Ever watch that trainwreck of a reality TV show Intervention? Compelling viewing, wasn’t it, watching the details of a human tragedy unfold with the promise of redemption and release always hanging the air? See now, I’m living in my own private script intervention, complete with a rehab program, and turns out, it’s far from entertaining. Damn right unpleasant.Read More →
Who the hell are you as a writer? What do you stand up for? When you hear of evil and see evil, do you speak of it? Where’s them fighting words? What you got?Read More →
Look. A piece of Art. How amazing! Yeah, I’m keeping up with my artform. I liked it, click that thumbs-up icon. Click, it’s off my list. Next! Oh, come on! Really? Back it up.Read More →
magic realism noun a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy, and everyone is doing it these days.Read More →
It’s Modern Family’s Jay Pritchett. It’s Star Trek’s Doctor McCoy. It’s Orange Is The New Black’s Galina “Red” Reznikov. It’s a Hollywood (and small screen) staple, and some might conclude a complete cliche. Yet the ‘crusty but benign’ character, forever firing off conflicting messages of love and disdain, has something to tell us writers.Read More →
I’m working on a small grant at the moment. It’s been years since I tried my hand at grant-writing. Six years or more, and oh! what a coincidence, the same time number of years I’ve been employed in one of those distracting “real jobs” I was telling you about a yesterday.Read More →
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from a full-time writer and theatre-maker was this: just say ‘yes’.Read More →
I saw one of my Write Sparks workshop writers today at the markets. He was busy at his foot reflexology stall, but I caught him between customers. He wanted to get some advice about where to go with his script and I told him a bit about creative developments.Read More →
Full disclosure: I’m beginning this post with absolutely no idea of what I’m going to be writing about. This breaks the rules of blogging and I should be ashamed of myself! Apparently, all the best writers have writing schedules in which the author will slate a whole week or month of topics which they intend to write about. Not saying this is a bad idea at all, just saying it’s all a bit serious.Read More →
Next time you’re at some fancy-schmancy dinner party and someone asks you what you do for a living, just for laughs, say that you are a dramaturg. The more socially adept in your company will nod their heads politely and feign the appearance of a passing knowledge of such a profession. They will pause for a sip of wine to give them a moment to think of something to say, then come up with a conversation-stopper comment like “Wow. That’s terrific.”Read More →