“Much of the act of writing isn’t glamorous or worthy of pageantry…”
I’m not even a coffee drinker, yet finishing my latest script took a prodigious amount of coffee, as well as sleepless nights, and endless circulatory, hamster-like strolls around the neighbourhood—some days, twice. I’m certain that if my neighbours were not cognisant of my habitation here, that is no longer the case.
Much of the act of writing isn’t glamorous or worthy of pageantry, and stands diametrically to the performative strive required to promote oneself on social media.
A solitary act, writing requires sitting within four walls. If the weather permits, perhaps at a park, but even that doesn’t sustain long stretches—just backaches and the sun’s glare buffing the laptop screen into a mirror.
Outdoor writing is fine when exploring ideas or problem-solving by hand, after which a desk, quiet, water and focus are required to write anything coherent. I’ve even learned that I can sweat or strain from writing—perhaps owing to the intense weather this past few weeks, but still.
So, after years of private striving, seeing my first script, A False Friend, achieve the following milestones is, to put it simply, mighty rewarding:
-
BBC Writers: Reached the top 10% in its earliest draft.
-
National Theatre New Work Panel: ‘Highly Commended’ after drafts of reworking and restructuring.
-
Alfred Fagon Award 2025—Best New Play: Longlisted.
-
Royal Court Writers’ Group: Invited to join (and being told I am talented by a theatre whose work I’ve admired for years).
The hard work, perseverance, and persistence are paying off, and I know they will continue to.
For now, just to have something to show on the socials, here’s a series of pictures of me over the years, hard at work on the 138-page script, A False Friend.
The poolside photo was taken whilst I was in the throes of a draft last year. My partner, seeing that I was absorbed, placed a rather tiny hat on my rather large head. After coming up for air, I was shown the photos, which I thought were candid and liked.
