Reader, forgive me, for I have sinned. It has been too long since my last blogpost. Bleedin’ ages. Well, there was lots that needed doing in the garden.
In all seriousness, I haven’t written a thing for ages and my mojo is on a long vacation, so I’ve found it hard to be inspired. I could say I’ve been researching for the next book, and its true that some of the things I’ve read will no doubt come in handy as background for future endeavours but I’d be lying if I claimed that was the plan. I’ve made maybe one page of notes in 3 months. Better than nothing certainly, but not up there amongst the most productive periods of my life. It isn’t that I haven’t tried. There have been brief half hour periods that I’ve looked again at the several half completed projects I have, and thought ‘ooh, that’s good, I’ll get back to that’ but after a tea and biscuit break I’ve been distracted by a squirrel and the inspiration and enthusiasm just ebbed away.
Strangely, in the last week I came across a play I started writing and last added to in 2005, called “Famous Last Words”, and spookily the subject matter has great personal resonance today. I started two alternate versions, both with quite suggested stagings and props, and with detailed stage directions. One version was a single hander, monologue driven (‘Shirley Valentine-style) and incorporating some of my poetry. Very self-indulgent. The second was a very arty split-stage affair with the main character on a higher level, reflecting and remembering as the scenes played out on the stage below him. Both were as depressing as fuck. But rather good in places.
So naturally I re-read, pondered, decided that a version which combines the two would be best and went for a walk, thinking about the next steps, probably markets and competitions, should I adapt as an audio play instead, or even as a screenplay. So many possibilities, so naturally the freshly printed out copy is now next to the record player on top of the King Arthur notes, the latest version of the Llandudno story and the murder mystery castlist.
I’ll try to post again in less time than it takes a squirrel to give birth. Unless I get distracted.
Stay safe,
Kit xxx