Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Memory and the failings of …

Took five and a half hours, but now all the corrections, all the little cuts are now incorporated into the one script. Problems occurred towards the end when I realised I didn't have a copy of the final draft of one of the problematic scenes. Yes, indeed, problem. So I recreated it from memory. So therefore, I am going to work on that a bit this morning, cause the memory ain't what it used to be.

I also finished the first draft of a long monologue that I had been working on here and there for the last few weeks. It's a weird one, as if that differentiates it from anything else I do.

I'm also reading this which is fab, fab, fab. Go read it. Now.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Cleaning up

Today I'm doing something that I should have done oh about six weeks ago but better late than never and perhaps I needed this time to think about it all, even though I haven't thought about it much at all. Or … at all. One Cloud which finished at the end of November went through a million tiny rewrites and cuts through the rehearsal period. I have pieces of script lying everywhere and today is the day to put them all together into a nice, completed, ABSOLUTELY DONE script.

And then we are going to find a new home for it.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Update of short play list

Still so much to do, but:

List One

Short plays that need minor rewrite/tweaks.

  • Sugar
  • Normal is the Enemy now called The Enemy
  • Ordinary Tuesday
  • Night declared Day
  • Darkness Cut
  • Ignorance
  • Breath

List Two

Short Plays that need another complete draft

  • Love
  • Lost and Found
  • No Fish, No Father now called Couch
  • For the Defence – Butterfly Evans
  • Cut the Lime
  • Morning Millicent

List Three

Short Plays that need to be written or rewritten completely

  • New Coffee Shop Play
  • People, Places, Things
  • Dead Man Speaks half re-written
  • Marcus & Sally Play
  • In the Blood
  • Sauce
  • Breakfast with Others

 

A letter

Dear mega-chain bookstore,

Before I begin my rant, I understand that we have a troubled relationship. Perhaps I am to blame for that. I say nasty things about you behind your back, calling you names and the death of various things. I say these things and then I try and sneak in the back entrance and take advantage of your undercut prices and get a little thrill when you change the selection at the 3 for 2 display. But let us bare in mind that I don't do this without some sort of financial layout. In other words, mega-chain bookstore, I pay. Oh, and pay I do. One of your executives that has never read a book in his life is driving around in a BMW thanks to the money I fork out at your counters.

So maybe I expect a little something at this very festive, GIVING time of year. Maybe I expect you to reward us with a little bit of a POST-CHRISTMAS SALE! But oh no. No, you dirty rotten bastards, a cheap table at the back of the shop with some ripped cookbooks from the 70s with new and exciting recipes to make apple and waldorf salad does not constitute a sale.

I understand times are tough, there is a credit crisis on. I get that. What I don't understand is why we aren't solving this through the power of literature. Explain that mega-chain bookstore. Here you have a great opportunity to not only boost the coffers, thus ensuring the mortgage payments of the beach house, but populating the world with great books.

Just a thought.

And I'll see you next time you change the 3 for 2 display.

My idea of a perfect Christmas

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.

This had to be one of the best Christmas's I've ever had. And the key ingredient – the absence of stress. The other half and I woke up whenever we wanted to, casually made coffee, casually opened our presents (well, I tried for casual but something about a Christmas tree and wrapped presents with my name on them never fails to turn me into a four year old child), and then spent the rest of the morning hanging out, reading my presents, having a bath, casually getting dressed.

Then, we walked the whole two minute walk to local pub/restaurant and ate and drank like kings for the next four hours while someone else served us and cleaned up after us. Returned, walking the whole two minutes back home , where we lazed on couch and did nothing much yet again.

Bliss. Every Christmas should be like this.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Blank paper

Further, to previous post, I have been writing screenplay at cash job in a notebook. It's small, so terribly small, but somehow has helped in the writing process. It got me to thinking, does what we write on affect what we write. The spiral notebook, which is 300 pages and so 600 pages double-sided is not so much blank paper to fill. I like this – so much so that I went out and bought five more of the things yesterday – because no matter how shit I feel, or how much I don't want to do this, I can coerce myself into it by saying well, it's only this much. And that's not much at all. You can fill that page. Look, you just did it. You did it without thinking, why not flip it over and fill the next one, and the next one. And yes, trust me, it really is that pathetic.

I don't know how it will all look when it's typed up and whatnot, but for now, I can honestly say, I'm nearly 600 pages down on my screenplay. Nice.

Other stuff

In other spectacularly exciting writing news, the screenplay is progressing nicely, which in case you are not up to date, is the thing I'm writing when I have nothing to do at work. Unfortunately, project had to be put on hold on Friday as work demanded that actual work be completed … Bastards.

Update

Another short play rewritten, which took three hours and about all of my patience, but No Fish, No Father is now Couch and seems to be less overly concerned with itself as a masterpiece of the short play form and instead simply tells a story. Hoorah! Only about 20 to go.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Things that happened today

  1. A taxi totally totalled a bike rider while I was sitting outside my cash job this morning summoning the courage to walk in and do nothing all day. He wasn't hurt although he screamed like he was. But he went totally off his nut at this taxi driver. Favourite line:

    "Sorry? You think sorry is going to cut it? You're delusional." Who comes up with delusional when they have been just been hit by a taxi?

  2. Buying dinner in the supermarket and suddenly a man in a black trench coat is led from aisle 9 (THE CHOCOLATE AISLE!!!) handcuffed by two police. Our poor criminal was then made to do the walk of shame through the whole shopping centre to the far exit. Favourite line from checkout chick: "What? Again?" I love where I live.

Well …

What is with me and plans? It's there, it's all neatly laid out in easy to follow bullet points and then somewhere between this is easy and let's go and do this, the plan goes to shit. Absolute shit. I am supposed to have three short plays down by now. I have one. ONE! And that still needs a final read-through. This sucks. This sucks major big time like right now bitches.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Lists

Short Plays

I've written a whole heap of short plays. Or, I should say, I've begun a whole heap of short plays. There's pages of dialogue everywhere with sticky notes on them saying things like "turn into 10 minute play" or "did I write this at some point for a ten minute play?" Deep down, I think I'm waiting for the writing fairy to come along when I'm sleeping and finish them off for me. But that fucking fairy is yet to turn up so I guess I have to do the work myself.

I've gone through all the viable 10 minute plays that need something done to them and divided them into three lists. Lists are good. Lists look like you know what you are doing, that you have a plan and things will turn out happy in the end. So …

List One

Short plays that need minor rewrite/tweaks.

  • Sugar
  • Normal is the Enemy
  • Ordinary Tuesday
  • Night declared Day
  • Darkness Cut
  • Ignorance
  • Breath

List Two

Short Plays that need another complete draft

  • Love
  • Lost and Found
  • No Fish, No Father
  • For the Defence – Butterfly Evans
  • Cut the Lime
  • Morning Millicent

List Three

Short Plays that need to be written or rewritten completely

  • New Coffee Shop Play
  • People, Places, Things
  • Dead Man Speaks
  • Marcus & Sally Play
  • In the Blood
  • Sauce
  • Breakfast with Others

My plan is to tackle at least one from one of the lists per day, and get them done and dusted and into the past.

Wish me luck.

What’s up?

My plan for the next little while is to do a series of posts regarding my experience with Australian theatre against what I have experienced working with American theatre. Biased? You bet, but it's my blog and I'll do what the fuck I want.

I don't know exactly what I'm going to write or if I can find a way to say something slightly intelligent but I think it's an important discussion to be having … if only with myself.

I'm also going to be posting a series of lists about where I'm up to with my work – more as a motivational tool. Basically I'm drowning in drafts. Especially of short plays that seem to take up more space than a short play ever should. And they are all in various states of disrepair. I've come to the conclusion that disrepair is not conducive to an active writing life. It's hard to get excited by something when you know you've got a hundred other things clamouring for a bit of attention, a bit of a rewrite, a bit of spit and polish. Clearing the decks people. That is what is going on around here.

In other news, I'm writing a screenplay. I'm about 40 pages (maybe a bit less) into it and I'm really starting to like it. It's all over the place but when isn't it? It's about a woman in her late 30s that tries to do something spectacular with her life. At the moment it's called Definitely Beautiful.

WTF

So you have one little play on and the whole world seems to stop as if it is dead. I don't know where I went or what happened to me but I didn't seem to have too much to say for the last little while. But fear not. Fear not indeed. She's back, and she's back with a vengeance.