Playwright’s Corner

Oftentimes, we writers are asked, “where do you get your ideas?” As writers know, ideas come from all directions, a strong belief, life’s struggles, romance, tragedy, or a stunning conversation.

For instance, years ago at a community playhouse, I was talking with the wardrobe mistress who was altering my costume. We were discussing romantic relationships when she revealed a most shocking story. Her mother had married a man she had been dating! I’ve heard of best friends betraying one another in that manner but never mother and daughter. My own daughter was a teenager and I noticed that she was getting as many admiring glances from men when we were out as I was getting.

An idea for a play blossomed. I wrote a comedy about a sexy businesswoman named Naomi Harper who was determined to seduce a younger man in her office who was her protege. Cynthia, her artistic, introverted daughter invites her mother to lunch to reveal that she is in a serious relationship with the same man. Entitled The Eclipse, the play won first place in a one-act playwriting festival. So, when creating a plot, an idea can germinate from anywhere.

 

Published by Malanna Carey Henderson

Malanna Carey Henderson is a Detroit native who presently resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her adoptive city is rich in history. America's early colonial period and four major battles of the Civil War have marked its landscape. George Washington, his mother, sister, and brother-in-law attended the same church of which Malanna is a member. As a child, Malanna was an avid reader. Her favorite genres were biographies, mysteries, and historical fiction. The more books she read, the greater the urge to write grew. Malanna's creative attributes encompass playwriting, composing music, and singing. She has won two first-place awards for her one-act plays. On the Wings of Freedom is a book that combines several genres: a quest for social justice, adventure, and romance. The backdrop is 19th-century America. Here, the legal practices of the antebellum south are tested against the principles of freedom and democracy. On the Wings of Freedom is Malanna's first novel.

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