Hillary DePiano – författare

You've just completed a novel during the National Novel Writing Month challenge! Or maybe you completed part of one. Or signed up with really good intentions and then only wrote a couple of words. Either way, you're staring at 30 days worth of words and wondering… What now? How exactly do you start a revision and discover your editing process? How do you know if you're ready to hire an editor? How do you motivate yourself when faced with draft dread or editing blocks? How can you translate what you've accomplished so far into a professional writing career? From tips for finding beta readers, exploration of traditional vs. self-publishing, and strategies to motivate yourself to keep writing regularly post-NaNoWriMo, NaNo What Now? is a quick and easy-to-read unofficial guide to the next steps. In a sea of general writing advice, NaNo ML and multi-year veteran Hillary DePiano offers practical and specific solutions tailored to the unique nature of the NaNoWriMo challenge and holds your hand through the rest of the journey. It's time to finish what you started and make your book the best it can be.

Do you want to write but have no idea where to begin? Building a Writing Life is the beginner writer’s guide you’ve been looking for!

You want to be a writer. You want to start a writing habit, share your story, and make some real progress on your writing dreams. You want to find time to write and make room in your life for everything from daily journaling to writing books and beyond. You want to build a writing life.

But how do you start?

Building a Writing Life is a straightforward, step-by-step guide to integrating writing into your life so you can make steady progress on your goals. Whether you write for personal reasons or dream of more commercial success, you CAN fit writing into your already busy life. With simple, actionable steps you can start taking today, this easy-to-read guide will take you from an aspiring writer to the real deal.

In this book, you’ll…

Make the mental commitment to your writing dreams.Conquer your fears and doubts to start the story of your heart.Discover and nurture ideas.Build a regular writing habit.Motivate yourself to write on days when you don’t feel like it.Find and make room in your schedule, even if there’s no time to write.Battle distractions and be productive with your writing time.Discover your ideal writing circumstances by thinking outside the textbox.Fine-tune your writing process by setting better goals and embracing what works for you.

… and, most important of all…

Become a writer at last!

A funny, flexible fairy tale comedy with something for everyone!

It’s bedtime bedlam when a washed up clown tries to sell three unruly princesses on something other than their fairy tale favorites. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty... these are just a few beloved classics that Truffaldino will NOT be reading tonight because you’ve heard them a zillion times already and, frankly, he’s sick of them. Instead, he’ll be dusting off four of the weirdest, wildest and downright hilarious fairy tales you’ve never even heard of. But will his new spin on these old tales be enough to get his sneaky nieces asleep in time? This funny and flexible adaptation of Giambattista Basile’s classic, The Tale of Tales, is told in the slapstick tradition of classic Italian theatre with a modern twist.

Comedy / Fantasy / AdaptationFull Length100-120 minutes (60 minute option also available)25 w 12 m 11 any (11 to 60+ performers possible)

Features

For upper middle school to high school teen performers through adults.Large cast! (Though you can do it with as little as 11 performers, there are over 60 speaking roles even without counting the ensemble and silent roles)Flexible staging and casting (+ majority female roles) • Variable length: productions can omit a tale to perform without intermission in just about an hourSource material was recently adapted into an award winning movie (The Tale of Tales starring Selma Hayek and John C. Reilly)Educational tie in: The Tale of Tales itself is an important collection historically because it's the one the Brothers Grimm based theirs on and this is first time these tales have been adapted for the stageCan be performed in masked commedia dell'arte style if desired (or not!)

One Act Plays

There are also standalone one-act versions of the four fairy tales Truffaldino tells, each the perfect length for competition and festivals!

They are...

The Myrtle: 30-40 minutes, 5 m 8 f (6-20+ performers possible)Goosed!: 25-35 minutes, 2 m 6 f 8 any (11-20+ performers possible)Arm Candy: 35-45 minutes, 2 m, 4 f (5-7+ performers possible)The Fourth Orange: 20-30 minutes, 4 m, 6 f, 5 any (7-20+ actors possible)

Looking to perform this show?

Bulk pricing for printed and electronic scripts is available for theatres and schools doing the show either to perform or for classroom use.

Looking for a large cast comedy play script with plenty of female roles for your next festival or drama competition? The Fourth Orange is a zany fairy tale mash-up with a modern citrus twist!

There were only supposed to be three oranges. All Franceschina had to do was deliver one measly basket of sausages to the witch and go on her way. But, no, she had to play the hero and ended up cursed and forgotten, caught in the crossfire of someone else’s fairy tale. Well, from now on, she’s minding her own business and leaving the action to the real heroes. But when a dragon is destroying the kingdom and nobody will do anything about it, it’ll be up to Franceschina to decide what part she really wants to play.

A mash-up of the Italian fairy tale, The Merchant, from Giambattista Basile’s The Tale of Tales (Il Pentamerone, Lo cunto de li cunti) with characters from Carlo Gozzi’s The Love of Three Oranges, The Fourth Orange is a wacky commedia-style fairy tale adaptation for all ages.

Comedy / FantasyOne Act Stage Play20-30 minutes4 m, 6 f, 5 any (7-20+ actors possible)

Features

Flexible staging.Suitable for all ages.Large cast with majority female roles.Ensemble with plenty to do that can expand based on your casting needs.Opportunities for physical comedy, masked commedia dell’arte, improvisation and puppets.Great length for drama competitions and classroom study.Both prequel and sequel to Hillary DePiano’s adaptations of Carlo Gozzi’s The Love of Three Oranges and The Green Bird. Perform all three one-acts back to back for an evening’s entertainment!

Fairly Obscure Fairy Tale Plays

Looking for some crowd-pleasing, funny fairy tale plays that aren’t the same old standards? Playwright Hillary DePiano presents the weirdest and wackiest lesser-known folk and fairy tales as family friendly stage adaptations perfect for schools and community theatre. From large cast, one-act comedies to commedia dell’arte scripts with a modern twist for classroom use, there are plenty of options to help your group live happily ever after!

Want to combine any of the plays together to make an evening’s entertainment? Interstitials and connecting scenes are available upon request.

Looking for a large cast comedy play script with plenty of female roles for your next festival or drama competition? It’s time to get Goosed!

When two poor sisters save a goose from the butcher, the animal is so grateful it produces them piles of gold. But when their greedy neighbors want the treasure for themselves, they discover this goose isn’t so easily cooked. From a blood thirsty fowl with golden stool to a careless prince who gets it in the end, soon everyone is feeling the pinch. With a large cast, majority female roles, lots of physical comedy and room for improvisation, Goosed is an Italian fairy tale in the classic slapstick tradition that’s a butt-load of fun for all ages to watch and perform.

Kindness is as good as gold in this modern adaptation of The Goose from Giambattista Basile’s The Tale of Tales (Il Pentamerone, Lo cunto de li cunti).

Comedy / FantasyOne Act Stage Play25-35 minutes6 Female 1 Male 5 AnyCast size: 11-unlimited

Ideal for middle school to high school teen performers through adults

Features

Simple, flexible staging.Large cast with majority female roles.Ensemble with plenty to do that can expand based on your casting needs.Opportunities for physical comedy, masked commedia dell’arte, improvisation and puppets.School friendly version with tamer content available.Great length for drama competitions and classroom study.

Fairly Obscure Fairy Tale Plays

Looking for some crowd-pleasing, funny fairy tale plays that aren’t the same old standards? Playwright Hillary DePiano presents the weirdest and wackiest lesser-known folk and fairy tales as family friendly stage adaptations perfect for schools and community theatre. From large cast, one-act comedies to commedia dell’arte scripts with a modern twist for classroom use, there are plenty of options to help your group live happily ever after!

Want to combine any of the plays together to make an evening’s entertainment? Interstitials and connecting scenes are available upon request.

Looking for a large cast comedy play script with plenty of female roles for your next festival or drama competition? You’ll find a winning combo of slapstick and sentimentality in The Myrtle!

When a trio of sneaky suitors steal a beautiful myrtle tree and gift it to the prince, they don’t know it transformers into a fairy maiden at sundown. But now the prince must right the wrong and reunite myrtle and mother at the risk of losing the woman he loves. A weird and wacky romantic comedy about family and flaws inspired by the Italian fairy tale. 

Love blooms in this modern adaptation of The Myrtle from Giambattista Basile’s The Tale of Tales (Il Pentamerone, Lo cunto de li cunti).

Comedy / Fantasy5 m 8 w (5-20+ performers possible)30-40 minutes

Features

Simple, flexible staging.Large cast with majority female roles.Opportunities for physical comedy, masked commedia dell’arte and improvisation.Great length for drama competitions and classroom study.

Fairly Obscure Fairy Tale Plays

Looking for some crowd-pleasing, funny fairy tale plays that aren’t the same old standards? Playwright Hillary DePiano presents the weirdest and wackiest lesser-known folk and fairy tales as family friendly stage adaptations perfect for schools and community theatre. From large cast, one-act comedies to commedia dell’arte scripts with a modern twist for classroom use, there are plenty of options to help your group live happily ever after!

Want to combine any of the plays together to make an evening’s entertainment? Interstitials and connecting scenes are available upon request.

This is it! It's finally time to start that story you know you have inside you. But where do you begin? Whether it's a novel, script or even a non-fiction book, this is your ultimate guide to prepping a major writing project even if you're an outline-allergic discovery writer. From research and character development to story bible organization and prepping your life for the creative challenges ahead, this guide is full of simple, actionable steps you can take right now to make the drafting process easier even if you prefer to "e;pants"e; your way to the end. And if you are a plotter, you'll find an overview on common story structures and character arcs to give you a roadmap for the narrative journey ahead.   There's a long, hard campaign between now and when you type The End. But don't despair! With the right plan of attack, you'll be ready to fight your way through whatever this story throws at you and see this through to victory.  So strap in. Rally the troops. And get set to do this thing because it's time to Make Ready to Write!

Save by getting five plays for the price of three! For the first time, this volume collects all five standalone one act plays from Hillary DePiano's adaptation of Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales (Il Pentamerone) giving you the entire Fairly Obscure Fairy Tales Play collection all for one low price. These gender flexible, large cast comedies are perfect for high school drama competition, classroom study or combine several plays for an evening's entertainment!Includes full versions of The Fourth Orange, The Myrtle, Goosed!, Arm Candy, and The She Bear.