A while back I was asked to write about my writing process by Dorothy Bruce as part of a blog tour. It’s been a long time coming but here it is.
Dorothy is a fellow member of the Borders Writers Forum. You can find out more about Dorothy and her writing at – http://www.jingsandthings.wordpress.com
1.What am I working on?
I don’t normally like writing or
talking too much about what I’m currently working on as it tends to shift and
change shape as I write. Also usually
what I’m working on is a number of things.
That is currently the case. I’ll
concentrate on one main project.
This main project is bucking the
trend of shifting and changing as I write. More of that later.
I mainly write plays though also
poems and short stories.
My main project is a play.
In the recent past my plays both
long and short have tended to be monologues. No idea why to tell you the truth
except I enjoy the concentration of the story in one person.
After saying that of course my
current play, working title Besieged, isn’t a monologue.
It is my attempt at writing a
modern classical tragedy in three acts. In
a nutshell it is the story of a man, a modern King (businessman) besieged in
his castle (office), by forces both internal and external. I’m currently half
way through Act Two.
It is very unusual that I have such
a clear idea of the character and the whole story. I never plan and normally I
have some indication of what the story might be about and try to dig away at
that by the act of thinking and writing.
I’m aiming to finish the first
draft by the end of May. Fingers
crossed!
2. How does my work differ from
others of its genre?
This is a difficult one as I don’t
think of plays as genre or what I write about fits into any particular
genre. I feel my work changes and
develops as I write more and more plays.
For instance I have never written a
classical three act play before. A few
months ago I wouldn’t even have thought of considering it. In fact my current and future work I hope will
always differ and develop from work I have already done.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I love it. I love imagining people on stage and the
story developing in front of a live audience.
Feeling the electricity of that instant reaction from the audience. It is nerve wracking no doubt about it. I don’t know if I really enjoy going to my
own plays in that I’m always looking at the play and imagining other ways of
doing things! That speaks I hope to the
fact that once a play is completed and by the time it has reached the stage you
have moved on as a writer.
4. How does my writing process work?
Two ways.
--Staring out of windows, watching
the TV but not noticing what is on while thinking about the characters and the
story. Working out what happens next
inside my head then sitting down when I have a start point for a play or the
next piece of dialogue or action.
--If I am
stuck either in the middle of a play or have no clear idea of how a new play might
start or what it is about I decide to start somewhere and see where that leads.
I might have a phrase or an image or a character in mind. Whatever the case might be I sit down and
write and see what happens. I usually
put my character in a particular place and get them moving and see where they
go, or get them talking and listen to what they say or who they are talking to. I might get them to answer the phone, or the
door, and see who it is on the line or at the door.
When a clearer picture of the story
emerges I start again and go for it!
As part if the blog tour I was to
ask three folk to post about their writing process. That as they say is a work
in progress!
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