How did the first proper Crash rehearsal go yesterday? I thought really well. Andy and I went through the first section about six times, including the non-verbal context and scene setting. Having someone who knows what they're doing asking you the right questions and making good suggestions is invaluable. Already I'm wondering how awful it … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 3rd March →

I managed to get a lot done yesterday, which was good. As planned, I worked through the potential episodes for "C" and now have some kind of sequence which I can further refine and consider. Unplanned was the production of two podcast episodes, one a reading of the draft opening of "C", the other a … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 2nd March →

A good way to finish the month, yesterday was busy. First a quick run-through of Crash with about a dozen lines removed. 40 minutes seems set to be the running time. Then a couple of hours residency in the library during which time I did some more planning of 'episodes' in my project "C". The … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 1st March →

It was a good day yesterday in terms of "C", completing the character profiles. The next stage is to work through these to pull out ideas for the episodes I need to write in order to build the characters in the narrative e.g. the character profile may have identified an influential event from the character's … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 28th February →

During yesterday's run-through of Crash, I think I recognised that there are a few lines in a couple of places that need to be cut. They're the kind of lines which work well enough on the page, but in a 'performance' of the piece seem to cost momentum. This is the first time I've had … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 27th February →

I surprised myself by getting a large slug of "C" planning done yesterday, attempting outline how I might fill in the gaps between the narrative bookends already written. Putting potential books on the shelf, if you like. The next exercise on this particular journey should be completion of six character profiles; these will then help … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 26th February →

If I'm honest, the first draft of my as yet unpublished article "What is Poetry for?" started out by adopting something of a harsh and confrontational tone. However, following on from the splendid Contextual: 15 evening on Thursday, when I was redrafting it yesterday, I was forced to soften my stance somewhat. Given I still … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 25th February →

Without doubt yesterday's highlight was the Contextual: 15 virtual poetry reading I hosted in the evening. Not only did we have our highest ever attendance which peaked at 28, we were treated to some superb poetry from Kerry Darbishire, Tom Larner, Kate Miller, Gillie Robic, and David Thompson. My profound thanks to our readers and … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 24th February →

Things didn't quite go to plan yesterday as my Crash rehearsal had to be cancelled. However, I made up for it to some extent by indulging in a read-through in my study - doors closed again to protect the innocent! I tried to up the pace a little, which I managed to do - but … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 23rd February →

There were two major consumers of my time yesterday: the first was my Library session where I was able to devote a fair chunk to continuing my draft of "C" (now over 11k words) as well as offering some suggestions to someone who dropped in to discuss a potential project they are working on which … Continue reading Yesterday & Today: 22nd February →