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Monday, September 11, 2006

Well, things are very mixed for me at the moment. So much happening, I hardly have time to stop and think. I've done NO writing for about a fortnight, which will not help put food into the larder, will it? I owe letters, emails, phone calls to people and cannot bring myself to do any of them. I've got no motivation and a whole lot of angst and worry that I am not the writer I thought I was.
On the plus side, last night I was telling someone how a drama group I used to be involved with had let me know I was "surplus to requirements" as a writer. (This after ten years of being their only writer, but hey, things change. The old leadership left, a new leadership took over, I've moved to another group.) The person I was telling, who used to be in the first group themselves said "They're mad! They're nothing without you." Not true, of course, but immensely gratifying.
I had a crisis of confidence with my novel "Tymerys: Geoffrey's Freedom" which didn't help. I wondered whether I was wasting my time. I kept starting again and again and again. Now, I'm going to go through and do a complete draft, no rewrite till the end and see what happens.
The first page is up on the site. Let me know what you think.
Got to get on with the novel, because after it, I have two plays and a pantomime to write, and a pantomime to produce. So I'd better leave this and get on with the real work.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello Hilary,

This is Harold from Critique Circle. We had started to email and critique work and I haven't been able to get back to you.

I decided not to submit my screenplay after reading the fine print from Disney. The terms of their contract allowed them to take and produce my work without my permission.

I have a blogspot now and would like to continue corresponding with you. I would like you to see what I've done and I have a few prop ideas for stage plays that would add dramatic elements to the presentation. Thanks for really helping me out in the past.

Unknown said...

I was told by professional screenwriters that I should buy an HD camera, produce low budget shorts of my scripts, and enter contests to break in to the business.

During a brainstorm for a short I jotted down props and imagery that could be introduced into the film to convey really intense dramatic elements. I wanted to rule out dialogue and music, limiting myself to only the sound effects from the prop(s).

Although the premise of the short seemed interesting, it will take some time for me to purchase my camera and begin shooting films. I remembered that you're a playwright and I think the drama would be incredibly magnified if you presented something like this on stage.

Here it is: A man arrives home early from work because he has lost his job. He hears noises from the bedroom and strides to the door, neglecting to put down his briefcase. He opens the door to discover his wife is having an affair with another man. Closeup on his hand holding the handle of the briefcase, his hand twitches violently as he is overtaken with emotion as realization sinks in. The wife and her lover do not realize that he is home. Flashback to many of the bonding moments in their relationship (meeting, dates, birth of children, if any) The flashback would be the meat of the film. Then return to present with a wide angle on his back. He drops the suitcase. The *THUD* sound startles them. His wife and her lover scramble to cover themselves. The man reaches for an common household object and beats them to death with blood shown slinging on to framed family portraits displayed on the night stand. END.

I thought that if I never do anything with this that you might like to introduce the briefcase aspect of my short on stage. Imagine a packed theatre with a hushed audience and the loud *thud* of the briefcase hitting the floor when the actor releases it from his grasp at a tense moment. You might already do things like this but the majority of theatre I have seen thrives mostly on dialogue and uses props and scenery as a mere enhancement. I think an audience would be really entertained by using tools like this in a profound way.

Also, some scenario like this would be a terrific way for a character to break free in to a colorful journey. You could make it work for either gender. (wife returns to find husband and another woman, drops purse, the impact of experiencing the worst day of her life causes a life-changing epiphany for her to set off on an incredible journey.

Unknown said...
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