Donna Hoke sat in the Playwright's Spotlight to discuss her journey into playwriting. In this interview we touch on her involvement in the Official Playwrights of Facebook, her start as playwright from a journalism background and learning on the fly, working in a smaller market and "owning your home town" as well as building relationships and putting in the time. We also talk about being commissioned, finding that "flow," finding opportunities, playwriting struggles, the use of character backstories, using exercises as standalone pieces, the structure and trends of ten-minute plays, and what constitutes success. Again, Donna offers such great insight and resources, I think you'll find yourself with a plethora of information. Cheers. Donna Hoke’s work has been seen in 48 states and on five continents. She has been nominated for the Primus, Blackburn, and Laura Pels prizes, and is a three-time winner of the Emanuel Fried Award for Outstanding New Play for SEEDS, SONS & LOVERS, and ONCE IN MY LIFETIME. She has also twice received Individual Artist Awards from the New York State Council on the Arts to develop HEARTS OF STONE and CANALSIDE. She has been serving the Dramatists Guild in various capacities since 2012, is an ensemble playwright at Road Less Traveled Productions, and is former moderator of the 13,500+-member Official Playwrights of Facebook Other plays include - BRILLIANT WORKS OF ART, ELEVATOR GIRL, SAFE, and TEACH. To view the video format of this episode, visit - https://youtu.be/fnbkyVL4Sec Links mentioned in this episode - The Official Playwrights of Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2351514659 New Play Exchange - https://newplayexchange.org/ World Less Traveled Productions - https://www.roadlesstraveledproductions.org Playwrights' Center - https://pwcenter.org Play Submission Helper - https://playsubmissionshelper.com National New Play Network - https://nnpn.org The Dramatic Writer's Companion - https://www.amazon.com/Dramatic-Writers-Companion-Characters-Publishing/dp/0226172546 Dramatists Guild - https://www.dramatistsguild.com Seven Devils - https://www.sevendevils.org Trade-A-Play Tuesday - https://blog.donnahoke.com/trade-a-play-tuesday/ Playwright's Binge - https://groups.io/g/playwrightbinge YouthPLAYS - https://www.youthplays.com/ Broadway Licensing - https://broadwaylicensing.com Playwright's Spotlight with Steven Dietz - https://youtu.be/CnS8-gegiUc Websites and socials for Donna Hoke - Website - www.donnahoke.com IG - @dhokeplays Twitter/X - @donnahoke Snap - @hokeplays Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight - Punk Monkey Productions - www.punkmonkeyproductions.com PLAY Noir - www.playnoir.com PLAY Noir Anthology – www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html James Elden - Twitter - @jameseldensauer IG - @alakardrake FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods                   - @playnoirla IG - @punkmonkeyprods        - @playnoir_la FB - fb.com/playnoir         - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions Playwright's Spotlight - Twitter - @wrightlightpod IG - @playwrights_spotlight Playwriting services through LACPF - www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html Support the show