Tag: Update

Well that week flew by! And I zipped all around the country attending various things… Black Watch was good, though I thought, compared to when I saw them at Warwick, they all seemed a little tired, a couple of stumbles and mistakes, but I think I can forgive them as they have since been on a world tour, and that was their 2nd last performance… And it was still an astonishing piece of theatre, it gave you no bad guys or good guys- just a group of people doing their jobs. My brother’s graduation was quite fun too.

In terms of writing, I didn’t get the piece ready in time for the AI/Ice&Fire competition, which I was a bit upset about, however I knew that I probably wouldn’t as I had to stay longer at home for a family funeral, and that kind of thing can’t be helped. Still, it’s the first target / deadline I’ve set myself and not met, which feels pretty weird, like failing myself kind of thing. So I sat down and looked at my situation in terms of writing both for the Mphil and in general, and got a bit of a nasty shock! So this is currently, officially Panic Mode. Basically, taking into account work, and moving house (happening next week, eek!) I have 16 days between me and hand-in-day. So 16 days to do a perfect and finished 90 page final draft of Being Someone Else along with an accompanying 6000 word essay, not it took me about 8 months to write my 10,000 word dissertation, granted I was doing 6 other modules at the time, but still! I can’t really start the latter until I’m in the new house with all my books, or either until I’m at a proper computer with all of my files… so, yes. I am concerned. It’s possible, just looks a tad insurmountable from this angle.

And in terms of writing ‘in general’ I have set out a couple of goals, number 1 is to sort out an idea for a radio play to take to a producer at the BBC following my hand in, that will hopefully allow me to develop something in time for the Spring round of offers. Goal number 2 is to apply for an arts council award for individuals to develop a piece, so I would essentially be paying myself to write, and hopefully get a couple of workshops and rehearsed readings out of it with actors that I know through my work. If I am lucky enough to be successful, and the work goes well, I will then apply again or money to develop through to performance, probably in time to take it to Edinburgh.

And in other news… I have been contacted by a fringe theatre company in London (I sent a couple of things to them about a year ago) who are interested in meeting with me to talk about my writing and plans. This is great news because so far my interest has been solely regional (I am very supportive of regional theatre, and see it as just as valid, it’s just good to have fingers in all metaphorical pies). At the very least it could be some very useful advice, optimistically, it could also mean the beginning of some kind of relationship, from readings upwards… which is good!

Anyway, I must go plan my weekend, so I can fit in packing my old house and work on plays etc… Thanks for reading!

This is generally intended to be quite a short entry (though it may run on) as I really need to get some sleep after quite a packed weekend spent in Manchester. Then tomorrow I’m back at Foursight before going to Leeds on Thursday for my little brother’s graduation, then London to see Black Watch, and then Yorkshire for a family matter, before back for more work, and then moving house the following week… So a bit low on time! And whilst I’m back home I wont be able to update anything with ease, so I thought I should briefly ‘check in’.

I am generally, and quite suddenly, feeling really strapped for time, and a bit nervous about getting things done in time. Mainly pressing concerns are the redraft of Being Someone Else along with the accompanying 6000 word essay, and the Amnesty International/Ice and Fire competition that I was writing something for. The deadline for the latter is VERY soon, 1st August, and I think that due to this family matter taking me away I’m probably not going to get anything complete in time to send off, which is a real shame because the piece (tentatively titled Eismas/Traffic) feels quite gripping as an idea, has been emerging well, and recently had quite a reasonable break through in terms of structure. However the main problem is that it’s only about 1/2 an hour of material (the minimum is 1 hour) and I am so exhausted after work/gym that work nights along with all this traveling are opposing progress almost completely. we’ll see, I am going to try as hard as possible to get something finished, though I hold no great hopes for the competition now, it just seems a shame to have written something quite specific for it to just sit on the shelf…

In terms of the thesis play and essay for the Playwriting Studies course, I am seeing and feeling a little more each time I think of it, and look at it, I just need to find some good chunks of time (at the expense, unfortunately, of others) to get at it. The key is the emotional link between reader/audience and the characters/story- it is an alien world, so anchoring the emotions is really important to give you a ‘way in’ to understanding… I did a big chunky redraft of the real world which is moving in the right direction, but thoroughly lacked heart, and any notion of the characters as really feeling- I think that they haven’t developed enough with the change in plotting, and are therefore stuck in previous drafts’ modes. The essay I am less worried about, I spent 3 years writing essays, it’s always do-able- I just need, again, more time before this ever-nearing deadline of mid September. Think I may have to take a week off work and blitz it all, I am very much a ‘blitzing’ kind of person.

In slightly other-ness (sorry, can’t think of a real word, my brain is a bit melty from many trains) I am getting the urge to set at some short pieces of writing at the moment, small lines and starting images keep on popping into my head, so I think I may buy a new notebook (not lined! hate lines >_<) and start getting some things down. It’s been a very long time since I did any short pieces, and I’m interested in particular to see how/if the masters has changed that part of my writing.

Right, now I really must sort my self out ready for work etc… when I next write I will have either shelved or posted Eismas/Traffic so depending what happens there, I may go into more detail about that particular piece, or I may share so short scribblings… let’s see!

Thanks for reading! xx