WORKING FROM HOME - COVID-19 EDITION

Originally posted Wednesday, August 03, 2016 - updated today, Wednesday, March 25, 2020

WORKING AROUND THE KIDS/PARTNERS AND SCHOOL HOLIDAYS COVID-19

At a recent writers' event (back in 2016), I was chatting with the then lead writer on a continuing drama who was telling me he and his wife had just had a baby. "How the hell do you get any writing done when you have kids?" he asked as he yawned so hard his jaw nearly dislocated.

We're already on day 3 of lockdown and I'm surviving... it can be done. Working from home with the kids on holiday is bad enough - with them getting under your feet, asking for snacks every five minutes, begging you to take them up the park, screaming at the top of their eardrum-shattering little voices a millimetre from your face demanding attention, moaning that they're bored and constantly trying to kill or maim each other - without taking into account these exceptional circumstances we now find ourselves in.

You're not allowed to tie your children up and stick them in a dark cupboard until school starts again, sell them to gipsies or even use chloroform to keep them quiet... I know, I've checked... apparently, the police and social services get a little cross with you if you try. So with those options restricted I've had to adapt my writing style over the years to ensure I can get my work done, keep the kids occupied and happy, and retain my sanity. Here's how I do it.

Goals! What, sticking one in the back of the net for your team? No... just as your characters have goals in your screenplays, you have to have goals in order to survive these testing times without running the risk of a mental breakdown or murdering your entire family. That's goals for you as well as for your spawn. And there's only one rule... we'll come to that in a second.

First things first. As a responsible parent, I will constantly monitor my children, check what they're up to and that they're safe. Dumping them in front of the TV with a bag of sugar is not good parenting. They might have school work to get on with but that doesn't mean they don't still have to be monitored. The kids are meant to be having fun learning. And yes, that means you are going to have o figure out the intricacies of quantum physics to help them with their work. They're not really interested if you have a deadline. They are not an inconvenience. They are a privilege. They are your responsibility and you have to ensure they are safe, entertained and educated at all times. So... to the rule!

The Rule: My boys know if I'm in my office working, or I'm on my laptop, I am not to be disturbed... under any circumstances... unless it's an emergency, or they've accidentally set fire to the dog. Of course, the one rule is not really a rule as it's going to be broken a billion times a day anyway, but as long as the children KNOW and UNDERSTAND the rule, they are aware they run the risk of encountering SHOUTY Daddy if they interrupt me. You also have to be aware and accept that even with this rule you are going to be disturbed, but hopefully, it will only be for important things and less often. The rule is there to help make things a little easier.

Goals For You:

• Set yourself writing targets, smaller ones than you would normally, so they are easier to achieve. When my boys were younger I aimed to write in five-minute sprints when they suddenly went quiet. Now they're older I can write for longer periods.
• Set times for lunch and dinner and stick to them. Routine is a great help.
• Aim to spend quality time with them for at least two hours a day, either helping them with their school work or enjoying a quick kickabout in the back garden. Whatever you decide to do, make it an adventure... kids love adventure.
• Stay off your phone - there's only bad news on it anyway - and actively enjoy this time with your kids. They'll enjoy it too and then they'll be more likely to leave you alone while you writing.
• Prepare to be flexible and try and change your routine. Work in your office one day, in the back garden on your laptop the next.
• Get your kids to help you prepare lunch, engage them and then sit down and eat with them. Talk to them while you do. Ask them what they would like to do in the afternoon, or the next day and what they enjoyed doing that morning.
• Take 10 minutes for yourself after lunch. Find a quiet corner - if you can - and sit in peace and quiet. It will make a difference.

Goals For Them:

• Set up a points system. Give them a point for good behaviour and take away a point for bad behaviour. I start every day by giving them ten points each and then taking off points for bad behaviour during the day. At the end of the day if they've had more positive days than negative ones they get to spend an hour on the Xbox.
• Give them tasks to do during the lockdown. At the moment I'm giving my boys one task a day they have to complete before they go to bed. It will keep them occupided, show them the responsibility that goes into running a house and will help you get everything done.
• Ration their TV and games devices to two hours a day. I find one hour in the afternoon and one hour in the evening sufficient. If they know how long they have it avoids arguments. Make a big issue of how you're such a great parent when you give them an extra half an hour because they've been really good that day.

And don't forget your partner, the stress of this situation is getting to them too. Be attentive, help where you can and make sure you give them a hug when you think it's needed... even if it isn't.

These difficult times are survivable and you can get writing done with children and partners around, keep your sanity and bond with your family. Remember, children and partners are for life, not just for Easter.

Happy writing!

DIALOGUE

I was chatting with a fellow writer the other day and she mentioned how difficult she found writing dialogue. It was easy to empathise with her as it was an area I struggled with for years.

Great dialogue comes with practice. There are numerous ways you can learn how to write authentic dialogue and what follows is just one way. I'm not claiming it's the best, just that it worked for me and might help some of you to improve your dialogue and even your characters.

OBSERVATION:

The best way to learn most things is by observing them in progress. Dialogue is no exception. Regularly go to public places - a coffee shop or a pub are the best - get yourself a drink, sit down with a notebook and listen to people talking and make notes. Yes, I am suggesting you eavesdrop on others and record not only how they speak but the language they use and the topics they discuss. The more you can do this the greater diversity of voices you'll learn to recognise.

Listen out and take note of the following...

1. RHYTHM OF SPEECH - How fast or slow do people speak? Do they speed up or slow down when talking about different subjects? Do they slow down or speed up during a sentence and why?
2. VOLUME - Do they speak loudly or do they talk in hushed tones? Are there certain words they whisper or shout? What does the volume your character talks at say about them, their background and their job?
3. PAUSES and SILENCE - Where do the pauses and the silence come and why are they used? Sometimes silences are more powerful than any words.
4. MISSING/FAVOURITE WORDS - What words do people drop from their sentences? What words do they favour or overuse?
5. ACCENTS - How do accents affect speech?
6. REACTIONS - The words that are spoken are important but so are people's reactions to what is being said, how they listen or don't, how they move or don't as they speak.
7. CONFLICT - Where does the conflict arise in the conversation and how do others react to it? Do their voices get higher or lower? Who wins the conversations or are they drawn?
8. EMOTION - What emotions are your characters showing through their dialogue?
9. CROSS-PURPOSES - Not the same as subtext (see below) but where characters think they are talking about the same thing but their perspectives and goals clash so they're actually talking about different things and don't realise it.
10. SUBTEXT - What are they discussing and what are they REALLY discussing?

EXERCISE ONE:

Here's a great exercise to help you practice what you've learned above.

Take two characters from one of your screenplays and stick them in a lift/elevator together, stuck between floors so they can't escape. Then give them a topic to discuss - for example; the state of the National Health Service - and then have them talk about it for three pages. It helps if you choose characters that have different viewpoints but you don't have to do this. Two people who on paper might agree can disagree in real life. For example, they might agree on the destination but not how to get there.

Who came out on top in your exercise?

Try this with a few different characters and you'll notice you'll get different outcomes, with each new character's perceptions taking the conversation in a different direction.

EXERCISE TWO:

Now start again but remove the top-ten words related to the topic, making sure your characters aren't allowed to use them. For the above example, those words would most likely be; NHS, government, doctors, nurses, medicine, hospitals, health, illness, beds and wards. It's going to be a difficult task but it will help you think more about the words you do use and help you to avoid cliche. Your writing will become richer because of it.

EXERCISE THREE:

This exercise is harder still. Here you'll choose a second subject - let's say divorce - and you'll use the first topic to discuss the new one, without actually mentioning the new topic at all. This will help you practice SUBTEXT, possibly the most difficult skill to master concerning dialogue.

Keep practising all the above, over and over, even when your dialogue improves.

Happy writing!

DOCTOR WHO - a tale of two series

SEASON 11

It's fair to say I didn't like it. It's also fair to say it ruffled a lot of feathers amongst dedicated fans. There was no new theme tune and titles in the opening episode (WTF?), no new Tardis until the end of episode two, no familiar foes, no through story for the series, several of the episodes were TV copies of major sci-fi films and TV shows (Preditor, Pitch Black, Aliens and Quantum Leap amongst others) and the tone of the series was overly preachy.

The focus was so firmly fixed on the diversity of the show and the issues it dissected and preached about in each episode, I think they forgot it was meant to be a piece of entertainment and a drama. Also, three companions made it difficult to get to know them as individuals. We spent far too much time flitting between the three in each episode, rather than spending enough quality time focused on them so they could be fully rounded, fleshed-out, interesting characters like Rose or Donna.

That's not to say season 11 wasn't without its merits. Two episodes stood out - the Rosa Park episode and Demons of the Punjab. But that wasn't enough for me, the whole series was a disappointment and it's the first series where I haven't watched every single episode. I only managed to watch 6.5 episodes before I became so disillusioned with it I couldn't carry on. I'm not even going to comment about the Christmas episode being on New Years Day.


SEASON 12

What a difference a year makes. The new series kicked off with a thrilling double episode reintroducing the Master (a real crowd pleaser) and I was beginning to get excited again. The only blip was episode three (Orphan 55) and that was really down to the rather disappointing monsters. Standing there roaring with arms stretched wide and showing your bad teeth isn't scary. They were so ineffective as a foe I was expecting the Doctor to kick the leader in the bollocks any second and it would have easily been 'game over'. And that preachy speech at the end... sigh!

But then came the episode Fugitive of the Judoon... and OMG did Chris Chibnall and Vinay Patel deliver one hell of an episode. For me, it was one of the best episodes I've ever seen, easily on a par with season 2's Doomsday. The introduction of another Doctor was an act of genius and a fabulous 'WOW' moment I'm still not quite sure I've recovered from. I was sat there stunned, staring at the TV as the credits rolled, unable to quite process what I had just watched. I was beginning to believe that the Doctor Who I've loved since a child was back.

Praxeus managed to do what most of season 11 couldn't achieve, take an important issue and make a damn good drama out of it without resorting to preaching. A very entertaining episode.

Then Chris Chibnall gave us The Timeless Children. Mr Chibnall, you bloody clever fantastic genius of a man. The episode didn't rewrite the Doctor's history, it added to it, giving it depth and colour, beautifully expanding the Doctor as a character and bringing greater meaning to all his/her past adventures. I didn't even notice the first Doctor who came to Gallifrey was a young girl... and you know something, it didn't matter because it felt right. I can't wait to see what Mr Chibnall gives us in the Revolution of the Daleks.

Happy writing!