show. A lack of props will also help you with this task.
- Tipping and unexpected moments. You can play with the emotions of the audience and fill your monologue with interesting plot twists. Do not give the audience the opportunity to predict the development of events.
- Clean language. Remember that profanity or rough sexual connotations are unacceptable aspects. Meanwhile, you can emphasize this with the help of allusion and other linguistic techniques. But do not forget that it is easier said than done. Carefully think about everything that you will write about and how you will do it.
- Connection with the plot. Remember that despite the solo performance, the monologue is part of a voluminous work. At the same time, the use of non-standard techniques that are not related to the main part can also be interesting.