Write early, write about contrasting characters: Sunday lessons learned at Writers' Summer School, Swanwick 2022 - what I learned and wrote in the main morning course session - people I met later

Lift Up Your Pens (Before Breakfast!)

Despite being tired from driving London to Derbyshire on Saturday, and staying up until gone eleven at night, I was up at 7.30 a.m.. showered and dressed, ready for the Lift Up Your Pens, writing exercise help held every morning at 8 a.m. before breakfast. Five sessions, Sunday to Thursday. It is great to start the writer's day, having already learned something and written something before breakfast.

Main Course - Script Writing

After breakfast we started our first Main Course, which for me was scriptwriting, play writing. I chose that because I wanted to try something new. I had previously done courses on poetry. We also had other sessions on poetry.

The main point of the introduction was that the dialogue (and any on stage action) should be creating tension by questions and conflict between a character and themselves. (Think of Hamlet's monologue, to be or not to be, or as the Japanese translate it, to do or not to do).

 Alternatively conflict between two people. We were given a sample script of conflict between two characters, the householder and the tenant asked to leave. Over the course of the three initial sessions, we created a scenario. Scene one with the householder's motive. She wants her boyfriend to move in. 

Every sentence should move the action forward. No making or drinking cups of coffee unless they contain poison.

The scenario we developed was that the lodger was a lesbian in love with the householder. She accuses the unemployed boyfriend of being a money grabber, and confesses her love. 

Scene 2. The householder then phones the boyfriend to tell him she has changed her mind, and wants the tenant to stay. He cannot move in.

The boyfriend knows what is going on. He is angry with the tenant. He announces that he will be arriving as he planned - with a gun. 

Evening - Meet & Greet Friends To Be

At Meet And Greet evening, an old friend, another Angela.

The evening activity was meet and greet. Tables were arranged in a circle. With pairs of chairs facing each other. We had two minutes to interview the other person and get to know them. Swap roles. Like speed dating without dates. Then the people on the outside moved one chair to their left. (Anybody with mobility issues was in the inner static circle.) 

We had a list of questions to ask. I thought the questions were silly. Asking an author, 'what are you reading?', or, 'what is your favourite book?' should have been replaced by, 'What book are you writing?' Or, Tell me about the books you write or intend to write.

Useful Websites

https://www.facebook.com/SwanwickWriters/