Other stuff

In other spectacularly exciting writing news, the screenplay is progressing nicely, which in case you are not up to date, is the thing I'm writing when I have nothing to do at work. Unfortunately, project had to be put on hold on Friday as work demanded that actual work be completed … Bastards.

Update

Another short play rewritten, which took three hours and about all of my patience, but No Fish, No Father is now Couch and seems to be less overly concerned with itself as a masterpiece of the short play form and instead simply tells a story. Hoorah! Only about 20 to go.

Things that happened today

1. A taxi totally totalled a bike rider while I was sitting outside my cash job this morning summoning the courage to walk in and do nothing all day. He wasn't hurt although he screamed like he was. But he went totally off his nut at this taxi driver. Favourite line:
   

   "Sorry? You think sorry is going to cut it? You're delusional." Who comes up with delusional when they have been just been hit by a taxi?
   

2. Buying dinner in the supermarket and suddenly a man in a black trench coat is led from aisle 9 (THE CHOCOLATE AISLE!!!) handcuffed by two police. Our poor criminal was then made to do the walk of shame through the whole shopping centre to the far exit. Favourite line from checkout chick: "What? Again?" I love where I live.

Well …

What is with me and plans? It's there, it's all neatly laid out in easy to follow bullet points and then somewhere between this is easy and let's go and do this, the plan goes to shit. Absolute shit. I am supposed to have three short plays down by now. I have one. ONE! And that still needs a final read-through. This sucks. This sucks major big time like right now bitches.

Lists

Short Plays

I've written a whole heap of short plays. Or, I should say, I've begun a whole heap of short plays. There's pages of dialogue everywhere with sticky notes on them saying things like "turn into 10 minute play" or "did I write this at some point for a ten minute play?" Deep down, I think I'm waiting for the writing fairy to come along when I'm sleeping and finish them off for me. But that fucking fairy is yet to turn up so I guess I have to do the work myself.

I've gone through all the viable 10 minute plays that need something done to them and divided them into three lists. Lists are good. Lists look like you know what you are doing, that you have a plan and things will turn out happy in the end. So …

List One

Short plays that need minor rewrite/tweaks.

• Sugar
  
• Normal is the Enemy
  
• Ordinary Tuesday
  
• Night declared Day
  
• Darkness Cut
  
• Ignorance
  
• Breath
  

List Two

Short Plays that need another complete draft

• Love
  
• Lost and Found
  
• No Fish, No Father
  
• For the Defence – Butterfly Evans
  
• Cut the Lime
  
• Morning Millicent
  

List Three

Short Plays that need to be written or rewritten completely

• New Coffee Shop Play
  
• People, Places, Things
  
• Dead Man Speaks
  
• Marcus & Sally Play
  
• In the Blood
  
• Sauce
  
• Breakfast with Others
  

My plan is to tackle at least one from one of the lists per day, and get them done and dusted and into the past.

Wish me luck.

What’s up?

My plan for the next little while is to do a series of posts regarding my experience with Australian theatre against what I have experienced working with American theatre. Biased? You bet, but it's my blog and I'll do what the fuck I want.

I don't know exactly what I'm going to write or if I can find a way to say something slightly intelligent but I think it's an important discussion to be having … if only with myself.

I'm also going to be posting a series of lists about where I'm up to with my work – more as a motivational tool. Basically I'm drowning in drafts. Especially of short plays that seem to take up more space than a short play ever should. And they are all in various states of disrepair. I've come to the conclusion that disrepair is not conducive to an active writing life. It's hard to get excited by something when you know you've got a hundred other things clamouring for a bit of attention, a bit of a rewrite, a bit of spit and polish. Clearing the decks people. That is what is going on around here.

In other news, I'm writing a screenplay. I'm about 40 pages (maybe a bit less) into it and I'm really starting to like it. It's all over the place but when isn't it? It's about a woman in her late 30s that tries to do something spectacular with her life. At the moment it's called Definitely Beautiful.

WTF

So you have one little play on and the whole world seems to stop as if it is dead. I don't know where I went or what happened to me but I didn't seem to have too much to say for the last little while. But fear not. Fear not indeed. She's back, and she's back with a vengeance.