I do a lot of writing. A lot. Every day. So much in fact, that I am able to type whilst talking to someone, facing the wrong way with one eye on the telly. Just like an old school knitting Nan. Whether the resulting text is intelligent and well structured is up for debate, very much like the oddly shaped woollen pieces I received as a youth masquerading as wearable garments but hey. That’s multitasking for you.
But there is writing and there is writing. Like doodling with words or painting a beautifully balanced literary Guernica, writing is personal and it can be hard, regardless of the type of tome you are creating and where you plan to sit on the lyrical spectrum.
And what if you are planning on writing comedy? How do you even start? What are the secrets? Are there secrets?
Well fortunately, there are a few tricks and techniques and it was with huge excitement that I attended the comedy writing workshop with Gavin Smith, the creative director of development from the Comedy Unit at the Leicester Square Theatre in London last weekend.
The three hour workshop was packed with fantastic tips and techniques, with Gavin giving a brilliant insight into what goes into creating a great script, from well rounded characters to the structure of plots and sub-plots over the course of an episode.
We tested our creativity with a paperclip (honestly) and Gavin pointed out that regardless of the type of sitcom you are writing, without an underlying framework, the stories will not flow. In line with everything I tell the design students I lecture, failing to plan is planning to fail.
Add in the seven different types of jokes, including extremes, parody and wrong settings, we also got insight into common mistakes (like not setting up key points and letting them pop up like an unwelcome guest on Sunday afternoon later in an episode).
Gavin also set out just how a script should be set out to allow a reader a pleasant experience, rather than just letting their eyes jump all over the shop and what to do with it when it is written…
A fantastic workshop which gave us all an increased confidence to get out there and do a bit of writing, or helpful tips to re-jiggle the stuff that we had already written.
And I promise, when I do, the telly will be off.
Claire Potter – you can follow Claire on Twitter @clairepotter
