Final shout out to good folk of Norwich. My play, Shellakybooky, gets a staged reading at UEA Drama Studio, 8pm (and I’m in it too) as final production in the Contemporary European Drama Review (see banner above) – Swing by whydontcha!
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Telling the Truth
Writing from truth, using a real event, can lend work real emotion, emotion difficult to conjure otherwise. Tears in a writer will bring tears to a reader, so they say. And as an artist, it is often your job to stand naked in front of the world.
Writing from fact does have its downside, however. Firstly, a straight account is reportage, not fiction so you must add extra spice and colour to the mixture to make it fiction, and interesting.
It is important to get to the naked crux of what your story is ‘saying’ and make sure your narrative never loses sight of this point and – so, even if when you were all driving to the hospital, Brad told a joke so funny you’ve just got to mention it. No, don’t mention it. Stick to the point of the story – the story is the hospital, remember, not Brad’s unrelated joke.
You may also have to leave out years of backstory if it does not serve to drive your own story on in any way. You may have been brought up by the funniest, most eccentric, most loving or most dysfunctional family in the world, but if they have no role in the story at hand, don’t mention them.
Another issue with writing from real memory is that ironically, fact is often too weird and too unbelievable to work as fiction. Your readers will say, ‘oh, come on, that would never happen.’ And you can’t phone them all up and say, ‘actually, it did. I’m not making it up. I once knew this bloke…’ Instead, you’ve often got to tone down the story to make it more credible. Real-life coincidences can be particularly problematic here.
And remember if you stick too close to the truth, you may be setting yourself up for some legal headaches, especially if you are presenting another person in an unflattering light. It’s best to change names and/or genders, and settings. Once you make those factual changes, most people will fail to recognize themselves in fiction, simply because we don’t see ourselves as we are seen by others….
Due to popular demand….
For those who missed it, my radio drama ‘Cow’ will be repeated TONIGHT 2nd April on http://www.kclr96fm.com @ 7pm (GMT) – click on ‘listen live’
Clap Happy
Some have asked if a ‘catch up’ version of ‘Cow’ will be available on the KCLR96fm website. Apparently, yes. KCLR are currently constructing a ‘listening room’ for documentaries and dramas and I’ll let you all know once its up and running – in the meantime, the stations forwarded some lovely feedback this morning – so, I’ve just gotta boast, I mean share…:
“thank you so much for this sensitive, witty, biting and ultimately balanced dialogue between the sexes… Sue Healy’s ‘Cow’ and the women and men bringing into being over the ether were wonderful…especially the wife who paused to say …’calving..’ [given her own delicate situation vis a vis ivf..] when her lovely lump of a man wriggles out of the Wednesday salmon-fest supper to ease him into the bedroom..[lovely touch that] by saying that the heifer is tail up and the wife mumbles the dread-laden word…’calving’…which of course she is not…oh how painful and sweet…i cried …oh God yes i did big tear drops onto my white plate of toast…beautifully realised…this is a play of magnitude, significance, humanity and…redemption… you lucky lucky people…what a fantastic flower you planted, tended, nurtured and ultimately stood backand admired…”
Doesn’t get better than that!
From Cow to Wow!
Michael Power, who played ‘Damien’ in my play ‘Cow’ which aired this morning, is debuting in ‘Game of Thrones’ tonight (April 1st) on Sky Atlantic 9pm …
How Now…
My debut broadcast takes place tomorrow when KCLR 96fm airs ‘Cow’ – a 40 minute radio drama I wrote and produced. ‘Cow’ goes out at 11am Irish time, April 1st, Easter Monday (that’s midday on mainland Europe, 6am New York, 9pm Melbourne) and can be accessed via the KCLR 96fm website, by clicking on the ‘listen live’ button.
Made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, ‘Cow’ tells the story of Agi, a beautiful Hungarian woman with a secret who arrives on Damien and Marie Cleary’s farm in Glenmore to work as a mushroom picker. The Clearys’ already strained, childless marriage appears under further threat by her presence. An unlikely friendship develops between Marie and Agi however, leading both women to a new world view.
In a light hearted fashion, ‘Cow’ views the rural South East through the eyes of a foreigner bemused by cultural mainstays such as hurling and camogie, D.J. Carey, pub culture and the power of Smithwick’s beer. The forty-minute drama also explores contemporary issues such as Eastern European immigration into rural Ireland and social perceptions of women, both immigrant and native.
Do turn on and tune in…
Shellaky, shellakybooky, Come Out and Show Your Horns…
Arts Alert!! The Contemporary European Drama Review at UEA, April 11th – 13th, consists of rehearsed readings of five plays from Austria, Hungary, Ireland and the UK. My play ‘Shellakybooky’ is the final performance, 8pm Sat. 13th, April. I’m playing ‘Mar’ – the ugly sister (Hmmm, maybe I should do a re-write… ha!).
Synopsis:
Budapest, Hungary, April 2013. When Mar Roache travels from Ireland to Hungary to stay with her sister Brigette Cooney and family, she is impressed by her sister’s seemingly idyllic expat existence. Brigette simply ‘does not do negativity’ and her days are full of champagne and origami classes. All is not how it seems, however, and cracks are soon evident in the Cooney’s perfect veneer. A mistress, a graffiti-obsessed son, an anarchist and a gay minister focused on change, all combine to shake the Cooney’s world and expose its fragility as the country’s political problems arrive on their doorstep.
Do come along if you’re in the Norwich area. And don’t forget, my radio play ‘Cow’ is to be broadcast on KCLR 96fm on April 1st, 11am (local Irish time). The broadcast can be accessed online via the station website.
COW!
Easter Monday, 11 a.m. (local Irish time), sees KCLR 96fm broadcast ‘Cow’, a radio drama set in Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny.
Made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, ‘Cow’ tells the story of Agi, a beautiful Hungarian woman with a secret who arrives on Damien and Marie Cleary’s farm in Glenmore to work as a mushroom picker. The Clearys’ already strained, childless marriage appears under further threat by her presence. An unlikely friendship develops between Marie and Agi however, leading both women to a new world view.
In a light hearted fashion, ‘Cow’ views the rural South East through the eyes of a foreigner bemused by cultural mainstays such as hurling and camogie, D.J. Carey, pub culture and the power of Smithwick’s beer. The forty-minute drama also explores contemporary issues such as Eastern European immigration into rural Ireland and social perceptions of women, both immigrant and native.
Director Jim Nolan is a founder member of Red Kettle Theatre Company and a former Writer in Association with the Abbey Theatre. He is a member of Aosdana. ‘Cow’ was written and produced by Sue Healy, a native of Waterford City who has won seven national awards for her writing, including the Molly Keane Prize. Her award-winning play ‘Shellakybooky’ is one of six chosen for performance at the Contemporary European Drama Review, Norwich, UK, in April this year. ‘Cow’ features Waterford actor Michael Power, who recently shot an episode of Game of Thrones for HBO and is currently in rehearsals for Richard II with the Abbey Players. ‘Cow’ also stars BBC Radio 4 veteran Madeleine Brolly, an Oxford-born actor whose family hails from Clonoulty Co. Tipperary and Dublin-based actor Geraldine Crowley of Barrabehy, Co. Kilkenny. ‘Cow’ was edited by senior BBC sound engineer Eugene Sully – who is probably best known as the runner-up in Big Brother 6.
‘Cow’ will be broadcast by KCLR 96fm after the 11am news on April 1st (Easter Monday). The play can also be simultaneously streamed live via the KCLR 96fm website.
Poster by Amelia Power Design.
I’m in the Mooovies!
Well, ok, not the mooovies, rather I’m on the radio…
Yep, I’ve got the first broadcast date for my radio drama, ‘Cow’. It will air just after the 11am news (local time in Ireland) on Easter Monday on KCLR 96fm (yes, that’s April 1st – and no, this is not an April Fool’s) – here’s the scoop:
‘Cow’ concerns ‘Agi’, a beautiful Hungarian woman, arrives on Clearys’ farm, Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny, to work as a mushroom picker. The Clearys’ already strained, childless marriage appears under further threat by her presence, however an unlikely friendship develops between Marie Cleary and Agi, leading both women to a new world view.
‘Cow’ is a contemporary radio drama which explores immigration into rural Ireland and the social perceptions of women, both immigrant and native. And, in a light hearted fashion, the play views rural Irish cultural mainstays through the eyes of the bemused foreigner.
To listen, go to kclr96fm.com and click on the listen live button. It may take a minute or two to configure.
There You Are
I recently spent a month as artist-in-residence on Inis Oirr, one of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. It has a bleak beauty and I was struck by how ‘man-made’ the place is. A rock in the Atlantic, all top soil has been built up over the centuries by islanders hauling up to the hinterland seaweed, sand and clay scraped from crevices. Stone walls then divide this carpet of top soil into a patchwork of fields.
Agriculture and the labour of men no longer drive this ‘man-made’ island however, today it is the women of the islands who are spinning, weaving, potting, knitting and sewing craftware for tourists and this sector is what currently supplies the main source of income. The semi-disenfranchisement of the men and the industry of the women which has the succeeded male labour, has given me an idea for a play which I’m hoping to take to the Edinburgh Fringe. My stay on the island has also allowed me to explore how important environments are for inspiration. So much so, that I am now mulling an offer I had this week to return to the island for six months next year.
Writing what you know
It is often said you should “write what you know”. A sensible approach, especially for the new writer. By placing your characters in scenes and situations with which you are familiar, you are more likely to invest a sense of realism in the story. Also, practically speaking, writing about familiar territory will save on research you might otherwise have to do on a subject/setting.
Some writers resist writing what they know as they feel their own environments are not “glamorous” or “extraordinary” enough to merit such attention. This is nonsense. Whatever you do and whoever you are, your life will seem exotic to someone else. The fact that you grew up on a council estate/project developent in Bolton/Kalamazoo is interesting to someone living on a farm in Siberia. Remember, the life of an immigrant taxi-driver would quite likely fascinate the Queen of England.
Also, you don’t necessarily have to set your story in your street or your workplace. Think of your Saturday morning football team, your chool, the nightclubs you frequent, a hospital you’ve spent time in or a prison. All are equally valuable settings for a short story, novel, play, film script or even poem or song. Your environment is your gold, mine it.
But I don’t want to write about my environment…
That’s fine too. There is also case for “writing what you don’t know”. Fantasy writers, for example, are (usually) not elves living in Middle Earth. Historical fiction writers have not lived in Tudor England. Yet, Fantasy/SciFi/Historical novels are written and enjoyed every year. For Fantasy/SciFi you need a familiarity with the genre and a vivid imagination. For historical fiction you need to like research. For all the above you’ll require the ability to convincingly create an unfamiliar world.
Bear in mind, however, that while a Fantasy writer won’t get complaints from angry elves about his misinformed stereotypes. A novelist who sets a story in a modern French monastery, and knows nothing about France or monks – is asking for trouble. Firstly, their prose may be riddled with (skewed) perceptions of France and the French, monks/Catholicism/wine-making etc… And not only is there danger of rehashing clichés, their writing might lack the detailed realism a reader finds so reassuring and intriguing.
So, if you want to write about banditos in the mountains of Sardinia, and you can’t go and live there for a year – then research, research, research. Read as much as you can on the topic, as well as any other fiction that has used the same environment as a setting.
...and this is me.
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suehealy 