Dr. Max Branscomb - Playwright Extraordinaire of the Bonitafest Melodramas
- Media
- Aug 14
- 3 min read
Dr. Branscomb was featured in a November 2024 Pages and Canvas article. He discusses how he comes up with his ideas for the Bonitafest Melodramas and then creates the story. Here's the article:
Dr. Max Branscomb is a Professor of Journalism at Southwestern College and the academic advisor for the nationally-awarded student publications. He is also a playwright (including the yearly BonitaFest Melodrama) and composer of music. Dr. Branscomb was kind enough to share some of his experience working with new writers.
How is writing a play/melodrama unique compared to writing a short story or novel?
Plays are driven by the dialogue and songs rather than narratives and description. Novels are generally the other way around. Characters in plays are paramount. The challenge for beginners is avoiding "Morris the Explainer" and didactic dialogue that sounds like a lecture in school. Dialogue needs to sound like real human speech.
Regardless of its final form, what elements do you look for a good story to have?
A good story usually has the classic Greek persuasive elements of ethos (character), pathos (emotions) and logos (logic). You need good characters that connect with the audience and the story should make a least a degree of sense. I like stories with everyday folks who become heroes by transcending their humble beginnings, facing down challenges and using their new-found wisdom to help others.
Where do you typically start? With an interesting character or plot twist?
I have started both ways. Sometimes it is the story you want to tell, sometimes it is a person (or people) who drives the story. "Thin Skins and Hayseeds" was about the horrifying Sweetwater Valley Flood of 1916, while "Ms. Sweetwater Valley" was about a noble young woman who was treated unfairly. I carry a note pad and pen at all times to jot down flashes of inspiration when I see or hear something interesting.
Do you typically have the full story in mind before you start writing?
Yes, I think it is best to have the entire story -- at least a full outline. I leave myself open to discover other things along the way. I have had so many students who, unfortunately, wrote 70 pages of a novel then never figured out how it ended.
What is your process for going back and editing your first draft?
Never edit while you are writing your first draft. Your brain has a creative side (the right, left-hand dominant) and a judging side (the left, right hand dominant). Stay in your creative side while creating. You can edit and revise later. Mixing the two processes can cause writer's block because your brain basically goes to war with itself.
Do you have any general advice for new writers?
It sounds cliche but write what you know. More advanced writers like Dan Brown can do research and write from there, but there is nothing like describing what already inhabits your mind and imagination. The Beatles were, IMHO, the most creative recording artists ever and they were very organic. They wrote songs about childhood memories ("Strawberry Fields," "Penny Lane"), newspaper articles ("Run Little Girl," "A Day in the Life"), dreams ("Let It Be," "I Am the Walrus,") and visual art ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite").
Writers need to read good writing. We are artists. We sculpt and paint with words. Your vocabulary is your palette of paints. You can expand your vocabulary by reading.
Writers also need to practice daily. Write in a journal every day, even if for just 15-20 minutes. Challenge yourself to improve. Try new things.
Source: "Dr. Max Branscomb" | November 26, 2024 | Pages and Canvas.com | Your South Bay Artist Resource
EDITOR'S NOTE: With no Supervisor representing our District 1, non-profit organizations in our area were hit hard. They were unable to apply for San Diego County Community Enhancement or Neighborhood Reinvestment Program grants. Our annual Bonitafest events and Melodrama were left high and dry.
For full details, see "Bonitafest Events Could Use A Little Help From Their Friends (and Community)"
Please consider donating whatever you or your organization can to support these events that have given so much to so many.
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