Old MacDonald Day

On Friday there was a meeting – not of minds, but of both my jobs. We took our preschoolers for a session at ‘big school’, where I also work. It was Old MacDonald Day so everyone dutifully dressed in jeans, boots and checked shirts!

Even though it’s only a few  minutes walk from one to the other, we were drowned by the time we got there. Of all the days for the heavens to decide to open with a whoosh! But the children had a lovely time – they made animal masks, went on a farm animal treasure hunt in the hall, dressed up as animals, made funky horse masks, coloured in farm pictures, and of course they played with the toy farm as well. Oh, and sang Old MacDonald whilst learning the Makaton symbols for the animals. Lots of enthusiasm!

In a rare moment of relaxation (although it kind of crossed over to writing work as well) I finished the Writer’s Tale 2: The Final Chapter by Russell T Davis and Benjamin Cook. Great entertainment, lots of laughs, a behind the scenes look at Dr.Who and an insight into Russell’s writing – who could ask for more?

Personally I think he served an OBE just for the book, never mind ‘services to drama’! Reading it was like sitting ion the midst of a cosy chat – it’s all emails, save for the ocassional text message, so it really feels like you’ve just pulled up a chair…
The downside is, I had that really bereft feeling you get when you come out of a ‘book world’ you’ve been so comfy in.

Never mind. Thanks to my lovely husband, supplier of all things Christmas-booky, I have already betrayed the memory of Russell and Benjamin, and floated into Mr.Fry’s Chronicles. Armchair, anyone?

I have a horribly busy week ahead, and the playscript is still not finished. But I’ve made progress today, and the back is feeling a bit better. So there’s hope for me yet!

Steve is back!

If you were mourning Steve, fear not. He has returned!

Having listened to Jane Rogers talking about film adaption – and thinking back to the minimal dialogue approach discussed by Mark Ravenhill – I completely redrafted the beginning of my play, getting rid of a whole clunky bundle of exposition by dramatising a small scene in the main character’s past. It really helps with the set-up and feels far better.

I must be turning into Russell T Davies, because until I was fairly happy with the start, I couldn’t concentrate on  the rest.

Hopefully now I can get on and write the Steve scene – his dialogue can now be succint and important. Although I should warn you, I may go back to calling him Pete, as he was in the original story!

I’m part way through Linda Seger’s excellent Making A Good Script  Great, and just got her The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film. Which means I have no excuse to turn in a bad assignment. Oh no!