I want therefore I am

There was a dreadful and sudden realisation today that I need to get a job… immediately! So tomorrow morning I’m going straight to the Job Centre. I’m in a ludicrous position because it looks like a job is coming my way which starts in September… but until that point there’s nothing in the coffers and that needs to change within two weeks. Ughh!

The day has been spent doing various bits of admin and answering an incredibly detailed questionnaire about musical theatre. Many of you will know that I’m working on a project at the moment which is about whether you can distill the formula which leads to the creation of a great musical. Of course, this is a hugely complicated thing, and the more we look into it, the more complicated things get. We are forced to leave no stone unturned. We’re looking into narrative, music, structure… We’re looking at the archetypes; the sorts of songs which get written in a musical. The “I am” song, the “I want” song, the cameo song… The list goes on and on, but there are patterns emerging, and I’m finding the process utterly fascinating. The big question, of course, is will I LEARN anything in the process? Will my own writing improve as a result of all this studying? Of course the issue I have is that great writing in my view is instinctive. I think the worst writers are the ones who approach everything from the perspective of structure to the detriment of emotion. The more I look into these things, the more I think a loose understanding of form is possibly all that’s needed, but then what do I know? 

If truth be known, in an attempt to beat this rash I have, I’ve sat in the same spot on the sofa all day today, which means I’ve no chance of falling asleep tonight. Boo!