This year has been a most interesting one so far. I’m currently the Writer in Residence for Dún Laoghaire and I have a wonderful office in the library there overlooking the sea. This is a picture of me and my niece at an exhibition at the library.
Photo by Peter Cavanagh
As part of the residency I’ve been running writing clubs, book clubs and talking to young readers about writing and books. But I’ve also been working on something quite exciting – my very first play for children, based on an existing picture book.
Now I’ve never written a play before and at first I was terrified. All kinds of thoughts ran through my head. What if my writing isn’t good enough? What if the original writer (of the picture book) doesn’t like what I’ve done with the story?
But you know, I decided to ignore all the noise in my head give it a try. I’ve just finished the first draft and I’m very proud of myself. Sometimes we have to have courage and do things that seem difficult or impossible.
It’s a play about loneliness and friendship, about finding that one true friend, however hard you have to search. And about how that special person might be just under your nose all along.
I’ve always liked this quote by Terence McKenna:
Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.
Hurl yourself into the abyss – or in my case, write a play! Wish me luck with my new project.
Yours in writing,
Sarah
GirlsHeartBooks 