20 questions (thanks to Lianne)

1. Do you outline?
I have to.

2. Do you write straight through a script or do you sometimes tackle the scenes out of order?
I blunder my way from start to finish then I mess about with scenes.

3. Do you prefer writing with a pen or a computer?
Pen first then transcribe onto computer.

4. Do you prefer writing in first person or third?
I ALWAYS start with first person at treatment stage then alter it to third person at script stage.

5. Do you listen to music when you write?
Never, I tell you. Radio 4 all the way.

6. How do you come up with the perfect names for your characters?
I borrow names from all over the place. The latest is 'Lew Hooser' from an e-mail. Don't you just love it?

7. When you're writing do you ever imagine your script as a book/short story?
Yes/yes. Many a script starts as a short story at Lock and Load.

8. Have you ever had a character insist on doing something you really didn't want him or her to do?
Yes! And it's always something very, very bad...tsk.

9. Do you know how a script is going to end when you start it?
Hardly ever, but I do love it when I can work in a good twist or when I didn't see what the end was going to be.

10. Where do you write?
In a studio at the end of my garden. Though I can write anywhere. Always good to be adaptable.

11. What do you do when you get writer's block?
I have a hefty swig of shoplifted communion wine. Sister Mary Carlsberg has a secret stash.

12. What size increments do you write in?
Prose - 1000 words a day. Scripts - 7 pages.

13. How many different drafts did you write for your last project?
About 7.

14. Have you ever changed a character's name midway through a draft?
Yes. I never anticipate keeping the main characters' names the same.

15. Do you let anyone read your script while you're working on it, or do you wait until you've completed a draft before letting someone see it?
Never if it's a work-in-progress then when a draft is complete and I'm not embarrassed by it then yes. Get it out in the open!

16. What do you do to celebrate when you've completed a draft?
I wallow in the glow of my own genius for 20 minutes then on with the next draft/project/idea.

17. One project at a time or multiple projects at once?
Multiple but juggle a bit so I can drop everything to concentrate on one for a bit.

18. Do your scripts grow or shrink in revision?
They shrink. I'm always terrified of waffling on.

19. Do you have any writing or critique partners?
I now have two partners for a comedy project and several critique partners. Lucy and Lianne are me editors of choice and I have trusted friends upon whom I can count for an honest reaction.

Comments

Elinor said…
I missed the last question:
20. Do you prefer drafting or revising.

Revising is great when you can see it improve.

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