OLD SOLDIERS - THE PLAY CONTINUES

"Old Soldiers" is slowly evolving into a play. Whether it will be or could be considered radio-ready is another story or issue.

As mentioned in a number of previous pieces, I missed the deadline for the BBC Radio International Playwriting Competition. I had intended to re-write my favorite all-time short story, "Old Soldiers" into a radio play but somehow it just didn't happen. So what else is new.

In any case, I'm determined to have it ready for the next competition. To this end I even posted and shared pieces of it in this blog and received feedback from a cyber aquaintance who had written for radio. He wasn't impressed - let's leave it at that. It's been my experience that if I listened to everybody who has ever expressed a negative opinion about my writing, my career would never have lasted more than thirty years. I do, however, respect people's reactions but in the end will go by my gut feeling.

Today I'm proud to share that I wrote four pages of dialogue. It was the introduction so it's important and I like the end result. Now I have to think about how the story line will develop and will use and write a guide to this end. Always amazes me how and when my characters write their own lines. I hear them talking and am an invisible visitor as they share their lives. How fortunate I am!

TIME FOR ANOTHER "SKATE" RE-WRITE? MAYBE...

Perhaps it's the lousy weather that is making me feel very contemplative but for whatever reason, but I'm toying with the idea of re-writing my one and only film script, "Skate!"

The script was written a number of years ago and based on a personal experience learning to skate as a young girl of eight or nine...maybe ten, who remembers that far back. I wrote the script with the help of a Syd Field "how-to" book and the words and dialogue practically wrote themselves. Love it when that happens! Always consider that a good omen.

Initially, my idea was to do it as a play but the location changes and outdoor settings made it not viable. I suppose it could be done but somehow I envision it as a film.

Actually, perhaps it doesn't even need re-writing and having stored it away for a long time without as much as a glance, reading it now will certainly give me some perspective as to its viability. The mere idea of reading it makes me nervous. Although I always believed it to be good, what happens if in the end it's a piece of junk? What happens if it requires a complete re-do? Do I still have it in me to produce another angle not covered in the story line?

In any case, the first step is to dig it out among my collection of play re-writes. Then I'll place it on the table and look at the cover for a while. Perhaps 10 minutes...maybe more. I'll start at the list of characters and slowly, very slowly turn the pages until I get to scene 1. Most likely I'll take a deep breath, lick my lips a few times and go get something to drink. Keeping your throat wet is very important. I'll take a few breaths and begin:

EXT. SKATING RINK. NIGHT.