Spent the day writing at Ian’s and started my Kath and Kin re-write. Admittedly the first version was pretty good, and those that have read it thought so. All that was really needed were a few alterations and typo corrections, but in my mind it’s not right.

The characters of Tony and Debs are in the play for two reasons: one, to tell the story (essentially in flashback) and two, to establish a sub plot. And, all though it works, it could I feel be so much better.

I have taken the decision to axe them, re-work the structure the of the play by condensing the time line from a few weeks to a few days and centralise the setting so that the action takes place in one place. By doing this I can also develop the characters of the other four (Kath, Paul, Mark and Sophie) and in particular their family dynamics. I can easily keep the important sub plot since it involves Sophie and can have her telling it rather than Tony and Debs.

This is going to be hard work, and will probably take longer to re-write than it took to write in the first place. Maybe this is what the ‘wrighting’ is.