Creative Writing
Two-hander · Comedy
Creative Writing
Creative Writing · Laurie Allen: Adapted by Simon Law
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Creative Writing
Published by scriptsandsketches.com
RACHEL struggles with creative writing prompts while OLIVIA offers her help, leading to hilariously dark ideas about an empty glass and unexpected twists in their storytelling.
Duologue
Characters: RACHEL, OLIVIA
RACHEL and OLIVIA are sitting at a table doing homework.
RACHEL:
(Taps pen on paper, frustrated, then tosses the pen away) I'm terrible at creative writing
OLIVIA:
How can you be terrible at something so easy?
RACHEL:
Two words. Writer's block.
OLIVIA:
(Shutting her book) I’m finished with my maths. Do you want me to help you?
RACHEL:
Please
OLIVIA:
OK, what's your subject?
RACHEL:
Well, we're doing this thing called Creative Writing Prompts.
OLIVIA:
What's that?
RACHEL:
It's where you're given a prompt and you're supposed to write a story about it.
OLIVIA:
OK. So, what's the prompt?
RACHEL:
An empty glass.
OLIVIA:
An empty glass? That's it?
RACHEL:
That's it. Like I said, I have Writer's block. So, there's an empty glass. Big deal.
OLIVIA:
I thought it'd be something more exciting. Or at least ... It was a dark and stormy night...
RACHEL:
We did that one last week.
OLIVIA:
How did you do?
RACHEL:
Let's just say that Mrs. Hicks wasn't pleased with my story. It was short. Very, very short.
OLIVIA:
How short?
RACHEL:
It was a dark and stormy night... so I crawled under my covers and went to sleep. The end. That's how short.
OLIVIA:
That's terrible.
RACHEL:
That's what Mrs. Hicks said. I'm telling you, Olivia, I'm not a creative person.
OLIVIA:
Well, you're in luck because I'm good at creative writing. It's always been easy for me. OK, let me think ... an empty glass ... an empty glass ... an empty glass ...
RACHEL:
OK, an empty glass ...
OLIVIA:
(Dramatically) The empty glass would be used to catch all my tears!
RACHEL:
Yeah, I like that. (Writing)
OLIVIA:
Because after my true love had left me at the altar, there was nothing in the world that I wanted to do except cry! And so I cried For hours and hours I cried ...
RACHEL:
(Suddenly laughing) And as I cried, I held the empty glass to my eyeball to catch the tears. Olivia, that's stupid! What's she going to do? Drink them? Save them? Freeze them? Water her plants with them?
OLIVIA:
OK, we’ll try something else.
RACHEL:
I'm not saying your ideas are bad, but it's hard to be creative with an empty glass.
OLIVIA:
OK, let's keep trying.
RACHEL:
I have to keep trying if I want to pass the creative Writing section in English. OK, an empty glass ... an empty glass …
An empty glass ... (Not sure about this) Dropped on the floor and shattered into a million pieces?
An empty glass ... (Not sure about this) Dropped on the floor and shattered into a million pieces?
OLIVIA:
Hey, that's good.
RACHEL:
The end.
OLIVIA:
No, keep going, keep going. Then what happened?
RACHEL:
Then ... then my mother screamed at me for breaking the glass.
OLIVIA:
OK, keep going.
RACHEL:
So I blamed it on the cat that always jumped on the kitchen counter.
OLIVIA:
Keep going
RACHEL:
But when my mother noticed the cat asleep on the sofa, she called me a big fat liar!
OLIVIA:
I don't think your mother would call you a big fat liar.
RACHEL:
Hey, I'm being creative. And then ... and then my mother came into the kitchen and hit me across the head with the broom!
OLIVIA:
Whoa!! I don't think so.
RACHEL:
I screamed, "Mother, no don't hit me!' But she did it again and again and again!
OLIVIA:
Rachel, this is a bit violent, don't you think?
RACHEL:
And blood was streaming down my face! "Forget sweeping the glass,” she screamed. "You can pick it up with your bare hands' So I knelt down on the floor and the glass cut into my flesh. And crying, my hands shook in pain as I picked up the pieces of glass. The end. (Smiles) How was that? Good, huh?
OLIVIA:
Rachel, I don't know ...
RACHEL:
Well, I guess I am creative! Who would've thought?
OLIVIA:
Yeah, but if you could just leave out the part about your mother beating you, that would be good.
RACHEL:
No, no, that was the best part! And I think I'll add some more about that. (Writing) She whacked me on the head over and over as my bloody fingers picked up the sharp pieces of glass... (Looks up) You know, I like writing. (OLIVIA Shakes her head)
