Nick Dear - A Masterclass in Writing From Life

It was a play about writing, and words, and love, and what inspires them all. It was full of beauty and sadness, cadenced.

I'm talking about Nick Dear's new drama about the poet Edward Thomas, The Dark Earth and the Light Sky, which has recently opened in London at the Almeida Theatre. If you don't have the chance to go and see it, although you will miss the heart-wrenching performances of Pip Carter and Hattie Morahan (playing Edward and his wife Helen), you will still be able to read the script.

As well as being astonishingly articulate about the process of writing – Thomas has a close literary friendship with the American poet Robert Frost and the two of them explore the fascination of the writer's craft - the play is a must read because it reveals some of the alchemy of bringing characters to life. In Dear's perceptive, clear-eyed incarnation, Edward Thomas is shown to be capable of the strongest bonds of friendship, both with Frost and with Eleanor Farjeon, but is a vile husband and an indifferent father. Yet his love for poetry seems to transcend mere earthly ties, and that is what transfigures both him and us. Thomas's character is revealed to us facet by facet, from the point of view of the different people who knew him, in all its inconsistent, cruel, passionate, inspiring humanity. It is a masterclass in writing from life. Look and learn, look and learn...

If you want a writing exercise for the weekend, here's a thought taken from the play, uttered by Robert Frost.

Words exist in the mouth, not in books, and you can't read a single good sentence with the salt in it unless you have previously heard it spoken. That's what I think. The ear does it all, the ear is the only true writer and the only true reader.

Spend some time listening, listen for the salt in a good sentence, use your ears, then write about something that you've heard...

All Work and No Play

 Yesterday I wrote for twelve hours with barely a pause for breath and I've done six hours today: write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write - you get the picture. I'm off to London now, to see Nick Dear's new play about Edward Thomas at the Almeida, and tomorrow I'm going to a talk about The Wasteland - what cultural riches. I'm mentioning this partly because it means my blogging will be a bit thin on the ground this week, but also because I firmly believe in finding ways to feed your creativity. If you do nothing but write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, write, you'll soon find that inspiration turns to stupification (which I don't think is a word, thus proving my point).

Take time out to read and think – absorb the best and worst writing you can lay your hands upon, because you'll learn from both. Stiffen the sinews : dream, walk, wander. Make a list of all the books you've read this year, then resolve to double it  next year. Don't just sit at your desk and grind words out.

That's my excuse, at least....