Drinking Black Coffee and Talking about Black Watch
My fellow playwright Eilidh and I are both currently living in London, I am here for my University degree in acting and she has just started working at the National Theatre. I’ve been here for about seven weeks now which has completely flown by, so it was definitely about time we met for a catch-up.
We get comfortable in the bar of the National Theatre, I am drinking a black coffee (apparently all I drink now that I am a student). It's not very busy which is nice, and the lighting is comforting, we chat for a bit about what we’ve been up to, which was lovely, and then I learn a little more about what helps spark creativity in Eilidh.
NAOMI: When and in what environment are you most likely to write?
EILIDH: In terms of productivity, I’m most productive in the morning. Not necessarily first thing. But I could get most of the stuff I need to do done in between eight and twelve and then don’t do anything for the rest of the day. I’m a morning person rather than an evening person but in terms of creativity I think that’s like, less easy for me to track and it depends a lot on how I’m feeling on the day. I’d say morning because that is when I am most productive so creativity sort of comes hand in hand with that but also late at night, I’ll be struck with an urge to do some writing and that will tend to be in my bed on my laptop. If I’m sitting at my desk in my room which is where I would do all of my writing, I prefer to write by hand over typing on my laptop.
NAOMI: What is a play which changed everything?
EILIDH: I don’t know if it’s a play that necessarily changed everything, but I went on a school trip when I was - maybe fourteen - to see Black Watch at the National Theatre of Scotland, and that’s a play that inspired me a lot and had a massive impact on my interest in theatre. I work in theatre now alongside doing playwriting and I think seeing Black Watch had a big impact on my interest in a career in theatre. It was a play that combined so many different elements of storytelling – it’s a verbatim play and a very political piece of theatre and it was Scottish and acclaimed nationally and worldwide and as something to go and see on a school trip. It stayed with me for ages.
NAOMI: What is something you watch whilst procrastinating?
EILIDH: I watch a lot of T.V generally, and I tend to have a really bad reality show on the go that I will watch when I should be writing. For example, at the start of the year, my life revolved around Married at First Sight Australia. Currently, I’ve just started watching Succession (because everyone keeps telling me to) and I’m trying to get into that.
NAOMI: What is your biggest enemy in terms of writing?
EILIDH: I think the biggest enemy for me is just putting too much pressure on what I write to be really good or to be polished or to be the first draft of something rather than just writing. I think I need to work on writing with less pressure. I also think just generally starting to write anything is daunting so I’m trying to get into more of a habit to write every day.
NAOMI: How are you finding the programme?
EILIDH: I’m loving the programme. It’s a really nice part of my week and part of my routine. I think it’s been good for me to commit myself to something to do with writing, and to make time to think and talk about writing. All of the workshops have been great, and it’s been amazing to be able to meet and connect and work with the other writers on the programme. Naomi, Livia and Erin are all really wonderful people and I feel really lucky to have connected with them in this way.
Comments
Post a Comment