Arvon Foundation - Top Ten Tips

Adrian Thorne

Eugene Ionesco once said "only the ephemeral is of any lasting value." If you can boil ten years of experience down to the nuggets of gold within, this is it. The ephemeral crumbs of advice that fell from the Arvon Table. The helpmates that are with me every day as I crank the handle on the wordy gurdy. They are personal and probably miss-remembered but they have been of lasting value.

Dialogue:

Anthony Mingella

Ever since I was a child I have trained myself to listen when someone is speaking and see the words as if they were coming out of a typewriter.

Andrew Davis.

You need to find the ideolect for each character. The over used phrase or specific word-set a character uses. "Do you know what I mean?"

Story:

Jim Hitchmough

1-Of course you know to get the plant in early don't you? If you have a device that you want to use later in the story, put it in early, the audience accepts it at the beginning whereas later it looks contrived. With any dramatic device it's worth paying it off twice. The first time you pay it off the audience enjoys it then forgets all about it until you play it again. The audience really loves things like that.

2-In writing always remember the maxim 'what they expect but not the way they expect it'.

3-You can always start a story much later than you think you can. When you start watching a film half way through you can always follow it can't you ?

Writhing on the floor:

Sue Teddern

There is always a point in the writing of any story where I feel like sending in a note from my mum. 'Sue hasn't been well and she won't be sending in any script today.' I often don't think I can finish it.

How much?:

Anthony Mingella

I always think that if I've written fifteen pages then I've had a terrific week. Financial, spiritually, fifteen pages is a good week.

Why?:

Peter Flannery

Just a few pages but if you know it's good. I mean really good! There's just no feeling like it!

What?:

Valerie Windsor

Sometimes you don't really know what it is you're writing about. You might even have written most of it then suddenly it's like one idea will draw all the disparate strings together in your head. 'Ah ha this is play about power!' 

Secondary characters:

Valerie Windsor

We are all seduced by them. You discover them later than the leads so they seem more interesting. In one play I had this hypochondriac going on and on about the pain in his chest. He just dribbled on and on. I suppose I fell in love with him. It all had to be cut out later. Most of the story problems can be solved by focusing on whose story it is and telling the secondary characters to shut their faces.