Playwriting Exercise: Fun with Words – Two

We’re taking a word that means a mouthful and using it as an inspiration for a scene. But not only that, the word in question is from a foreign language.

Today’s word is:

Pachemuchka

The definition of the Russian word Pachemuchka is……

• a person who asks a lot of questions. 

We all know someone who does this. Sometimes it’s enlightening. Sometimes it’s down right annoying. Have you ever been in a situation where someone is trying to explain something and there’s that person who just won’t stop de-railing the forward motion of the explanation with their questions? It’s almost as if they don’t really want to know the answers, they just want to show everyone how engaged and smart they are by asking questions. But they just can’t see that everyone is shooting daggers with their eyes….. And let’s not forget the five year old question asker: Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? How long before you resort to: Because I said so!

Playwriting Exercise

• Automatic Write for two minutes on what it means to be around someone who asks a lot of questions. Are you happy when someone else asks the questions and you don’t have to? Are you annoyed? Does it make you feel dumb? What is your emotional response to the person who over questions?
• Write a profile for a character who over questions. Think about where this personality trait comes from: Name, Age, Appearance. Job, Hobby, Significant Relationship. Pet peeve, Secret. Most Impactful Memory.

Note: every person has a significant relationship, even if it’s a plant, a goldfish, or an imaginary friend. Don’t leave it blank. The most impactful memory is something that happened in the past that impact this character in the present.