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more than 1 role.

* Actors read from scripts, and had limited props/costumes. Success therefore was very dependent upon the quality of the dialogue.

* The venue was the bar area of the theatre, so there was some background noise to contend with

* Entry was free and the audience was quite diverse. Included students, regular theatre goers, and people who had just popped in for a meal or a drink.

Step 3: Use an appropriate script format

I'm not going to offer advice, here, on how you come up with an idea for a sketch or how you go about writing it. However, it is often sadly not enough to write the best sketch in the world. You also have to present it in a way that makes it easy to read (both for the person who decides if your sketch is selected, and also for the actors), and that conforms to the established script format norms.

In my case, I was able to get hold of a sketch that had been accepted and used it as my template. An alternative, if you can't get hold of previously accepted sketches, is to download a template from the Internet. There are lots of good sources that you can utilise to get hold of accepted formats for writing for radio, TV, or stage. One such source that I have used in the past is the BBC's website.

Writing your sketch in the correct format won't, on its own, ensure success but it will hopefully give you a competitive advantage and ensure that your sketch is regarded as professional-looking and gets as far as being read.

Step 4: Double check and triple check your script before submitting it.

You've completed the hard part of writing the damn thing, and could be forgiven for thinking that all that's left to do is send it off to your chosen audience. Before you submit your precious script, however, it is always prudent to review it and make sure that you've ironed out all inconsistencies, typos and grammatical errors.

My advice is to go through the following process:

1. Having written your script, leave a space of a day or two before re-reading it. Does it still sound as good as you thought in the euphoria of having completed it? Are there ways that you can improve it? Can it be pruned? We often include too much dialogue, so a useful exercise can be to take out parts that aren't essential. Bear in mind that you can often improve a sketch through a 2nd or 3rd draft.

2. Proof read your final draft. Make sure your name and contact details are included, ensure the title is clearly displayed, check that your layout is correct and consistent. Check also that there are no inconsistencies, no typos, and no grammatical errors. Always use your spell check facility.

3. Get someone else to review it. We sometimes get so close to a script that we can't see the wood for the trees. Get someone else to read the script and provide feedback. Particularly useful if you have someone who is strong on grammar and spelling. Their feedback on what they found funny, or what they thought did or didn't work, may also prompt you to make further revisions.

So, to summarise, the four basic steps to follow are to decide what medium you're writing for, who you are going to pitch to (and what their criteria are), make sure that you're using an appropriate format, and finally review your script thoroughly to weed out any potential errors.

Learn more about this author, Simon Wright.
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