How Writing for the Stage Differs from Fiction Writing and Screenwriting

Book authors and screenwriters have some advantages over playwrights, explains author Naomi Brett Rourke. The main difference between the two groups is that when writing for stage, everything has to be able to be acted out. In books or in a movie, the writer can include flashbacks, voiceovers, and a character’s inner thoughts. This cannot be done on stage, but she does urge playwrights and directors to get creative. Rourke doesn’t believe there is a difference in dialogue when writing for books...