Beginner's Mind

Happy Highland Cow Day, only kidding. I just really like this photo. 

 

I'm going to start writing monologues for Moat Brae which will feed into my writing practice this year. I've only ever written one monologue before which was about a BNP member (Brit National Party) whose address had been leaked online. I wanted to see what it was like on the other side. For Moat Brae, I will be writing a strong female Story Mother character called Bertrada, who is linked to Mother Goose and the long line of mothers who were storytellers. The character will encompass Wild Woman elements I hope as in the female power discussed in Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes I recommend it.

 

I've been doing the City Lit picture book course this week and last week. It was something I had signed up for because usually it's based in London but the lockdown meant that all classes were online. This was brilliant for me being in Glasgow! The course was with Andrew Weale who I had briefly met at City Lit a few years ago and I had bought some of his books which he has signed in the most funny ways. It's been great, I've made sure that I had a 'beginner's mind' which is a Zen Buddhist philosophy about coming to something as if you have never seen it before. The benefit of that is that you don't interrupt what you may discover. I've signed up for the advanced course in October.

 

I was hoping to write a whole picture book in the two weeks and I did. I'm happy with it as it's a start. I've tried a few other times to write a picture book but felt I didn't know enough about them to be successful at it. Doing a course means you can gather focus into one area, you are around people who are also learning like you so that is always nice.

 

I've also been shortlisted with Paul Sng and Jo Blair for Sharp Shorts which is a Scottish short film scheme and 9 out of 16 teams will be given £15,000 to produce and film a short. This means that my part, the writing part is very important. I've got to make sure the outline and first draft are good. Luckily, I can work the with the director and producer to make the script better. Thanks to the selection team for choosing us!

 

The sun has disappeared from Glasgow for the most part and I'm ok with that, makes me want to stay inside more which is good when you have multiple deadlines and projects on the go. It will be August soon and hopefully I will have a chance to decompress and have a break.

 

Happy Summer Holidays!