We’ve hit the summer holidays and lockdown down has lifted (in the UK, at least). So many of you will be taking a break, getting out or going away. Starting a new project or committing to serious amount of writing might be way down there on your list of priorities and whilst taking a break is most definitely a good thing (we’ll be doing the same!), it doesn’t mean you can’t stay inspired throughout the summer as and when you please. Check out our top tips for using the summer lull to your advantage and keeping yourself motivated…
Plan your Autumn
With September comes back-to-school vibes and knowing you have a new beginning planned gives you a great excuse to relax this summer! We’ve got a huge programme of writing workshops and courses planned for the Autumn term so why not get prepared and book up a few ahead of time? From writing musicals to pitching your play to writing an adaptation there are plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and brush up on old ones! Find out more and book here.
Develop your brand
Use the summer break to get all that boring self promotion on the go! You could update your writing CV, rewrite your bio, create a website for yourself or update your social media accounts. From a creative perspective, you could also think about writing marketing materials for any submissions you might be planning to make: having things like a one-page outline, logline, and conversational pitch ready to go will save you time in the future when it comes to submitting.
See some live theatre
It’s not just entertainment when you watch a play – you’re learning about the craft and getting inspired! So if you don’t feel like sitting down and writing this summer, get out there and go and see some theatre. It doesn’t matter what you see – some open-air Shakespeare, a new writing scratch night or reworked fairytale with your kids -it will all help to keep those creative juices flowing and support artists and theatres who definitely want to see audiences back in the room!
Write a short play
There is never a shortage of opportunities for short plays. Whether it’s a 10 minute piece for a new writing night or a audio piece, we share call outs for shorts all the time! Perfecting this craft is a great way to make yourself eligible for more playwriting opportunities – take a look at our weekly round-up for some inspiration or just write something for fun, either way you’ll be brushing up on an important skill.
Revisit Resources
If you’ve got a spare a couple of hours, browse the members site for resources – there are online courses you can dip into on structure, monologue writing, and regional dialect to name but a few. You could also do a few of the exercises from #WrAP2021 if you want to do a short burst of writing to keep you going. Find out more here.
Read!
If you’re heading off on holiday, pack a few inspirational books in your case. You can check out some of our top picks for playwriting books over on Bookshop. However, it’s also worth bearing in mind that you don’t have to read ‘academic’ type books or very. serious. classics to get inspired. All stories can give you ideas and help you to get a grip on structure, style and form, – whether it’s the latest bestseller, a gory crime fiction book or a slushy rom-com. In our Making an Impact in your Opening Scene workshop recently, we discussed how analysing opening pages of novels (or TV shows for that matter if you’d rather head to Netflix than open a book!) can help you to figure out what works as an opening (and what doesn’t) – so put your feet up, grab a book, and get some ‘research’ done!
Whether you get some writing done or not, we hope these tips help and you all have a great summer!