A Tale of Script Writing
I have been burning the midnight oil again today, well almost (It was 2.am yesterday!) but have finally finished the first draft of a new Sleeping Beauty script. It proved more difficult than I expected as I really wanted to develop some new twists and create some quirky ideas within it without spoiling the traditional story.
It's sometimes a fine line to tread in trying to create something different in a traditional pantomime script but still let the original fairy tale come through and not be overwhelmed by side stories. Let's hope it's turned out fine. I say that because it needs to be left now for days if not a week or two so we can return to edit and redraft it with fresh eyes and take on constructive criticism. Only then can it start to 'be fine'.
There may be hours and hours, over days and days, of tweaking, rewrites and reworking rhyming couplets so that they sparkle as well as scan! In the world of the crazy fox that's how we do it; write the story first and then develop the fun, slapstick, jokes and those quirky bits. It is then proof read, critiqued (that can be nerve wracking!) and then we do it again and again until we feel it is right... until it makes us all laugh out loud.We keep at it until we are happy to set it free on an unsuspecting world and hope it makes others laugh too.
While the Sleeping Beauty script goes through its further development, Aladdin and Jack and the Beanstalk are still waiting to be completed so there is always more fresh writing to be done. It's tough sometimes... well actually... oh no, it's not!
I love every aspect of script writing, I really do. It can be frustrating and all consuming but I find it so rewarding and fun to create something that I am really passionate about.
It's a good place to be in loving what you do in life and recognizing how lucky you are to be able to do it.
Long may it last!