The ManicaPost
Friday Lessons with Sir Mwanyisa
Greetings learners, parents and guardians!
Welcome to your Visual and Performing Arts weekly lessons brought to you by your favourite newspaper, The Manica Post.
Learners are expected to have an exercise book and a pen to write work given as exercises.
Parents or guardians are encouraged to assist learners with special needs.
This week our topic is on script writing.
You are expected to be able explain the guidelines to be followed in script writing.
I am sure you remember that pre-colonial stories were unwritten.
There were specialist story tellers who could pass on tradition, culture, teach skills and develop character using stories.
Nowadays stories are written.
The written story for a performance is called a script.
You need to have well arranged events if the story is to be broadcast or performed for an audience at a stage.
Now we need to go through some of the guidelines one should follow when writing a script.
Think of a theme
All stories should be guided by a theme.
Therefore the first step in script writing is to think of a theme.
A theme is also called the story line or the main idea behind a story.
All artworks must be guided by a theme.
Examples of themes could be child abuse, independence celebrations or drug abuse, among many others.
Planning the story
Planning involves arrangement for the progression of the story.
Planning helps in development of ideas, selecting characters and including props.
Exposition
The exposition is also the introduction of the story.
The exposition should capture the attention of the audience so that they want to read or see more.
Boring introductions will force the reader to stop reading.
The writer indicates the characters in the story.
Present the scenes in a systematic manner.
To create the scenes the characters in the play can help to determine how the story develops.
Climax
The story should be developed up to the climax.
Some stories are built around conflicts; others are built around challenges so that the reader is driven into reading more with the desire to know what happened.
The tension of challenges that are presented should be solved.
Climax marks the highest level of the story.
Solving the conflict
The story is ended at this part.
The writer should address the challenges and the conflicts presented in the story.
At this stage all the hidden secretes and mysteries should be exposed.
Characters forgive each other while those playing protagonists are apprehended and jailed.
Readers will find the answers to the mysteries that were hidden and causing conflicts in the story.
Resolution
The resolution is also called the conclusion.
The resolution marks the end of the whole story.
The writer is expected to wind up the story.
Task
You are being asked to think of a story line and write a short story following the guidelines you learnt today.
Have your teacher read and edit the story. With the help of other learners and your teacher, select the best stories and send to The Manica Post Editor on e-mail:
[email protected] or call +263-2020-61212.
This is your opportunity to have your story published.
