Screenwriter
Recently I have been experimenting with writing memoir, and short stories based on memoir. I have been reading short stories by George Saunders, and books about about prose writing such as his brilliant book on the Russian Short Story, ‘A Swim in a Pond in the Rain‘. Today I read a chapter of Robert Olen … Read more
Panicale is a Tuscan villa and gorgeous brand new retreat house next to it, with shared patio, and swimming pool, in the middle of the Tuscan mountains in a quiet little village. Both of the houses have been renovated by Martin, an architect – see my gallery page for more pics Writing sessions and one … Read more
I just found an exercise which yielded good results for me in writing stories. Combine three words as below and write a story containing all three. This exercise helps you think in a right brain way, laterally connecting disparate ideas. See what other threesomes you can conjur up! A female hell’s angel, going to Ikea, … Read more
Here are a few useful links to other sites that you might want to access to research films, and read screenplays such as the BFI, BAFTA, BBC Writersroom and Writers Guild. Every credit of films are available on imdb. I even have one as script editor on Estonian kid’s film ‘Ruudi’ I am way down … Read more
Laurie Hutzler once gave a workshop on the emotional toolbox, a way of developing characters on screen, and I think its an interesting approach. Here is a link to her website, which has some free blog posts which show you the basics of her ideas. Characters begin as their masks, have a want which drives … Read more
There was a survey completed in 2013 which shows shocking inequalities between the opportunities and successes of women playwrights compared to men. I see the statistics as a call to arms, we as a diverse group of women theatre writers need to challenge the status quo as indicated below. in the 21st Century, inequality is … Read more
I have been re reading my notes from a talk by Erica Whyman from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Here is a link to an interesting project that she talks about. https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/shakespeare-nation-q-and-a-with-erica-whyman She was asked ‘how is the spirit of Shakespeare alive in writing and theatre today?’ She cited ann immediate relationship with the audience, plays … Read more
Here are some notes I found today on writing for radio from a course run by Jessica Dromgoole What is the territory of the play? You don’t want to be told off by radio, better to think in a more open way about the central question you want to explore. What is the central narrative … Read more
This Sunday, I attended a couple of sessions at the Women Over Fifty Film Festival (WOFFF) at Depot Cinema in Lewes . This festival is an inspirational challenge to a stereotype that the film makers’, screenwriters’ or actors’ creative visibility disappears at fifty; quite the reverse, this is when we hit our stride. What is … Read more
Last night I went to see Caryl Churchill’s linked plays Glass.Kill.Bluebeard.Imp at the packed Royal Court Theatre. The plays were rich, formally inventive and evocative, but that’s what I expect from all her plays. As a whole, they riffed on myth and legends of violence, superstition, and female rage. Between the first three plays, a … Read more