Skins

I watched Skins on E4 last night, and as much as I was looking forward to watching it, I was also concerned that there was a TV drama that seemed (from the promotional material) to be my entire 'Hoodies' play! Well, I can breathe a sigh of relief, cos although it's a bit similar, it's not really the same at all. Skins is about a group of 16/17 middle class kids who go to a tech college and live in Brighton and smoke spliff, party and have sex a lot. In last night's episode, the group tried to help one kid lose his virginity and they ended up driving their stolen car into the canal. I enjoyed the programme, but it was also good because it made me focus on how my play is not like this show; it helped me to define what I actually wanted to write about. 'Shilton Rec', or whatever I'm calling it at the moment, is about a group of 14 year olds who are lost and forgotten about, who drink and shag and smoke because there's nothing else to do. Society is afraid of them, so they are outcasts, sitting outside a shop, in a park, anywhere brightly lit and safe, killing time until it's bedtime and they can go home. It's about teens in the countryside, and how they're affected by social decay and the economic deterioration of their villages that saw their parents and grandparents having to look elsewhere for work. Yes, they swear and shag and get themselves into trouble, but the undercurrent of their situation is a lot different from some posh seventeen year olds from Brighton. So thank you E4!

New rota means I have to write 2,500 words three times a week in order to achieve my self-imposed deadline of a completed first draft of Inter Vivos by April. Wish me luck!

In other news, I've just had my hair cut, and my new fringe is starting to piss me off already...

Rejection

Well, I didn't get accepted for TWP's 'Playwright's Studio'. I don't know whether it's me or my work that they don't like. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm wasting my time, but then everyone on the forum's been really nice to me and have come up with some pretty persuasive arguments, so perhaps not. It would be nice if people at TWP would just say what they mean, rather than talking jargon and flat pleasantries all the time. I say, call a spade a spade, I can handle it. In terms of my playwriting, it's time to go back and reflect on my work so far, and identify things that could be improved, etc. I mean, I've not done too badly for myself, considering I've only ever written two stage plays. Mental note: Must do better in future. I've also not heard from two jobs I applied for before Christmas, so that on top of my TWP rejection is making me feel a bit shite.

Seb's too loved-up to write and I'm so anti-living things at times I can't even bring myself to buy a goldfish because I can't be doing with its ever-presence.

At least today's almost over.

Routine

I have decided to get myself into a new routine this year so that I manage to write something every week and make progress with my work. I have devised a two-week system (to accommodate fortnightly momentum sessions) and we shall see how long it lasts. Luckily Monday is rehearsal night, so the rota doesn't kick in until tomorrow.

I still haven't decided which play I want to write for Momentum, and Inter Vivos still hasn't hit the 20K mark. My excuse for this weekend is that I have been working, but it is still a pretty lame excuse. Hence the reason for the rota.

On another random note, my sister has bought herself two New Forest foals over the weekend. I'm not even sure this is legal, although my mum assures me that both horses have passports and 'stickers on their bums', whatever that means, so my family now owns 5 horses! My dad has been very quiet on the subject, which means he's not pleased (or he's trying to locate a horse meat trader on the sly...).

Ghost Story published again

Another quick post to say that Ghost Story has now been published on virtual writer.net (see link below). Think I need to write a new short story now!

www.virtualwriter.net/fiction/fiction.asp

Momentum Ideas

I proposed two ideas for Momentum last night. The first was my ‘youths’ play, featuring Mouse and Brick et al about rural decay and attitudes towards young people today, and the second was a play about jealousy, where the borders between friendship and relationship collide and whether it is better to be alone than with people who make you miserable. This second play involves a triangle between two female flat mates who have an obsessive/possessive relationship and how their dynamic changes when one of them gets a (not very nice) boyfriend. At the moment, I really want to get my ‘youths’ play off the ground (and I think I will give it the working title from now on of ‘Shilton Wreck’, with wreck being in the literal sense and also a play on words for ‘rec’ or recreational ground in Leicestershire slang, a place that a lot of the characters hang out). But I do like the other idea, and I am afraid that if I spend 2 months developing this 6+ hander, that TWP will turn around and say that they can only produce plays with 3 people in, like last year. Oh, I should just write what I want to write! But I want to have my play put on and be successful too.

I’ve been writing a paragraph of Inter Vivos each lunch time – slow and steady hopefully wins the race! Well, it’s better than nothing, and I’ve been busy every night this week, so haven’t had the chance to put in any proper time on it. Plus Company is starting to take up more and more time, as I can’t get the harmony line to stick in my head and I still don’t know how many kicks we do at the end of the routine for Side by Side. Sigh.

I know I moan, but I love being busy really! And at least I don’t have to work my second job this weekend so that I can take the weekend to recuperate!

Umbrella Stories

Just a quick post to say that Ghost's Story has been e-published. You can find it on www.umbrellastories.com under 'Flash Fiction'.

Politics

This first week back at work after the holidays has been tough, but at least it’s almost over now! I think I’m finally getting back on track with my writing, and I’m feeling inspired and slightly confident about Inter Vivos and the couple of play ideas I have floating about for this year’s Momentum. So far so good, 2007!
I have a feeling that Inter Vivos might start to become a little political in content, and I don’t want it to be. I mean, I certainly don’t pertain to know how to govern a country properly – I can barely govern myself at times – but I’m starting to think that you can’t base your world in a dystopia without actually explaining why it is or how it came to be. Very tricky this sci-fi stuff.

Happy New Year!

OK, I have been back at work now for just over an hour, and it feels like days. Wish it was still the holidays. Work sucks monkey balls.

Happy new year everyone! Had a really cool night on New Years Eve, was pleasantly pissed and had a really good time, so that was good! Thanks Seb, Mekon, little Alex and everyone for a great time. The walk home on New Years Day was a bit of a trauma - Seb your house is like fifty miles from mine, and my shoes broke en route and my feet were bleeding loads by the time I managed to hobble home! The shoes have taken off the top layer of skin on the top of my right foot, so I don't think I'll be winning any foot-beauty pageants any time soon. Ming!

Anyway, I haven't really been doing anything over the holiday period expect feeling incredibly lonely most of the time and putting on half a stone. Was trying to channel my sadness into something creative but was feeling too sorry for myself to produce anything. I'm sure I'll be fine once I'm back into the swing of things.

So new year's resolutions then: well, 1) stop being so f-ing miserable. 2) actually finish writing something rather than starting something and getting distracted by bright shiny things and 3) see more of people rather than hiding from the world in my little flat all the time. Oh and 4) go to the dentists. It's been ages since my last appointment.
Lucy :-)