Janet C. Smith's Blog, page 7
March 12, 2023
'George the Good'. Synopsis.
P.S. Oops, forgot to include a synopsis of my previously posted 'George the Good'; a stage play for children to perform. Here it is:
'George Good, is just too good for his bad family and something must be done about him! Various disreputable family members, such as Harry the Horse Thief, Colin the Cadger, and Priscilla the Pickpocket, are enlisted as role models, but things don’t quite turn out as expected!'
'George Good, is just too good for his bad family and something must be done about him! Various disreputable family members, such as Harry the Horse Thief, Colin the Cadger, and Priscilla the Pickpocket, are enlisted as role models, but things don’t quite turn out as expected!'
March 10, 2023
'George the Good'. Stage play for children to perform. Performing Licences now available.
Performing licenses are now available for the much struggled with children's stage play 'George the Good'. Free to read online, I do hope that you enjoy it. A small fee is needed to download, and a very reasonable fee for a performing licence. The link to this, and all my other stage work is
https://scriptsforstage.co.uk/wp/writ...
https://scriptsforstage.co.uk/wp/writ...
February 14, 2023
'George the Good'. Stage play for children to perform. Scouts. Role models. Genius.
Oh my, that was such hard work! 'George the Good' is finally finished; not the novel I began, but a stage play for children/a mixed cast to perform. Around one hour long in performance terms, every last ounce has had to squeezed out, like one of those tubes of rich handcream with a teeny, tiny hole in the top, that has to be squeeeeeeeezed hard to produce anything. If only I could plan; write a preliminary synopsis; better still, have working titles for scenes; but no. It all has to be painfully squeeeeeezed out. I envy writers who can painlessly tip a whole story out of their fingertips onto the computer - or even to carry the whole caboosh in their noddles. If it's accepted for publication, I'll post the link to the website, where it can be read for free. Payment is only needed if it's downloaded or licensed for performance.
Thomas Edison, the inventor and businessman famously quoted, 'Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration' stressing that innovation involves more than just great ideas - which I shall clutch to my chest as a mantra!
Thomas Edison, the inventor and businessman famously quoted, 'Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration' stressing that innovation involves more than just great ideas - which I shall clutch to my chest as a mantra!
January 12, 2023
'Sleeping Gorgeous-Beauty - the Murder Mystery Panto!' Done and dusted. Read the script.
Well, that was a lot of fun, and the feedback from audiences excellent. The production team, director and actors, really worked hard to bring it off in a relatively short space of time. The actors inhabited their characters splendidly, and the hand painted backdrop and sound design, created a realistic world for audiences to suspend their disbelief in.
It was rather hot inside the pantomime horse, but my partner in horseflesh and I managed, and our performance wouldn't have gone amiss at the Cheltenham Gold Cup! I don't think we'd have won, but we managed quite a respectable trot and canter!
The future very soon becomes the past - and it's on to the next thing!
For anyone who would like to read the script online and try to solve the murder mystery, just go to my link
https://scriptsforstage.co.uk/wp/prod...
It's free to read online, but a very small fee is payable if you wish to download it. I believe the downloadable copies contain the solution to the murder mystery! A licence is required to perform, but it's extremely reasonable. Murder mysteries are a good way for drama clubs to boost their coffers!
It was rather hot inside the pantomime horse, but my partner in horseflesh and I managed, and our performance wouldn't have gone amiss at the Cheltenham Gold Cup! I don't think we'd have won, but we managed quite a respectable trot and canter!
The future very soon becomes the past - and it's on to the next thing!
For anyone who would like to read the script online and try to solve the murder mystery, just go to my link
https://scriptsforstage.co.uk/wp/prod...
It's free to read online, but a very small fee is payable if you wish to download it. I believe the downloadable copies contain the solution to the murder mystery! A licence is required to perform, but it's extremely reasonable. Murder mysteries are a good way for drama clubs to boost their coffers!
October 29, 2022
Brand new murder mystery panto! Murder mystery play. Murder mystery, free to read online. Panto horse - 'Sidekick One Hundred To One.' 'Sleeping Gorgeous Beauty - the Murder Mystery Panto!'
Well it's finished. It's not Shakespeare, but it's fun, and should make a jolly night out, especially after a glass of wine. Rehearsals have begun, and the panto horse given a couple of pairs of braces to keep its trousers up. Tally-ho! Free to read online at the link below, or you can download to share with your reading group for a small fee. A licence is required to perform, but it's extremely reasonable.
‘SLEEPING GORGEOUS-BEAUTY - THE MURDER MYSTERY PANTO!’
Synopsis: A Murder Mystery in the form of a short stage play/panto which can be performed all the year round! To be solved later by the audience. Two conmen have bought a small run-down estate, hoodwinking tourists that it’s the historic site of a parallel ‘Sleeping Beauty’ fairy story. The witch they say had a bad habit of cursing princesses. But things start to go wrong when their tale takes on a life of its own; a real prince arrives to awaken the princess with a kiss, fairy tale characters appear, and gold fever affects everyone! Someone of course will die. Can the audience work out whodunnit! Oh yes they can, oh no they can't! Lots of fun to perform! Songs and dance. Play lasts approx. 56 minutes, excluding interrogation by audience. Cast M3 F4 5E. Published by Scripts for Stage. See https://scriptsforstage.co.uk/wp/auth... Can you work out whodunnit? Oh yes you can, oh no you can't!
‘SLEEPING GORGEOUS-BEAUTY - THE MURDER MYSTERY PANTO!’
Synopsis: A Murder Mystery in the form of a short stage play/panto which can be performed all the year round! To be solved later by the audience. Two conmen have bought a small run-down estate, hoodwinking tourists that it’s the historic site of a parallel ‘Sleeping Beauty’ fairy story. The witch they say had a bad habit of cursing princesses. But things start to go wrong when their tale takes on a life of its own; a real prince arrives to awaken the princess with a kiss, fairy tale characters appear, and gold fever affects everyone! Someone of course will die. Can the audience work out whodunnit! Oh yes they can, oh no they can't! Lots of fun to perform! Songs and dance. Play lasts approx. 56 minutes, excluding interrogation by audience. Cast M3 F4 5E. Published by Scripts for Stage. See https://scriptsforstage.co.uk/wp/auth... Can you work out whodunnit? Oh yes you can, oh no you can't!
October 4, 2022
Getting To Know Your Protagonists
Do you struggle with getting to know your protagonists? They can be as difficult to get a grip on as real people. Initially they're just the names you've conjured up for them, people shaped words; vacuums; then slowly they become more than words. If their names are their outlines, then their characteristics gradually fill them, like a picture in a colouring book; flaws, traits, predilections, problems. They say most fictional characters are amalgams of people who you know, or have encountered. D.H. Lawrence apparently hardly disguised his protagonists at all, lifting them by their bootlaces directly onto his pages. A sort of literary 'from farm to fork'. It's said that people don't recognise themselves in print, but a number of his protagonists did, and he was apparently not well loved in his home town of Eastwood, Nottinghamshire! Me, I use a brew of people I've come across, acquaintances, friends, and family - ssshhhhh!
August 27, 2022
'Keep Calm and Read a Book'. Books. Second Hand Books. Calm. Barter Books. Alnwick. Northumberland.
A short visit to Alnwick in Northumberland, and many thousands of books later, and I'm a bit snow blinded; a bit like visiting an art gallery containing wall after wall, and room after room, of paintings.
Alnwick does has more than it's fair share of books, from the many charity shops in the town, including a Lions bookshop, to the new and impressive 'Accidental Bookshop' which sells new and up to the minute books. But the second hand bookstore, Barter Books, dubbed 'British Library of secondhand bookshops' by the New Statesman, takes the biscuit with its 350,000 books.
Located in the old Alnwick railway station, a map is provided to help visitors find what they're looking for. It has the comfortable feel of an old library, and the convenience of a station buffet and ice cream parlour. I must confess that after journeying by train to the area, rather than having to connect by bus, it would have been a tad more convenient had the store still been a railway station! Ah progress! But it's an interesting place, and definitely one to tick off on one's bucket list.
It has a separate claim to fame. In 2000, owner Stuart Manley discovered a rare original of a long forgotten WW11 poster in a box of old books sold at auction. His wife Mary, thought it was interesting, framed it and hung it in the shop. With its uncluttered design and positive slogan, it became a hit with customers, who wanted their own copies. And so they had made and sold facsimile copies, which soon became copied and parodied by the millions. Today its advice to a beleaguered wartime population 'Keep Calm and Carry On', can be read on everything from mugs to chocolate boxes to biscuit tins.
Travelling back home, this was indeed a suitable text to stiffen the sinews, as we waited for the long overdue bus to connect us to the nearest railway station!
Alnwick does has more than it's fair share of books, from the many charity shops in the town, including a Lions bookshop, to the new and impressive 'Accidental Bookshop' which sells new and up to the minute books. But the second hand bookstore, Barter Books, dubbed 'British Library of secondhand bookshops' by the New Statesman, takes the biscuit with its 350,000 books.
Located in the old Alnwick railway station, a map is provided to help visitors find what they're looking for. It has the comfortable feel of an old library, and the convenience of a station buffet and ice cream parlour. I must confess that after journeying by train to the area, rather than having to connect by bus, it would have been a tad more convenient had the store still been a railway station! Ah progress! But it's an interesting place, and definitely one to tick off on one's bucket list.
It has a separate claim to fame. In 2000, owner Stuart Manley discovered a rare original of a long forgotten WW11 poster in a box of old books sold at auction. His wife Mary, thought it was interesting, framed it and hung it in the shop. With its uncluttered design and positive slogan, it became a hit with customers, who wanted their own copies. And so they had made and sold facsimile copies, which soon became copied and parodied by the millions. Today its advice to a beleaguered wartime population 'Keep Calm and Carry On', can be read on everything from mugs to chocolate boxes to biscuit tins.
Travelling back home, this was indeed a suitable text to stiffen the sinews, as we waited for the long overdue bus to connect us to the nearest railway station!
August 6, 2022
Dishwashers Block. Kickstarting writing.
Lily forwarded to me an interesting and encouraging little article by Brett, about how to kickstart/continue that piece of writing that you're either always going to write/are blocked on. It uses the analogy of a full sink of washing up, that one can't face, and terms it dishwashers block (a cuisine based equivalent of writers block). The advice given, is to tell yourself that you're only going to wash up one item, a teacup maybe. Then because you're standing there at a sink with a bowl of hot soapy water and rubber gloves on, to wash a side-plate; then as it doesn't seem half so bad, now one's begun, a dinner plate. Then hey presto, before you know it, the washing up/piece of prose/novel/poem is finished!
It's a neat analogy, but to nit-pick, there's an incy-wincy flaw, in that whereas a sink can be overflowing with dishes; the page on your computer may be entirely empty! It would be like standing at a sink, all prepped in apron, gloves, a bowl of hot water billowing with bubbles, and no dishes to work on!
Maybe the answer is the create some washing up/words! Throw down words, like plates you've eaten a really messy spaghetti bolognaise on; like cups you've drank a really thick hot chocolate from; like pudding dishes you've consumed a treacle tart with custard on; side-plates you've eaten a cream eclair on; and the gravy tin that the dog's licked out!
Dishes and words, a writer needs them both! Especially mugs for those endless drinks of tea or coffee! Bon appetit/happy writing! Thank you to Lily and Brett for inspiring this post!
It's a neat analogy, but to nit-pick, there's an incy-wincy flaw, in that whereas a sink can be overflowing with dishes; the page on your computer may be entirely empty! It would be like standing at a sink, all prepped in apron, gloves, a bowl of hot water billowing with bubbles, and no dishes to work on!
Maybe the answer is the create some washing up/words! Throw down words, like plates you've eaten a really messy spaghetti bolognaise on; like cups you've drank a really thick hot chocolate from; like pudding dishes you've consumed a treacle tart with custard on; side-plates you've eaten a cream eclair on; and the gravy tin that the dog's licked out!
Dishes and words, a writer needs them both! Especially mugs for those endless drinks of tea or coffee! Bon appetit/happy writing! Thank you to Lily and Brett for inspiring this post!
July 1, 2022
The difference between a cup of tea, a poem and a story.
'Oh Tea' by Grace Nichols.
Although, I'm not madly keen on the above titled poem, it does contain a kernel of something that I recognise as true. Below is a short extract from the poem by Queen's Gold Medal winner 2021, Grace Nicholls.
'Like the heart that hungers for the perfect poem,
the palate hungers for the perfect cup of tea,
not unlike poetry, since the outcome will be
how it wants to be, a marriage of balance and taste (a little more hot water, a bit more milk)
an alchemist, running on pure instinct - ' etc......
I've never thought of comparing a poem with a cup of tea, (although I have compared a hedgehog to a toilet brush); and Grace Nicholls statement, 'since the outcome will be how it wants to be', had me mulling over it. Many complex elements go into the making a poem; the basic idea one is trying to convey; the chosen carriage for the words - iambic pentameter, free verse, haiku, villanelle, a limerick maybe? Then metaphors, similes, adverbs, adjectives, symbols and tropes, carefully dovetailed in; as opposed to a teabag, which just contains a dollop of tea-leaves? Of course, the leaves might be Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong, Redbush, Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong. OK pour on boiling water, a little milk? Sugar? Three - oh come on!
Is Grace Nichols asserting that like a cup of tea, the result of your poem (can one extend this to any piece of writing?) is a foregone conclusion; that you cannot escape yourself, or the way that you write? Certainly some crime writers have a style as identifiable as a fingerprint; and some romantic fiction writers have hallmarks as noticeable as lipstick traces on the collar.
But surely, the only way a teabag is going to decide what it wants to be, is if you leave the bag in too long, or too short a time for your taste?
Why I recognise a nugget of truth in the phrase, 'the outcome will be what it wants to be', is that I've just finished a murder mystery/panto for performance later this year, and had to dig like a badger to find the whole story. It was there alright, contained within the first few lines, but the detail lay in a ground mist. In the end it did turn out to be what it obviously wanted to be, and was, I've been told, right.
It would be a little depressing to think that one can't escape oneself, and that somehow or other you will always 'write yourself'; but on the other hand, unlike teabags, you'll never run out of stories! Just whistle.
In the meantime, keep a close eye on those teabags, in case they run feral!
Although, I'm not madly keen on the above titled poem, it does contain a kernel of something that I recognise as true. Below is a short extract from the poem by Queen's Gold Medal winner 2021, Grace Nicholls.
'Like the heart that hungers for the perfect poem,
the palate hungers for the perfect cup of tea,
not unlike poetry, since the outcome will be
how it wants to be, a marriage of balance and taste (a little more hot water, a bit more milk)
an alchemist, running on pure instinct - ' etc......
I've never thought of comparing a poem with a cup of tea, (although I have compared a hedgehog to a toilet brush); and Grace Nicholls statement, 'since the outcome will be how it wants to be', had me mulling over it. Many complex elements go into the making a poem; the basic idea one is trying to convey; the chosen carriage for the words - iambic pentameter, free verse, haiku, villanelle, a limerick maybe? Then metaphors, similes, adverbs, adjectives, symbols and tropes, carefully dovetailed in; as opposed to a teabag, which just contains a dollop of tea-leaves? Of course, the leaves might be Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong, Redbush, Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong. OK pour on boiling water, a little milk? Sugar? Three - oh come on!
Is Grace Nichols asserting that like a cup of tea, the result of your poem (can one extend this to any piece of writing?) is a foregone conclusion; that you cannot escape yourself, or the way that you write? Certainly some crime writers have a style as identifiable as a fingerprint; and some romantic fiction writers have hallmarks as noticeable as lipstick traces on the collar.
But surely, the only way a teabag is going to decide what it wants to be, is if you leave the bag in too long, or too short a time for your taste?
Why I recognise a nugget of truth in the phrase, 'the outcome will be what it wants to be', is that I've just finished a murder mystery/panto for performance later this year, and had to dig like a badger to find the whole story. It was there alright, contained within the first few lines, but the detail lay in a ground mist. In the end it did turn out to be what it obviously wanted to be, and was, I've been told, right.
It would be a little depressing to think that one can't escape oneself, and that somehow or other you will always 'write yourself'; but on the other hand, unlike teabags, you'll never run out of stories! Just whistle.
In the meantime, keep a close eye on those teabags, in case they run feral!
June 10, 2022
Reviews. Star rating system. Reviewers. 'Gritta and the Witches of Olavland'. Lily Yu.
‘Gritta and the Witches of Olavland’ has received its first review, and happily, it’s a very good one. But if it hadn’t been, it would still have been useful. Reviews are of course subjective, but a constructive review, even if low in the star rating system, gives an author points to mull over for their next novel, and that’s not to be sniffed at – or is it sneezed at? There are points that I've needed to note.
Getting a review in the first place is like one of the Labours of Hercules. Many reviewers will only review published, as opposed to self-published books, and enjoy close relationships with publishers who regularly send their books for review. Of reviewers who do review self-published books, most have their preferred genres, from romance, to horror, to sci-fi, infinity, and beyond. And if one finds a reviewer who does review the genre that your book falls into – you can bet your bottom dollar (what is your bottom dollar?) that they will be so inundated by requests that they absolutely can’t review anything else for the next three hundred years. Or maybe the description of your book, doesn't float their boat.
One can pay for a review, but that’s frowned upon. Or one can find a book buddy to swop with, each reviewing the others’ work; but that’s a poor idea, because how can one be honest? Into another category come reviewers who love reading, are building up a portfolio of reviews, and will, for a physical copy, or sometimes an e-copy, review your book, giving their honest, rounded, opinion. Some are writers themselves, giving the un-reviewed a bit of a leg up in terms of publicity; sometimes in addition to their regular beta editing/editing services.
Being an reviewer, I'm sure runs the risk of the occasional author becoming inflamed by a low star review, and sending indignant emails, and cross twitters around social media. This is an unprofessional way for a writer to react, and somewhat off-putting for those thinking of reviewing. Some reviewers state clearly, that if they intend giving a three star or less review, that they will contact the author first, to see if they want it posting.
I’ve found the Goodreads ‘Advanced Copies for Review and Book Giveaway’ site useful. To discover a particular reviewers’ writing style, and whether it would suit your book, one just needs to read reviews on their page.
A big thank you to Lily Yu, for her astute review of ‘Gritta and the Witches of Olavland’, and a cheer for all reviewers, who freely perform this invaluable service to help struggling writers.
Getting a review in the first place is like one of the Labours of Hercules. Many reviewers will only review published, as opposed to self-published books, and enjoy close relationships with publishers who regularly send their books for review. Of reviewers who do review self-published books, most have their preferred genres, from romance, to horror, to sci-fi, infinity, and beyond. And if one finds a reviewer who does review the genre that your book falls into – you can bet your bottom dollar (what is your bottom dollar?) that they will be so inundated by requests that they absolutely can’t review anything else for the next three hundred years. Or maybe the description of your book, doesn't float their boat.
One can pay for a review, but that’s frowned upon. Or one can find a book buddy to swop with, each reviewing the others’ work; but that’s a poor idea, because how can one be honest? Into another category come reviewers who love reading, are building up a portfolio of reviews, and will, for a physical copy, or sometimes an e-copy, review your book, giving their honest, rounded, opinion. Some are writers themselves, giving the un-reviewed a bit of a leg up in terms of publicity; sometimes in addition to their regular beta editing/editing services.
Being an reviewer, I'm sure runs the risk of the occasional author becoming inflamed by a low star review, and sending indignant emails, and cross twitters around social media. This is an unprofessional way for a writer to react, and somewhat off-putting for those thinking of reviewing. Some reviewers state clearly, that if they intend giving a three star or less review, that they will contact the author first, to see if they want it posting.
I’ve found the Goodreads ‘Advanced Copies for Review and Book Giveaway’ site useful. To discover a particular reviewers’ writing style, and whether it would suit your book, one just needs to read reviews on their page.
A big thank you to Lily Yu, for her astute review of ‘Gritta and the Witches of Olavland’, and a cheer for all reviewers, who freely perform this invaluable service to help struggling writers.
