Bank holiday weekend, and I've been working away at the old word processor, well, to to be more precise.. Celtx.
Yes.
Celtx. Not heard of it ? Well if you've ever fancied writing anything, a stage play, a book, a comic, a screen or radio play... then this fantastic piece of FREE, did I mention FREE software makes everything so much easier.
And it's free. My favourite price.
Anyhoo, religious fervor aside, it's really helpful, quick and easy to use. I was using it to help me complete the script that is way way way overdue for The Ninth Man. A new series for the amateur video group that I'm a member of (
Beacon).
I've had some motivational issues lately, in trying to find the time, energy and desire to complete the script, that I started what seems like so many months ago, writing in partnership with one of the other key members. Sadly he'd had to go off to Europe to work doing things that involved him working in Europe.. (I'm vague, because I don't really know).
Having finally completed the elements of the plotline into a script at the weekend, I've spent a bit of time 'dabbling' and 'tweaking' the odd bit here and there. I'm not happy with it. Not ready to 'release' it yet. I've had to resort to printing hard copies (I know, dead trees !), as sometimes when I'm stalling infront of a computer, it's easier to review it away from the machine. Review with a great big red pen. I don't have a red pen, but I do have an unforgiving and totally critical blue fountain pen.
While I was in the middle of attacking some of my work, I also needed to submit a review of an episode of The Adventures Of Stephen Brown, the flagship series for Beacon. I had to review 'Dice With Death', which was ironically, another script that I had written for Beacon. This task was made infinitely more hassle than was needed by the lack of oooomph in my netbook, and trouble getting the youtube videos to play seamlessly on my 'old' laptop. Got there in the end.
What was so bloody amazing, was that I had decided that working into the night doesn't really work for me these days, and that actually, I am at my creative best when I attack the computer first thing in the morning. So, at 7am, Bank Holiday Monday, my alarm went off, telling me it was time to get up and go the 'office'.
So after submitting, a less than scathing review, and feeling satisfied that I had completed another writing assignment (task just sounds way too boring).. I sat down with, by now the fifth cup of tea and waited for the death threats to start.
Then... well, then Helen turned up, for us to do some more work on The Fatcat & The Grafter. - the play that we have decided to write, having done so well last week. After some hours... and it amazes me how those pass by... you start off at 3pm, and before you know it, the clock tells you it's 6pm.
Anyway, much progress. First scene in the bag, or on the computer at least. The more we write, the more we get to know the characters ourselves, the more this is shaping out to be just as mad, chaotic and hopefully funny as our other efforts.
I'd like to attach some work in progress to the blog, but can't figure out how to do that, yet... but when I do, you absolutely must promise not to tell anyone, okay ? Spoilers and all that.
So well, were things going last night, that despite saying 'we must wrap up around 10', Helen didn't actually leave till just gone midnight, when I pretty much kicked her out the door and told her to get a taxi back to chav-ville. (I didn't. I was joking !). I was expecting some sort of suffering for being up so darn early until so late.. but no. There was a short, but dispirited fight with the alarm clock(s) this morning, but I was up, in reasonable time, and awake enough to navigate my Blackberry for some magical solution that would allow me to get from Cosham to Havant without having to get a taxi the whole way, or being late.
An early start means an early finish.. well it's meant to. It doesn't always for me. End of the month there are administrative tasks to preform, that are pretty much like all end of month administrative tasks the world over. Anyway, for the first time ever, I'd actually completed all mine last Saturday. This removed any need for me to stay late after the shift today, and meant that once I had walked in the glorious sunshine to the train station, and gotten back home I decided to make the most of what must be a dwindling number of sunny days, let alone evenings, and went over the park with a book. A book I said. A book.
It's such an interesting writing style, it makes it utterly engaging and compelling. I'd started reading it on holiday. One of the great things about holiday is that it makes it really easy to find time to do things I love, like reading. This gets so much harder once reality arrives, and I have to go back to work.
This book makes me want to find the time to read it, and this afternoon, that's what I did. I went and sat in the park over the road for two hours, which with the rich and colourfull descriptions of Welsh hillsides seems the perfect place to read it.
Other, lesser books haven't captivated my imagination and interest enough to demand that hard fought time in my life. On that note.. I'm off to go read some more.
