Sunday 13 September 2009

Trying to write...



I feel I should apologise for the Football posts that I have put on here recently as it's been quite a lot. I'm not saying that there won't be more as Football is important to me, but I will try to blend it in with all the other posts that I do.

I have been planning my long awaited first foray into book writing, the more that I planned it the more I was worrying about if I could actually write the book. Lots of people had suggested to me about writing it as a screenplay maybe first and I was thinking that maybe this would be best. In a blog post by Stephen Fry he was talking about writing, and mentioned that it is difficult to overcome the fears of writing a book, mainly worrying about how difficult it sounds rather than actually trying to write one. If you understand how difficult it is, it becomes easier to understand the theory (apparently). I admit I haven't actually ever started to write a book, so this much is true, I am only imagining how difficult it must be to write one. I hope that I can write it as a book but will just see what happens with it I guess, I feel putting myself under pressure of doing it will not make it any easier to happen.


This being said someone I know has just finished their first book and I have been asked to proof read his book. I personally see this as a great honour to him, I know nothing about the story and should be receiving the first few chapters this week. I'm quite excited by it and cannot wait to see what he's done. At college we wrote a script together for a project we were doing and I remember him coming up with lots of weird and wonderful ideas and always knew he would get into writing of some kind. He has since been working as a low paid journalist and this could be his big break.
I will also pick his brain on how he started writing his book too, hopefully he might have some tips to share. Are any of you trying to write a book?

This week I also have my first Tai Chi class, I have been VERY lapse on the Wii Fit and must also get back into the habit of using that too.


I have also decided after buying many different styles of notepads that I am going to get a little creative and decorate my own. I'll let you know how I get on.


As for TV programmes, The re-runs of The Wire and ER are now over. I still have a few more episodes of House until that Season ends (Season 6 is apparently due to start in October with my other favourite Lie To Me returning also), this is by far the best Season of House and I think this Season end could be particularly interesting if it's headed where I think it is.


I'm watching The Unit (Season Two will start in two weeks time on Five) and Without A Trace (Season Six, on Channel 4) is now on and is a welcome addition to my week's TV viewing. Of course there is still One Tree Hill (Season 6 on e4) and I still love Economy Gastronomy (BBC2).


A little while ago I posted about my favourite character from ER, the Aussie hunk Doctor Simon Brenner and it has been noted by some friends that there is someone I know who is not totally unlike to the actor David Lyons (sadly without the accent). Make of that what you will...


I will end this post with the below image that got sent to me in an email from a friend this week. it is pretty widely available and used, but came at a time when I needed a little pick-me-up, hope it does the same to someone else!



That's all from me for now.

Take care

1 comment:

Sang Lee said...

As someone who is working in both screenplay and novel formats, let me tell you that both have their unique difficulties. I hope you aren't convincing yourself that the screenplay will be easier, because it won't be.

I'm not trying to dampen your energy. I hope you succeed, I hope Hollywood comes a knocking and I hope to see you on the Red Carpets at the Oscars, or see your name on the short list for the National Book Awards, but writing a screenplay, a good screenplay, can be just as difficult to structure and create as any novel or non-fiction.

As a matter of fact, I personally know published, award-winning novelists who have admitted that writing a screenplay adaptation of one of their novels was one of the most difficult things they ever had to do.

If you have any interest in this stranger's advice, just start it. Pick up one of your favorite books and break it down into what the chapters are about, figure out the "structure" and "flow", then mimic that structure. Just start writing it. You'll write yourself into corners, you'll stumble and you'll want to tear your hair out, but you will learn. With each attempt, it'll get easier and pretty soon you'll have a couple of hundred pages.

Nothing gets you inspired like writing your first hundred pages!

Good luck, I will keep my fingers crossed for you.