A Timely Timon...

I went to see the National Theatre's dazzling re-imagination of Timon of Athens last weekend. Director Nicholas Hytner has worked wonders with what has traditionally been regarded as one of Shakespeare's problem plays, bringing it radically up to date by setting it in the City at the time of the financial crash. Timon's vertiginous descent from millionaire philanthropist to street dweller, the loss of confidence in his friends far greater than the loss of wealth and status, is heartrendingly portrayed by Simon Russell Beale in what many regard as the performance of his career. Deborah Findlay, playing the gender-reversed role of his faithful steward, never puts a foot wrong.

In writing terms, there was a lot to learn. It reminded me once again of  what a two-way street the creative process is: you need to be generous as an author, to allow a theatre director, or a theatre audience, or a reader to bring their own imagination and experience to bear upon your work, as that is what keeps it fresh and relevant - and how relevant and fresh this Timon was. Don't hog the act of creativity to yourself - give your readers some of the information that they need, but leave enough space for them to set to work themselves, because in that way they take possession of what you have written and it becomes special to them. Make them put two and two together, often; don't hand them four on a plate. See that they do the maths.

Another thing that Hytner's production so brilliantly achieved was to particularise the general. In locating Timon's downfall in such recognisable territory as our recent history, he made the dilemmas and challenges, the twists and turns , instantly recognisable to us, so that the process of identification was extremely easy. This is one of the most important tasks for a writer - to make your reader experience things as your protagonist does, and because of the relevance of the setting of the production, it was easy for us to suffer as Timon suffered.

Try to make your work as relevant and roomy as possible, so that it is familiar and accessible, but see if you can retain a certain creative elusiviness at the same time, to keep your reader guessing. Then pat your head and rub your tummy too!