Plans for the bank holiday weekend: Mini-getaway and a writing spree

The month of August has whizzed by at a skyrocketing speed. September is knocking and my birthday draws near again. How can time fly by so fast?

For the past few weeks, I have been slowly trying to return to the university mode. Yesterday, I went to the university library and did some research on a summer project we should finish. So, for the next few weeks, I have two academic projects to work on: analysing a television show and conducting an interview with a contemporary UK screenwriter. In addition, I should submit three original script ideas and prepare to pitch an original TV show idea. These are all exciting projects, and I already have a few ideas that I want to pursue, so I am feeling quite energetic and enthusiastic about it all. 

And so, it is a bank holiday weekend, which I will be spending in the Cotswolds countryside with my other half. The aim is to do some work on these above-mentioned university projects and to enjoy a relaxing, quiet weekend getaway from London. It is a really beautiful area, I might post photos later. Toodles! 

Summer's almost gone...

...where will we be, when the summer's gone?

It is mid-August, and I have to say, the summer has just flown by. Not only has the weather been full of warmth and sunshine, my personal life has been so as well. I have found romance and been quite productive in terms of writing, so things are all good.

Although I have played around with a few script ideas, I have not been doing a lot of screenwriting. Instead, I wrote a short theatre play for the Little Pieces of Gold contest, which showcases new writing talent by choosing a handful of plays and showcases them at the Park Theatre in London. I'm not sure if my play, Shelter, was quite what they were looking for, but I am glad I managed to write it all the same. My first theatre play!

To conclude, here's a little song from the Doors to entertain you. It is playing in my head on repeat!

Almost there - Summer holidays are near!

Oh, the bliss! I submitted the first draft of my 30-minute adaptation script last Thursday!

Words cannot express how relieved I felt. The project had stressed me for several weeks, up to a point where I had turned into a paranoid hermit. I lashed out to my close friends and family, sported black bags under my eyes, experienced trouble sleeping and caved in to my little room with tea pots and chocolates. I did not register I was turning into a living dead until I submitted my work, and then it hit me: I felt exhausted. It's like all the stress had been building up inside my body and at that moment, it escaped as one giant lump.

The mere feeling of adding the draft to my folder of 'Writing Projects' (which is basically a folder where I keep all my 'finished' script printouts) was simply amazing - although I doubt I will be graded very highly on the project (grading is really tough on my course), the joy of accomplishing it made me a very happy girl indeed.

It is slightly ironic that despite the exhaustion, I find my fingers lusting after the keyboard in order to start working on new projects. My mind is full of ideas and I am anxious to start working on them. However, I must wait - I still have an essay and some reports to finish before term two finishes. So until that dull work is done, I will have to keep my fingers and mind at bay. Hopefully my inspiration to write will not disappear during the next few weeks... So given this, I assume I am pursuing the right career for me? I should join Work-a-holics Anonymous!

Adaptation troubles

Term two of university is more than halfway through, and I find myself battling a huge writer's block. The short story I 've decided to use as the basis for my 30-minute adaptation, The Body-Snatcher, is the root of my problem.

When I first read the story, I was really excited by the concept of body-snatching and the general idea of doing morally questionable things to advance science. I also loved the way in which science and ghosts intersected, which corresponds to the idea I have of the Victorian society.

The difficulties I am experiencing mostly stem from structural issues. I have been attempting to establish a clear, cohesive, three-act story arc that would remain faithful to the characters, world and feel of the original short story. Easier said than done.

I find myself going around in circles, changing the main protagonist, story setting and order of events constantly. So far, my efforts haven't been very fruitful. The feedback I have received through my university workshops has not been too encouraging, and the depressing thing is - my fellow students have a point. The main protagonist does not have a clear want, the main active question is a bit vague, and the climax seems slightly irrelevant to the rest of the story. Phew.

I finally see some light at the end of the tunnel though. After swapping notes with a fellow student, I feel like I finally have a working outline. The bad thing is, I have spent almost two months trying to get the outline together, which leaves me with only one week to finish the script. 30 pages of script in one week - yikes. I doubt it will be of very good quality, but I must do the best I can..

Until further notice...