First, see a play.

In fact, see several plays. Of different genres, at different theatres. See some children's theatre (it's not as bad as you think!). See an improv show. See a musical. See a night of skits.

Like a novelist who hates to read, a playwright who doesn't see plays is stunted.

Tickets can be cheap, espescially if you see community theatre performances and local troupes. Seeing a Broadway show on tour will be very costly, so don't go that way unless you really want to see that show. Otherwise, local theatres and troupes will do the trick!

In my town, theatres average about $20/seat. (Less if you have a current student ID!)

If you go to opening nights, you may also have the opportunity to network with actors, directors and other playwrights - always a good thing!

Being a working playwright is hard. The average royalty for a single performance is between $10-20. When a theatre or troupe buys a play outright, it averages about $2,000. (That sounds like a lot at first, but for a comfortable life, you'd have to sell a play every month. That's probably not going to happen.) A custom play can go for up to $5,000.

Many playwrights are professors, dramaturgs, residents (some middle and high schools hire playwrights to adapt plays for the drama department), or teaching artists (teaching creative writing in schools).

First, come up with an idea. An idea can come from anywhere - something funny your friend said, a current event, a memory... "What if a group of bohemians had to come up with a way to pay the rent?" (Rent) "What if a family tried to make their delusional relative come back to reality?" (Man of La Mancha) This is will your concept.

Figure out what the start and end points are. The start is usually your concept.

"Cast" your characters. I like to think of specific actors (famous or local) when I write, because it helps me visualize what they will say and do. This also helps me from keeping the characters flat.

Decide what genre your play is. Don't say it's genre-less. If that's the case, start over. Drama, comedy, performance art, musical, skit. This will set the parameters.

Start in the midst of a conflict. This makes it exciting from the beginning - this is especially important for short plays. It also helps the audience immediately know who the characters are, personality-wise.

Keep your cast small! Not only is it confusing to the audience to have a ensemble cast, but it becomes very hard to get it produced at all. Most theatres prefer a cast of less than nine actors. Remember that putting on a play is huge cost, and theatres appreciate simplicity in casts, costumes, and sets. (Though if the story calls for the fantastical, certainly write it!)

A big mistake that many writers have is perfect grammar. Yepp, perfect grammar is bad. Why? Because people don't talk that way. In most crowds, you won't find anyone who knows how to correctly use "whom" and also does so. Write how people actually talk. Use bad grammar. Use the occasional slang (though be aware that trendy slang will go out of fashion long before the play is produced).

Make sure the opportunity for action is there. Do not write every "Tom turns away. Bill reaches out, but drops his hand." unless it is vitally important. 99% of the time, it's not important. Don't be a director - be a playwright.

Keep it simple! This is not a movie, so keep the costumes and sets to a minimum.

And above all - have fun!

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