Reading

Yesterday, Jerome and Martin came round to read through the first draft of the play. I was pretty nervous - the play's still too raw for me. I wrote it on Tuesday, and normally no one would see new stuff for at least a couple of weeks - particularly not the actors who have to bring these characters to life in a month's time. So I made an effort and softened them up with ginger biscuits. Always a good bet for a diabetic like Martin.

Readings can be tough for a writer. You've lived with these characters for months, and they instantly stop sounding like they did in your head. Some things are better, some things hurt. But I was very pleased with what the actors came up with. They work together very well, and a lot of the humour hit right off the page. Also, there's a benefit to the rawness - later on, good actors will make bad writing seem better than it is. The first read can teach you a lot about your script.

Yeah, I was pretty happy till I came upstairs to see Martin calling the Samaritans and Jerome deciding whether to jump.