August 21, 2020
At the start of the lockdown, poet and playwright Trevor Smith included me in a challenge to write something inspired by the pandemic. There has been a plethora of competitions and special submission invitations on the current situation, and I truly have had little desire to respond. I don't know why. Maybe it's too depressing, maybe it's because it's so ubiquitous that it seems every radio and TV programme or conversation has to include it at least once. But this was a friend throwing down the gauntlet, and the work sent in was to be considered for some kind of production by members of ThezeGuyz Theatre Company, so I thought I'd better get on and produce something. After all, I'm a professional, aren't I? This has always meant writing on subjects I wouldn't necessarily choose for myself to deadlines I definitely wouldn't have set, so I ought to be able to do it.
Once I applied myself, I found there were aspects of the lockdown that caught my imagination, after all. I wanted to stay away from the overall situation, which seemed too vague or trite, but focus on something more individual that might yet strike a chord with others. The result was a couple of poems, 'Long-distance Phone Call' and 'Green Unfurling', which I sent with a prose poem I wrote a few years ago, titled 'The Hope Tree', which seemed apt.
I'm delighted to say that I've now had an invitation to record them to go online. I've asked if members of the company can do it instead. Not only will they make a far better job of it than me technically, but it will be interesting to hear how someone else reads them. ThezeGuyz have been producing plays that they've put on You Tube and their own website and Facebook in recent months. The company has a great record of supporting local talent, particularly youngsters. You can find them at http://www.freewebs.com/thezeguyztheatreco.
That's something I have to look forward to. I hope all of you find things that bring you comfort through these, what are at best, trying times.
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
August 6, 2020
Exercise is good for you. I'm not talking about abandoning your office chair or going for the burn, although taking a physical break regularly is undoubtedly wise. The kind of exercise I'm thinking of, is for your writing 'muscles'.
It can be anything from doing a newspaper crossword or wordsearch while enjoying a cuppa, to writing a paragraph about what you can see through your window. There's no need to be stuck for ideas. As long as you have a dictionary, all you need to do is open it at a...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
July 4, 2020
Last year, I would no doubt have been watching tennis on TV and feeling a little guilty about not writing. From the French Open to the end of Wimbledon, I find it hard to tear myself away. I tell myself the season is short, and it'll have to last me all year, but I still get twinges unless I get a morning's writing in before the matches start. Of course, in England I can usually rely on plenty of rain breaks to catch up with the things I should be doing.
Binge-watching tennis isn't all bunkin...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
June 18, 2020
I should have been in Dubrovnik now. I accepted even before the lockdown that Covid-19 would make it unlikely the holiday would take place, and for the most part it hasn't entered my thoughts. When it has, I've reminded myself that this pandemic has robbed people of far more important things than a few days away. This week, however, I have to admit it's been on my mind.
A dew days in a strange setting, trying to manage in a different language, tasting the local food and enjoying new activitie...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
June 4, 2020
Before we were locked-down, you might have traveled along a familiar road, perhaps a daily trek to work or to the supermarket, and not remembered the journey when you arrived. It was probably easy and pleasant and left your mind free to wander, but did you notice anything along the way? If someone was to ask you for directions to somewhere on the route, could you tell them whether it's the second or third turn on the left, opposite the postbox or past the big iron gates? Probably not.
As with...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
May 23, 2020
There are different ways of reading. I don't mean whether you do it on the bus or curled up in bed, or whether you start on the last page before flicking to the first, or reading a whole novel in one big chunk. I mean having a different mindset.
I recently discovered that I can have a split personality when I read. The book involved was
The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell. It was chosen (pre-lockdown) as a book for discussion with several friends to keep our brains active. Knowi...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
April 22, 2020
Spring-cleaning isn't everyone's idea of fun, but with most of us being confined to our homes for the foreseeable future, they could soon be the cleanest and tidiest they've ever been (providing you aren't home-schooling, of course). Once everything in the house and garden has been titivated to the 'nth' degree, what are you going to do?
Inspiration might be in short supply, and it can be difficult to focus your imagination if you're worrying about the current situation. If you're struggling ...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
April 14, 2020
It seems particularly cruel that the Easter weather was fantastic. For so many people this was bitter-sweet as they were unable to get out in it, or to share it with family and friends. There's virtually nothing that can compensate for that, but maybe some free entertainment can go a little way.
I had the great pleasure and surprise of discovering my stage play,
Antarctica, which was recorded by The Playhouse Theatre in Northampton last year, has been uploaded to Facebook, so if you go to my ...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
March 25, 2020
There's no denying that these are trying times. No doubt over the coming weeks we'll learn what's truly important in our lives, what we need to change, and what we can happily do without. For many people, being at home will mean money worries, health scares, illness, loneliness, or at the very least, disruption to cherished plans.
There aren't many positives to this situation, but as a writer, at least I can carry on working. I am used to being on my own, and there are likely to be fewer inte...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
March 13, 2020
Having stupidly missed the broadcast of my play,
Wingbeats, on
http://www.wcbe.org, I couldn't wait for it to be uploaded to Midnight Audio Theatre's website (
http://www.midnightaudiotheatre.com). I finally got to listen to it a couple of days ago, and I'm thrilled.
The play is about a girl who emigrates and arrives on the doorstep of her aunt hoping to enlist her help to find work so she can send the money home. Everyone involved in bringing the play to life has done an excellent job. The po...
Continue reading...
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
