Are you too busy to be funny?
I’m stupendously busy. This is a good thing for a writer. Part of the reason why this true will come out in a blog post tomorrow (exciting!) Another is that I’m writing about five different plays at once and my head is exploding. That’s ok, I can do this, but I’ve run into a problem: at least two of the plays must be comedies, but for me everything starts with drama. So, what the hell to do? How do you make a funny character when you have exactly 30 minutes writing time before you have to switch projects? Fear not – this guide will show you one approach to understanding what makes a character funny. Read on.
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So, I missed the November and very nearly the December blog posts. Once a month posting doesn’t seem that ambitious until you’re reaching desperately for your pen through a pile of shitty nappies and the phone starts ringing somewhere far away on the other start of the flat. But I’m still here. I’m doing shed loads of writing. And I promise this isn’t the last post. Let me tell you why. (more…)
You will get criticism whether you want it or not. As a writer, or any creative, it will be a central part of your existence. A central and very painful part of your existence. So how to you deal with it? How do you use it?
As I write this, I am in the morning before the Sunday night reading of my new play. It will be followed by an audience Q&A. That’s right, the audience will give me feedback right when I most want to slit my fucking wrists. So this essay isn’t a mere academic exploration. It’s a survivors guide. How do you take criticism, and make use of it, without killing yourself and/or burning your work?
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On Sunday October 22nd Moving Parts Theatre Company will perform a reading of my new radio play, “Space Station Zeta,” at City 27. The address is 27 cité industrielle, Paris 11eme. Doors are open from 1900-1930, entrance is free, and the play lasts around an hour and a half.
Space Station Zeta is a science-fiction comedy. Boyle is a consultant engineer on a derelict space station orbiting the sun. His boss is also his ex-girlfriend, his assistant is in love with the station computer, and the station computer is trying to kill him. But his troubles are only just beginning. Newly-elected Chairman of the Federation Ronald Dump is on his way with a plan to make Space Station Zeta great again.: he wants to mine the sun, and he won’t let words like “absurd,” “impossible” or “massive explosion” get in his way. Even Boyle’s razor-sharp sarcasm may not be enough to keep them all alive.
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Here’s a quote from a book I very much enjoyed:
“My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father along with a few others that I keep well hidden in the woods.” (The Hunger Games, Chapter 1)
How many bowyers is Katniss hiding in the woods?[i] Did she free them before the bad guys destroyed District 12 or are the poor buggers still there, stuck under a tree, waiting for rescue? And how many readers care that bad grammar riddles the book?
If Suzanne Collins can sell 17.5 million copies of The Hunger Games, do we need to study grammar at all?
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