writing what you know - but

I thought to myself...I thought, Leonie. Rather than keep this little, almost private space of recording the plays that I see - because that is what I've turned it into at this point. Yes, I was attempting to write the odd review but it was turgid and haphazard so I've restricted myself to writing around 10 lines about anything I see.

And as it is a little, almost private space - in the original words by Billy Idol but much better mastered by Nouvelle Vague - I feel like I'm Dancing With Myself. Which is lovely. Although, of course, I'm happy and even encourage anyone to leave their thoughts.

So, rather than just that - in this private dancing space - I thought I'd branch out into discussing other theatrical questions.

I've been reading for Parnassus Den, which is a space for anyone to submit their play-in-development for feedback and 'assessment'; although, not sure about that word. The idea is to get the play to the next step in the process.

The one thing I find a lot of people write about is their own experiences. Now, I've never been to a writing workshop and maybe I should, but I think that is, what they say as, the best place to write from. I've heard over and over - write what you know. In watching and reading theatre, I've seen the personal story done well and not so well. What makes the good ones stand out? I want to ponder this more. I think When the Rain Stops Falling was a personal story but was told fantastically well. One stand-out element of writing of this play was a lot of fantastically, relevant and cleverly used theatrical devices. Another thing was that the words were more like lyrics in that they flowed in a rhythmic way. I might try and read this play to see if it sings on the page as much as it did in the Drama Theatre.

This probably means I might end up dancing with myself again.