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{{work}}
The story begins with four aspiring writers, (all in their 20s, acquainted with each other and living in [[New York City]]) who have just hired world renowned writer, editor and teacher Leonard for a 10 week seminar to teach them how to be better writers and help their careers along. And they have absolutely ''no idea'' what they've gotten themselves into.
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The four writers are:
* '''Douglas:''' the nephew of a well known writer and hailing from an upper class family, his chief publications thus far have been pieces for [http://www.newyorker.com/ The New Yorker] and similar magazines. He insists however that he is "a writer of fiction" and to prove it he frequently goes on writer's retreats to top notch writing colonies, which he mostly gets into because of his last name. Has a talent for describing scenery and conveying images, but otherwise his writing tends to be either a bland retread of things that have come before, or centered around utterly banal ideas. Leonard identifies him as "a literary whore" getting by on his [[Screw the Rules, I Have Connections|name and connections]]. Looking to make a move on Izzy.
* '''Izzy:''' The most sexually free and rebellious of the four, Izzy's writing pieces (and personal life) are essentially [[Sex, Drugs and Rock
* '''Kate:''' A child of an [[Blue Blood|Old Money family]], most of the action of the play including the seminars with Leonard take place in Kate's (rent controlled) apartment. Kate went to school with Martin, where their skills in English classes set them apart. Kate's main work through much of the play is a story that is her ode to ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'' which she's been rewriting for 6 years due to encouragement by various teacher and critics, (most if not all of whom were [[Damning With Faint Praise]]) and which makes Leonard want to gag after reading the first sentence. She's a liberal, feminist, and occasionally comes off as unthinkingly harsh toward others and somewhat unaware of how privileged her life is. Secretly has a thing for Martin, [[Tsundere|although she will never admit it]].
* '''Martin:''' [[Shrinking Violet|A painfully shy]] and socially awkward wallflower who cannot bear to have his stories read by anyone. Martin is in many ways the odd one out in the group; he's more or less the only one truly [[Doing It for
{{tropelist}}
* [[Adult Child]]: Martin is presumably at least in his mid 20s, but often acts more like an angry, spiteful teenager.
* [[Attention Whore]]/[[
{{quote|
* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: Everyone in this play, more or less. There's also a specific case of dialog where Douglas submits a story, Leonard finds little things here and there to praise, and Douglas is actually [[Genre Blind]] enough to say "I'd like some criticism." Leonard's response is to look at him and say "Oh, would you now?"
* [[Betty and Veronica]]: In a way, Kate and Izzy are this for Martin.
* [[Break the Haughty]]: Kate is better off for the wake-up call she gets. {{spoiler|In a roundabout way, it also happens to Martin, and evidently to Leonard as well. For example, Leonard considers his past jobs as an editor and professor to be servant's work that is beneath him, and has been given certain positions out of pity, but he was also in dire enough straits that he was forced to accept them}}.
* [[Brutal Honesty]]: Leonard, all the time. Even about himself, in the end. Here is what he concludes about the narrator of Kate's story from the first line:
{{quote|
** This is also a key source of the play's humor in general.
* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]
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* [[Comfort Food]]: The first seminar drives Kate into a wild binge that includes uncooked cookie dough, ice cream and potato chips.
* [[Cynical Mentor]]: Leonard is this for the most part, but when he encounters work that is actually good and shows talent and drive his own enthusiasm comes out.
* [[Deal
* [[Did Not Get the Girl]]: Martin winds up with neither Kate or Izzy in the end.
* [[Dirty Old Man]]: {{spoiler|Leonard sleeps with both Izzy and Kate, and his speech reveals that he slept with plenty of students when he was a professor}}.
{{quote|
* [[The Ditz]]: Although it's easy to peg Izzy for this trope, it's really Douglas who winds up fitting this role best.
* [[Doing It for
** Douglas is surprisingly distressed and sincere when, after Leonard calls him a whore who should write in Hollywood because they would give him endless scripts to write based on his last name, he protests "But I'm a fiction writer. A novelist".
* [[Don't You Dare Pity Me!]]: Multiple characters have shades of this. Leonard is probably the strongest case, most notably in his monologue that reveals a lot about his life and history in the last seminar.
* [[Establishing Character Moment]]
** Douglas begins the play with a glowing review of the scenery of his latest writer's retreat and comparing it to others he's been on. The way he does it both establishes his talent at conveying imagery and that he's a totally nonsensical, pretentious and shallow goof.
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* [[The Hedonist]]: Izzy.
* [[I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: {{spoiler|Kate tries to do this when Martin and Izzy hook up, but the fact they're getting it on right in front of her in the apartment where she let Martin stay quickly becomes too much for her}}.
* [[Jade
* [[Jerkass Facade]]: {{spoiler|Leonard is paradoxically a true JERK and incredibly sensitive, burnt out, and used up by life. The facade is his defense mechanism}}.
* [[Jerk
* [[The Ladette]]: Izzy, in many ways.
* [[Lust Object]]: Izzy.
* [[Never Live It Down]]: {{spoiler|Leonard's plagiarism is an [[In
{{quote|
* [[No Social Skills]]: Martin. Spelled out towards the end by Kate.
{{quote|
* [[Not So Different]]: Leonard lays out the miserable path that Martin is setting for himself, quickly making it clear that it's the same path that Leonard himself has journeyed.
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Don't underestimate Izzy's determination, political touch, or brains just because of her personal life.
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* [[Shrinking Violet]]: Martin paid $5,000 that he couldn't afford to pay to get into this seminar, and then is too pathologically shy to submit his stories for review.
* [[Skilled but Naive]]: Martin.
* [[Sleeps
* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: Douglas, who on several occasions trashes true literary superstars that have accomplished something and then brags of his own genius.
* [[Starving Artist]]: Martin.
* [[Taught By Experience]]: Leonard thoroughly encourages his students to get out of the house, take chances, put themselves at risk and experience everything, including the bad of the world. That, he feels, is what gives a writer something worth saying.
* [[Teacher
* [[Tsundere]]: Kate has most of the qualities down pat.
* [[Twice Shy]]: Kate and Martin.
* [[
* [[Who Writes This Crap?]]: Leonard does this to Kate's story in two different seminars.
* [[Wide
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Theatrical Productions]]
[[Category:Seminar]]
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