Similarities are perhaps more surprising than differences
I had the extraordinary privilege yesterday of attending one
of our MA days with our Playwriting MA students. A colleague was ill and I took
over some of the hosting duties. This is a delightful group of very serious,
very committed students. I joined in the
discussion with them and three of the visiting playwrights. Although writing plays
is in many way different from writing fiction, being a writer in both cases is
very similar.
Turn up at the page
This was a big message. The fact that these students are on
this course is a sign already that they have some competence. They’re not terrible writers. They’re not yet
great. But they can be and are more likely to be with continued practice. So,
it’s important to set aside time for writing.
This time must be ring-fenced. Even on the days it is difficult, if you
write you are a writer.
A vocation not a profession
You do this because you are passionate about it. You may not
be able to earn all that you need from it – only a very few do. But you keep
on. There are ways to manage this:
·
Stay with your creative project and find casual
work to pay the bills
·
Compromise your creativity for the sake of
commercial success
·
Join the
academy (There is an interesting irony here – that is just as much a vocation though
it looks like a profession.)
·
Take on some “jobbing” writing tasks
I’ve actually said all of this
before. It was good to hear other “professional” writers say the same.
The value of networking
We’re handing some of this out on
a plate to our students. But keeping a finger on the pulse is essential. Find
out what’s happening out there. As one visitor put it, never turn down a cup of
tea. There is an abundance of opportunities.
Small press is great
I’m small pressed published and I love it. The equivalent in
playwriting is to find small theatre groups, consider doing something via You
Tube or consider producing work yourself. Create your own opportunities. This leads
to good lines on CVs.
Submission dilemma
One “publisher” looks as if they will accept if you totally change
something which takes out the heart of your work. Another actually loves precisely
this aspect but cannot at this stage make any promises. Is it here a matter of finding
a third way and a third “publisher”? Been there. Done that. Several times.
Ah, the writer’s life is a curious thing.
