Screenwriting guide

How to Write a Monologue, Draft by Draft

To write a monologue, give one character a specific listener and something they want from that person right now. Build the speech in beats where they try different tactics, make every detail concrete, and end on a choice or an action, not a summary. Below, one original monologue is rebuilt across three drafts.

Written and reviewed by ScriptLix EditorialUpdated October 2026

A worked example, in three drafts

The situation: June, 60s, has driven to her grown son’s apartment at night. He moved out two years ago after a fight with his late father and has not answered her calls since the funeral.

Draft 1: the feelings
Notes: Everything is true and nothing happens. June explains her emotions to us. There is no listener, no want, no turn, and no detail an actor could hold on to.
I've been so sad since your father died. The house feels empty and I don't know what to do with myself. I keep thinking about the past and all the mistakes we made as a family. I know you were angry with him and I understand why. He wasn't always easy. But I loved him, and I love you, and I just wish things could be different. Sometimes I feel like I've lost both of you. I don't know if you'll ever forgive us. I just wanted you to know how I feel.
93 words
Draft 2: a listener and a want
Notes: Now June is talking to Danny, through a door, and she wants something concrete: for him to come to the house on Sunday. The speech has a direction. But it is one long plea in one key, and the details are still general.
Danny, I know you're in there. I can see the light under the door. I'm not leaving until you talk to me.
I want you to come to the house on Sunday. That's all. I'm sorting your father's things and I can't do it alone, and some of it is yours. You should decide what happens to it, not me.
I know you're angry with him. You have every right. But he's gone now, and being angry at a closet full of shirts isn't going to fix anything. Please come on Sunday. Please. I'm asking you as your mother.
99 words
Draft 3: turns, specifics and an ending
Notes: The same want, now played with three tactics: practical, then a threat, then the truth. Specific objects (the radio, the tape, the ticket stub) do the emotional work. The ending is a small action, not a speech about feelings.
Danny, I can see the light under the door. And I can hear the game. You always turn the volume up when you're hiding. You did it when you were nine.
I'm not here to fight. I'm here about the garage. I'm clearing it on Sunday. Your father's radio, the tools, the boxes with your name on them in his terrible handwriting. Come and take what you want. Or don't, and it goes to the church sale. Your choice. That's all.
No. That's not all.
I found the tape. The one from your first game, the one he said he lost. He didn't lose it, Danny. It was in his desk, under the tax papers, with the ticket stub. He kept the ticket stub. Twelve years.
He never said he was proud of you. I know. I was there. He was a stubborn, impossible man and he never said it once.
But he kept the ticket stub.
I'm leaving the tape on the mat. I'll be at the house Sunday at ten. I'll make the coffee too strong, the way you like it.
183 words

Want to see finished pieces built the same way? Browse 53 original monologues, or get an AI first draft from the monologue generator and rewrite it with the steps above.

How to use it

1
Decide who is speaking, who they are speaking to, and what they want from that person before the speech ends.
2
Write it in beats. When one tactic fails, the character tries another; each switch is a turn.
3
Replace every general feeling with a specific object, place or memory, then end on an action or a choice.

What is the purpose of a monologue?

To show a character at a moment when they cannot stay quiet. In a play or film, a monologue usually arrives when the pressure is highest: a confession, a plea, a confrontation. If a short exchange of dialogue would do the same job, write the dialogue. A monologue earns its length only when the character needs that long to get what they want.

Why does a monologue need a want?

Because without one, the speech is a list of feelings, and feelings alone are hard to act and dull to watch. A want gives every line a job. In the example below, the first draft has no want, so nothing changes from start to finish. The second gives June a goal (get Danny to the house on Sunday) and the speech suddenly moves.

How do you structure a monologue?

Think in beats, not paragraphs. A beat is one attempt to get the want. A strong monologue usually has three or four: an opening approach, a shift when it is not working, a bigger risk, and a final move. Start in the middle of the situation. Your first line should feel like the character has already been talking, or has been working up to this for days.

What is a turn in a monologue?

The moment the character changes tactic or learns something. In the third draft, June says "That’s all" and then "No. That’s not all." That turn takes her from practical to honest, and it is the moment an actor will build the whole piece around. Every monologue needs at least one turn. Without it, the speech is one note held for a minute.

How do you make a monologue specific?

Swap the general for the concrete. "I miss your father" becomes a radio, a tape, a ticket stub in a desk drawer. Specific objects let the audience feel the emotion without being told it, and they give the actor something to see. Names, places, numbers and small habits do more work than any adjective.

How should a monologue end?

On a choice, an action or an image, never a summary. Ending with "and that is how I feel" tells the audience the scene is over before it is. June ends by leaving the tape on the mat and naming a time. We do not know if Danny will come, but we know exactly what she has risked.

How long should a monologue be?

In a play, as long as the pressure lasts and no longer. For an audition piece, about one to two minutes, which is roughly 140 to 280 words at a typical speaking pace. Read it out loud and cut anything the character would not need to say to get what they want.

Questions writers ask

What is the difference between a monologue and a soliloquy?

A monologue is spoken to another character. A soliloquy is a character speaking their thoughts while alone.

How many words is a one minute monologue?

Roughly 120 to 150 words, depending on pace and pauses. Read it aloud with a timer to be sure.

Can a monologue be funny?

Yes. Comedic monologues use the same tools: a want, a listener, turns and specific details. The character just takes a small problem very seriously.

How do I write a monologue for a screenplay?

Keep it shorter than on stage and break it with action lines so the reader sees the listener react. Format it as dialogue under the character name.

Should a monologue have stage directions?

Keep them minimal. A line or two to set the scene is fine; let the words carry the action.