>I’ve been working on the radio play. It’s a drama-documentary, which is a new form to me. It’s not a journalistic documentary. It takes a document (an interview with a musician) and counterpoints it with the drama that I’m writing, hopefully creating interesting and meaningful resonances and dissonances. There will be some music composed for it as well.
The writing has been all right, but the play is now quite different to the one I first imagined. This is partly logistical (we cut the cast size to enable the music commission), but it’s also Sod’s law: however much I plan a play, it always runs away (and occasionally hides). This can be a problem when you’ve pitched a specific idea to a producer … We’ll see.
If I push on today I should have a bad first draft by this evening. I don’t like first drafts, but I’ve yet to master the art of moving straight to the third draft. And I’ve tried, believe me.
To enhance productivity I have taped a sign saying “WRITE THE PLAY” above my desk. I stole the idea from a sign on A. S. Byatt‘s desk pictured in Saturday’s Guardian supplement. I was going to type “WRITE THE F***ING PLAY”, but I was worried I might offend myself. So far it seems to be working.
Good session at The Royal Court‘s New Writing Forum. It was fascinating to see critic Michael Billington and agent Mel Kenyon struggling (and failing) to communicate with each other about their views on new writing.
Lance Woodman 
>poster in my study reads WORK HARD AND BE NICE TO PEOPLE- i need reminding. my boy made me print out a poster for his room – reads WORK HARD AND FART ON PEOPLE. he just can’t get enough of that joke.
>Good point – I can be a real B when the writing gets seriously engaged. AND IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY – I may be in trouble here.
>I have a sign above my desk saying WHY NOT BE A WRITER? Its a headline i cut out from one of those ads for correspondence courses you get advertised on the back of the Guardian Guide. Sometimes when my gaze alights on it i get distracted for long periods thinking up reasons ‘why not’… I might take it down.
>I would if I was you, Fin. I went for the simple command – I find I can come up with diverting deep and meaniungful questions all day long if I’m not careful.