31 Plays in 31 Days, #12 - “Should Have Been There”

In looking over my master list of every scene I’ve ever written for the last ten years of 31 Plays in 31 Days, I recalled that every single day 12 was from Mrs. Hawking. It happened incidentally for the first handful of years, but when I noticed it I made sue I maintained the streak. Now day 12 has rolled around again, so I had to make sure this one was Hawking too.

As I mentioned with Day #10 – Come to Grovel, it’s often easier to think of the high-drama important climactic moments from stories before you’ve come up with much in the way of structure or connective tissue. This is such an example, from when Mrs. Hawking and Mary eventually re-confront each other other the conflicts that drove them apart in part VI: FALLEN WOMEN.



I’m not sure exactly when this would occur, though probably no earlier than part VIII, since I know they’re going to have to spend a play apart. I also don’t know what really is supposed to happen in this scene. I just banged a bunch of relevant stuff together, which resulted in an even rougher than usual first draft. Just as with Day #10, I spoil an important scene with too little preparation.

WHATEVER DRAFTING IS A PROCESS

( Day #12 – Should Have Been There )