I have spent many hours hunched over various notebooks (The paper kind) and Notebooks (The electronic kind over the years. Various PCs have been purchased, and all sorts of software. All of these efforts have cost thousands of pounds, and all for what? Well I have always harboured a dream to write two words...."The End". I have managed this on three occasions in all these years, and they have all been plays. I would love to write "The End" at the completion of my first novel, but that is some way away. I have started to write three novels, and all of them have fallen by the wayside for a number of reasons. Thankfully in all cases I can hold my head high and say that it has not been prevarication that has delayed the completion. In all cases they have just been a bit....well....crap is the only word I can think of that accurately sums it up. The plays however have been a different kettle of fish all together. Perhaps because of their brevity? My first one was written very quickly. The nature of it was such that I was able to write quickly. It was an episodic, almost sketch based play, and I enjoyed the speed of completion. I followed this with my second play which was very similar, and again, quick to finish. On both occasions it felt wonderful to type those two words. The third occasion was my pantomime. This was a little different, as I spent a much longer time in completing it. Looking back, I think that this was because of the lack of joy with which I went about the task. I dislike pantomimes, and I think that came across in some of the writing. It was a long pantomime, and it needed to be to cater for the groups performing it. I will condense it down to a two act panto at some point soon, because I think that it shows some promise in places, but not in its current form. The typing of the two words at the end of this were a huge relief, and not borne out of too much joy. SO that brings me to today, and the fourth occasion for typing the two words. I finished the Macbeth rewrite. I managed to illicit a few giggles on Facebook when I said that I was rewriting it as the original was a bit crap. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and have one or two other that I think might suit the same treatment. However, on this occasion I will focus on getting this one right. We are producing it next year with my older group, and it will mark the farewell for some of them who have been with me from the start. I think that fact alone has produced a slightly better play than it would have been otherwise. I workshopped the final part with the group tonight, and then I will settle down to edit and polish for the next week, as well as cast it. The play is called "Screw your Courage" which I rather like, as it is a line from the original that I have reassigned! I shall keep all my dear readers up to date with news of it.
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