I spent sometime last week doing something I haven’t done in a few years. I wrote a skit. My church is having a women’s retreat and a few skits were needed. I volunteered to put some words on paper and will probably perform in one or two as well.

I’ve been a skit writer for decades. Skits are a wonderful way to get a point across. It gives a visual representation of theme that often sticks with people for a long time.

While amid writing novels and blog posts I don’t always have time to write skits just for fun and then try to pitch them to various publishers that produce skit books. But writing for my friends is different. Writing for an event gives an opportunity to see it performed and get out any bugs before pitching it for publication.  Working up a skit around a theme is another opportunity to hone the skill that is a key element to novel writing. Without a theme a novel is just words on paper and a skit is just a bunch of one-liners with no point.

Skits are often dialogue driven. Great practice. Monologues or visual presentations (i.e. mimes) are great practice for writing internal thought and descriptions.

Skit writing can be compared to short stories or flash fiction. In the same way flash fiction helps you write tighter novels, skit writing is good practice for writing tight in preparation to write a screenplay.

I’ve sent off my completed project to the pastor’s wife and if it goes well I may just be submitting it for publication.

And just so you know. If you have ever written even one skit you can call yourself a writer.