Greetings, bonjour, what’s happening

The last in this current little mini-series of Young Unprofessional is up. In this episode, Reece finally goes on the date with Alice, who he met through the dating section of the Gumtree website. It’s a little later than expected, but I explain why in the introduction.

I’ve enjoyed writing this little mini-series, it felt like the natural evolution of the Satellite Stories series, whilst incorporating my desire to start writing from the perspective of a fully fictional character, from a fictional town (even if lots of it is based on my experiences)

I’m still undecide on the form of it, so what I think I’d like to do next is sit down and look over what I’ve written and work out what’s working and what isn’t etc.

I don’t know how any of these stories are landing with people but when I get into it and start writing, I enjoy it and I feel there is more to come. They are all works in progress, as is the whole podcast, so they’re raw and rough round the edges. I have a feeling that if I can refine my process, I can improve on what I’m doing with it.

I’ve also enjoyed featuring my own music (which is handy as I don’t have to worry about licensing etc) – something which I’ve neglected to mention. It helps break the stories up at bit and can put a contextual frame round it, as well as giving a legit excuse to write more music; again, I have no idea how any of this is landing, but, I do this because I enjoy doing it, anything else positive that comes of it is a bonus.

So what next? I have a few old stories from the Reece stuff I’ve written over the years, which I’d like to put up. I’ve also slowly been compiling a load of quotes from the books I’ve been reading and have an idea to use these as an impetus to write some thoughts, in an attempt at some essays; so at some point, at least one of these will emerge.

As scatty as I can be, in my own dysfunctional way, stuff does get done; and I would like to improve that and in general, improve myself, otherwise, what is the point in all of this? I think it’s a little bit like the Reece character, he is flawed and is somewhat aware of this, and in his own doomed way, is trying to do something about it, he just doesn’t really know how.

I hope you enjoy this latest episode, if you like it, please subscribe and share it, as much as I do this for me, when someone tells me they like it, it kicks me up the arse to do more. On the Substack, there is a link to the Young UnProfessional series which you can click and have them all in one place.

Peas and taters for now

Paul

A WORK-IN-PROGRESS, ABOUT WORK, FORMALLY KNOWN AS ‘WORK’

BABY STEPS

So here’s the coo… A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to write about all the different jobs I’ve done over the years, there’s been a few. I went through each job I ever did and worked out what stories I could tell, I then put that into a body of work, which I called ‘WORK.’ Imaginative, I know.

I spoke to Camden People’s Theatre, who were up for letting explore the idea further, in view of attempting to make a show out of it.

TODDLER TIME

I did a 15 minute scratch of some of the material I’d written at CPT. With the help of Lucy Atkinson (who produced my first solo show, A Tale From the Bedsit, in 2013) I wrote an Arts Council grant to get some dough, for a bit of R&D. I assembled a top team of collaborators to help me out, including producer Ellie Barr. In December 2019, we done another scratch, a bit longer this time, at CPT again, then put an hour-long preview together, for a show at VAULTS Festival in February. Then COVID. Then nothing.

TEENAGE STROP

I decided to leave the show for a bit, I wasn’t fully happy with it, probably a good thing, though as COVID shelved everything anyway, BASTARD!

ADULTHOOD BUT WITH A LONG WAY TO GO

Until I got the itch again about nine months later…

So here we are now, April 2021 and tickets have just gone on sale for the next work-in-progress showings at CPT. The show now has a new name, Make Your Own Bed and Hope for the Best, which I think best sums up what the show is about, in terms my journey in it.

Last November, 2020, I went back watched all the scratches, read the material and re-wrote lots of it, I then decided to film each one and stick it up online as part of the development.

It’s very much still being developed, I’ve ended writing a load more material and I’m now wondering how the faaaack I’m gonna fit it all in but then, that’s part of the fun, isn’t it.

You can have a butchers at the journey so far, all the performances and then the story uploads, then, if you like it, come and see me do it live!