The Writer’s Playground Series – Just an Entrance and an Exit

Just an Entrance and an Exit

• Objective: To understand that every character should enter and leave a scene with a clear purpose.
• How to Play:
  1. The group establishes a setting (“a laundromat at 2 AM”) and two characters (“a runaway teen” and “an off-duty police officer”).
  2. Working in pairs, the writers must create a short scene. The rules are:
     • Character A’s first line must establish why they entered the laundromat.
     • Character B’s last line must establish why they are now leaving.
  3. The scene is complete when the exit happens. It’s a powerful way to focus on mini-narrative arcs within a larger story.
• Best for: Scene structure, character motivation, and efficient storytelling.

Use one of the settings and characters in the list below or create your own:

Settings:

• A 24-hour laundromat at 3 AM.
• The dusty archives in the basement of a city museum.
• A hospital emergency room waiting area.
• The observation deck of a skyscraper on a windy day.
• A high-end, minimalist art gallery.
• The humid, tropical section of a botanical garden’s greenhouse.
• A crowded bus station ticket counter.
• The confession booth in an old cathedral.
• The walk-in freezer of a fancy restaurant.
• A cluttered, dusty pawn shop.
• A stark police interrogation room.
• A backstage dressing room, ten minutes before a show.
• A public library’s silent reading room.
• An elevator that is stuck between floors.
• A high-stakes, backroom poker game.
• The noisy engine room of a cargo ship.
• A rooftop garden during a quiet sunset.
• A fortune teller’s dimly lit parlor.
• The supply closet of an elementary school.
• A small town post office, five minutes before closing.
• A bait and tackle shop at the end of a pier.
• A veterinarian’s waiting room.
• A university professor’s overstuffed office.
• The lost-and-found office of a major theme park.
• A tailor’s fitting room.

Characters:

These are character archetypes, each with an implied goal or emotional state that will drive their actions within a scene.

• A nervous, first-time shoplifter.
• A jaded, seen-it-all homicide detective.
• An overly enthusiastic tourist with a camera.
• A world-weary janitor who just wants to go home.
• A rookie journalist on their first real assignment.
• Someone who is hopelessly, desperately lost.
• A paranoid person convinced they are being followed.
• A recently bereaved widow or widower.
• A famous celebrity in a very bad disguise.
• A runaway teenager looking for a place to hide.
• A high-powered, impatient business executive.
• A conspiracy theorist who has just found “proof.”
• Someone trying to return an awkward gift from an ex.
• A burned-out ER doctor on a break.
• A meticulous building inspector with a clipboard.
• A devoted pet owner with a very sick animal.
• A courier with an urgent, time-sensitive delivery.
• Someone who has just secretly won the lottery.
• Someone who is about to propose marriage.
• A health and safety officer making a surprise inspection.
• An exhausted parent with a crying baby.
• A professional assassin on their day off.
• A professional skeptic there to debunk a myth.
• A magician who has just botched a trick.
• The landlord who has come to collect overdue rent.