The+Credo

The Credo

Introduction

Beginning writers often are uneasy when asked to write a personal "credo" before starting the first play. To them the credo is unattractive labor and they distrust the idea. Students' questions seem prompted by a desire to procrastinate until the credo no longer exists: "But we can't write everything we believe, can we?" "Well, how long does it have to be?" "Do we have to turn it in? If not, who reads it, and why bother?" Their reactions suggest the credo somehow is threatening. Nonetheless I persist: You should write a credo before you write your first play or before you continue writing.

A credo is, simply, a personal statement of convictions. A credo is the writer's beliefs concerning topics he or she feels are highly important. It is focused most especially upon those portions of life that concern the writer most. It addresses topics about which the author has a deep emotional attitude--a burning anger, a scorn, an affection. It is, then, "This I believe..." It is uniquely your own.

What Are The Topics?

"This I believe..." can touch any number of areas: Religion; religious hypocrites; inner peace; religion and the state; politics; the nature of serving one's country; leadership; the nature of death; love; family; children; relationships; old age; the decline of morality in America; crime; and anger. Writers tend to look at topics that affect their future, such as peace, justice, war, and disarmament. Or they may select topics that have more personal concepts of future, such as choices, professions, marriage, and materialism. The credo may touch all of the above topics or none of them. There is no assigned quality, no maximums or minimums. Writers may decide upon only a relative few--perhaps under a half dozen--or many.

Often the credo reflects the individual's environment. Perhaps a mother's credo will focus upon family structure, discipline within the family, love, freedom to balance career and family, and women's rights. A businessman's credo may examine honesty, loyalty, the work ethic, people's rights, product quality, profits. A student's credo might look at friendships, studies, pressure, finding goals, cheating, the nature of pressure. Such reflections of surroundings are expected. Indeed, the more the credo touches the individual's actual life, the more likely it will deal with areas the writer believes are significant.

What Is the Ideal Length?

The credo may be any length. Serious writers report that a credo grows to be quite long. They say they start with a credo perhaps fifteen pages long and within a week they have doubled it. Other writers seem to find ten pages satisfactory. I dislike specifying the number of pages, but when pressed I suggest a first credo be eight pages for a start.

The Basic Requirement for the Credo. "This I believe..." must deal with the writer's strong beliefs. The credo will be important to the writer only if it tackles significant topics with a deadly honesty. A credo full of materials given light treatment, as if simply trying to complete an assignment, will have less value to the writer.

Values of the Credo to the Writer

The playwrights who have written credos will report that they find they contribute meaning and concepts to their work. Their plays have a greater depth and insight. Advanced playwrights urge beginners to work on a credo in order to develop personal concepts. These writers say the credo is a direct assistance not only to playwriting, but also to many other activities, and it makes better understanding of what one believes. Some of the values of the credo are suggested below:

Writing a credo gets the beginning playwright into writing. The credo will not be seen by others and therefore it is a non-stressful writing project. No outsider will judge it 'good" or "bad." The credo helps the writer move into personal writing. Further, the writer does the credo for personal reasons. There are no other rewards. The project will in this manner help the writer become more aware that writing in many ways is its own reward.

The credo suggests to the writer the value of "self as source." For the beginning playwright, the idea that self is source may be disturbing. More experienced writers, however, understand that no better source for drama can be found than the writer's inner self. What the writer must do is free himself or herself from inhibitions that prevent digging into the self. Writing the credo is, in this sense, preparing resource materials for future use.

The act of writing forces deeper thinking of one's values. It is possible to talk at length about one's attitudes regarding this or that topic. Indeed, many of us participate in bull sessions from time to time, testing our ideas against concepts held by others. But talking does not test our ideas very deeply. Writing does. Writing is thinking.

To write what one believes is to be forced to think more deeply about the topics. The result is rich understanding of the concepts the writer finds significant. One knows better what one thinks.

For some students, the credo is an introduction of self to self. The very idea of the credo is threatening to some writers because they recognize it will make them examine their inner beliefs. Writers reluctant to participate in any meaningful self-examination will find that the credo helps them overcome their hesitation.

The credo may show the writer conflicting convictions. It is possible for a writer to feel extremely strongly about two areas that cannot co-exist. I know one writer who was quite surprised to discover he felt positively in favor of total religious freedom, but yet when writing on another topic he had shown he was unable to accept one particular religion's existence. Until he wrote the credo, that conflict had not surfaced. Once conscious of the discrepancy, he then understood some illogical positions he had earlier taken. That insight into oneself is an exciting aspect of the credo. www.rabiamovie.com/directorsNotebook/ScreenplayDrafts/CredoHandout.doc