My thoughts currently are preoccupied with the question of identity and voice as a writer. What does my previous work show me? Where do my aspirations lie? Who is the writer I am going to be?
I sense that my next project will aim towards tightening focus, starting from character and building out from there, but again with a view to keeping the relationships tight, perhaps drawing more on personal experience. I have a habit of shying away from that, and tend to think about plot first. I understand that the basis of a good novel starts primarily with a strong character. As such, I would like my next story to reflect a focus on character.
Was at the theatre earlier this week seeing an adaptation of The Iliad by Chris Hannan. It was a perfect illustration of why adaptations are a necessary facet of our artistic culture. An ancient text thousands of years old, and for your average reader, perhaps, too much of a daunting prospect to even think of picking up.
And here was this adaptation, a beautiful blend of ancient lyricism and straightforward clarity, lifting the events set down as a formal poem and making them come alive through conversation and human discord. Presenting for an audience Homer's themes that are indeed relevant and timeless: War, Revenge, Compassion, Forgiveness, Power, Grief.
I am reminded that plays are never just plays, stories never just stories, they are never just mere escapism. Writers ask questions, we can reflect the best of life or the worst of it. Reflect not tell. Ask not answer, and the story will rest on its own terms and who knows what reverberations will ripple from it?