The Next Chapter- Stupid Conversations, Structure and Learning To Say No
This is me on my first day at High School.
Over the past weeks, I have been experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. After six very long years, I have finally left high school. In the weeks leading up to this moment all I talked about was how excited I was to leave, to be free from uniforms, smelly classrooms, and annoying teachers. I was too busy thinking about the awful things that made me hate it so much, I forgot about the parts that made it amazing. On my last day, I was sitting around the lunch table, the table where we always sat, and I thought to myself “This is the last time we are ever going to do this, we will never be at this table all together again.” It was this moment that made me realise how much I am going to miss school because it was more than just a place I went to learn and be told off for my skirt being too short, it was a place I got to see my favourite people every day. After I had left it was then it properly started to sink in, I missed our stupid conversations about travelling the world, our debates about the government and I missed the way we laughed. I know that it is just going to take some getting used to. (This idea of leaving school and lunchtime conversations might be a nice thing to write about further.)
This chapter of my life is over which means a new one is beginning, and I can’t wait to find it what happens next.
Since leaving school I started an intense rehearsal period for the play that I have been writing over the past year. I wrote this play as a kind of coping mechanism. During the first lockdown I became a key worker, and this period of time affected my mental health. Writing this play allowed me to express what I was feeling in a creative way. It tells the story of me working in my family business in the very beginning of lockdown, a time where nobody knew what the hell was going on. It has a very strong message about the mental health of young people, especially in the workplace, and this is a message I believe needs to be heard. I have also been given roles in a local short film and a tv series, so it is fair to say that leaving school has definitely given me a lot more time to focus on what I love.
I had quite a few thoughts about the last two workshops. Firstly, in May Sumbwanyambe’s workshop I really enjoyed the way he explained the concept of structure by using the film Pretty Women. The way he broke it down in connection to what was happening in the film made it very clear and easy to understand. One of the reasons I am taking part in this programme is to learn more about structure so this workshop was very helpful because now I know a bit more about it, I can use it in my own writing and at the same time I can break the rules and change the structure in a way that works for me.
I loved Nicola McCartney’s workshop, not just because of what I learnt but also the fact that she was a very likeable and relatable person. The information about structure and stories about herself that she shared with us were both very interesting and I feel as though I learned a lot about making a connection with the audience. We all shared a story of our worst experience while watching a play or a play that we didn’t like at all. I shared a story about a play which I went to see with my family at our local hall, it was about a couple in their 60s after they had been out at night, they argued on and off throughout the evening and that was pretty much it. I just didn’t get it, I found it really boring to watch and I think that is because I couldn’t relate to it in any way, I couldn’t find any part of me in there. So, I have learnt that when I am writing in future, I am going to ask myself that question, is there something in this for everyone?
Whilst being able to focus on the things that I love and enjoy, I also want to make sure that I don’t burn myself out and take too much on. I think my load at the moment is at a comfortable level but perhaps taking on something else may just tip it over the edge. If only I wasn’t so bad at saying no.
Naomi Watson
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