A good few years ago, an Australian dramaturg I know stated the obvious (dramaturgs are good at that, and, damn it, someone has to do it); love first, then disaster, he said with power and panache as if it were a profound elemental truth of the world in general. I’m going unpack what the statement means, and then I’m going to point out the obvious—we don’t use this piece of advice enough when we are writing.Read More →
I just finished reading a play called Savages by the highly regarded, multiple award-winning and strangely underproduced Patricia Cornelius. Mouth still hanging open.Read More →
Memory is a funny thing. It defines our motives. It helps us define our lives. What we can remember is what we can pass on. What we remember is our truth. But here’s the kicker. Writing true stories, whether they be of your memories or the memories of others as told to you can be a real challenge. Here’s some stuff I’ve noticed about it.Read More →
Last thing a creative writer wants to think about is form and structure and dull, logical things like that, huh? I know. You just want to c. r .e. a . t. e. and get it all out onto the page and be marvellous, darling. This is good news. I’m all for getting your creative gig on. Let that flow happen. Let it gush forth! But once all the gushing’s done, it’s time to put your logic hat on. oh boy.Read More →
There is a drive toward “Excellence in the Arts”, and there probably should be. I do find the phrase slightly bothersome though. It’s just that ‘excellence’ in creative expression is utterly relative and subjective. You could go to the best opera with the best opera singers in the best opera house in your best opera frock or suit, expecting ‘Excellence with a capital E from Art with a capital A’, and yet walk away feeling empty and unmoved. You could go to a community project with all kinds of ‘non-excellent’ theatre practice going on, yet be moved to tears and uplifted to heaven. SoRead More →
A friend of mine is leaving town. She’s going to live at the other end of the country. I’ve known her, and worked with her on and off, since 1994. She is still reasonably young, and she’s off for a fresh start. Tonight some of her nearest and dearest friends organised a huge farewell theatrical event in which all kinds of people could go up on the stage and make an impact statement—big, small or ludicrous— about how this artist had changed their lives. The resulting bonanza made it clear; artists can and do leave very big footprints within their community.Read More →
Famous Australian playwright, Michael Gow, once said in an extraordinary writer’s workshop given at JUTE that “there are no rules, only examples”. I cannot recall if he was saying something brilliantly original, or quoting someone else who is awesome. Yeah. That would be because I don’t read enough examples.Read More →
“Where do you get all your ideas?” some people ask of writers as if there is some secret trick of the trade. That’s like saying to an actor, “I don’t know how you remember all those lines!” There is no trick. It’s just what happens. Writers get ideas. But that’s not to say anything after the getting of an idea is easy.Read More →
So much of our life and language is tied up in our understanding of time. Work deadlines, milestones, catching planes, gym timetables, shop opening hours, making time, wasting time, time on our hands, killing time. We glance at our smartphone or our fitbit or the clock on the wall to check the time because we know time means something. Hey, but do we really know what time it is? Apparently not.Read More →
I know most of you all want to write something insightful, stirring, meaningful, and gobsmackingly clever and on point. But what if what you wrote got you into trouble. Serious trouble. Like dead.Read More →