A change is as a good as a rest, said no one ever. There's been more changes to our daily life in the past 9 months than in the previous ten years put together - anyone feeling rested? Thought not! But seeing as pointless old sayings are all the rage - a stitch in time saves nine anyone? - let's run it up the flagpole and see if it sticks.
Over the past few months I've been dabbling with picture book texts. Mainly it's because I've never written one before and I wanted to give it a go. It's a completely different discipline to the the books I usually write, but has something in common with some of the TV shows. There are rules - page counts, number of spreads, number of words, levels of complexity, big ideas nimbly executed. I've enjoyed it tremendously.
It's also been fun to write something in a sitting or two - just the first draft you understand - but in a time where things have been so spongy, and goals so ephemeral, to sit down and finish something quickly gives me a sense of satisfaction that has been missing in my working life for some time.
They may never get published, they may just be an exercise for myself, but to do it has given me some enjoyment that has been hard to find of late. I recommend it heartily, although probably not if you already write picture books, if that's the case try haikus or something...
There's also been a lot of TV to write - which is nice.
Crackerjack is trying to come back - it was supposed to be coming back in May, but well, let's not go over that again. Now it's trying to come back again in October. However, there are inherent problems in trying to shoot a boisterous live TV show, the catchphrase of which is bellowed repeatedly by a large studio audience, in lockdown conditions. To say nothing of trying to deliver slapstick comedy that can also be socially distanced for the performers.
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it - does it make a sound? If Crackerjack is filmed without anyone shouting 'crackerjack' is it even Crackerjack?
There's also a show I wrote a chunk of called Big Fat Like coming, which was filmed entirely in lockdown by performers isolating in a bubble in a house, while the crew - in another bubble - operated cameras and sound remotely from a truck parked in the drive. The fact that shows like this are getting made despite the adversity is something to celebrate. It's a brave new world.
But to finish on a high, here's some stuff I've really enjoyed this month - it might be the change you're looking for too.
The New Statesman Podcast:
https://www.newstatesman.com/writers/321845
In a world of fast news and soundbites, this is wonderful and delves into stories at length. I recommend their analysis of the recent Presidential debate.
Nice White Parents:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/podcasts/nice-white-parents-serial.html
A series about a group of white parents who, in the name of diversity, enrol their kids into a school full of black and Puerto Rican children and then screw it up for everybody. It's great.
Diddy Pod
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08n8jxt
OK. I might have a vested interest in this one. But this episode - in which Dick and Dom abduct David Walliams and force him to write a book, the title generated at random by simply pairing a family member with an adjective - The Bothersome Brother in Law - was VERY cathartic to write and may make those of us in the industry laugh harder than the kids. But if you can't please yourself who can you please!
Have great October's guys.
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