Friday, July 14, 2006

Sitting Ovation

I'm really enjoying the process of writing a play. Such a different process to writing a story. It's just dialogue really. I'm kind of bearing in mind that actors are going to breathe life into the words, the director is going to choreograph things, and the production people are going to pull a few tricks out of their bag. Not that I'm assuming it's going to make the shortlist, more that in writing narrative, you're on your own. With a stage play it's so collaborative right from the start.

This is why when I read out what I'd done so far I wasn't the least bit crushed or disillusioned or crestfallen when The Dreaded One smiled instead of laughed. Because even when the writing is complete, a play is still incomplete. I mean, I'm not a fucking actor. A trained thespian would have delivered their lines much more convincingly than I did. What's the saying? "Don't act, react." Well how can I react when I'm in my living room playing both fucking parts? When I've written both parts? Huh? Nuance would have made the lines a LOT funnier than when I read them. I don't care - sit there smiling politely while the audience in my imagination is going nuts and giving my play a standing ovation and screaming Author! Author! You think it's easy, Dreaded One? Write your own fucking play then. *Tosses fistful of pages into the air and flounces off stage with panties in a bunch*

Meh. Might hold off writing my acceptance speech for a bit. Might be an idea to finish writing the play first.

Two weeks to go.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

His script is actually quite funny. It's hilarious, actually. It's just that when you're around somone as constantly funny as Lee, you become kind of desensitised. I mean you laugh, just in a quiet way. I mean, if I laughed out loud at every funny thing he said, I'd just be in a constant state of rolling around on the floorness, and that just conducive to, you know, getting things done.

And he really did throw his script into the air and flounce off with his panties in a bunch. He's so silly, in a really adorable way... a really dreamy and adorable way... in a really dreamy and ruggedly masculine kind of way... in a Norse God kinda way... shit, I think I blew my cover with the Norse God bit. Bugger.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Yeah, yeah, what do they know, partners / mates, they never know, they pick holes in wot we write.

Or so we like to think.

Lee Bemrose said...

Amra - it's funny, but The Dreaded One never reads my blog, so I really could get away with posting as her and saying such outrageously flattering things about me... just not sure what that would achieve.

Gg - in this case, she usually knows. I should always hold off and not read/let her read the first draft. Do I ever learn? Noooo.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Me too, I never learn.