Homelessness script update
I feel like all I do these days is write, read books about writing- and as much as I love to write and learn how to write better, I need another hobby.
I used to blog daily -sometimes twice a day.
Nope – not anymore.
I don’t get to read as many of your blogs as I want. 😦
Since I’ve started my Masters- all I do is write and read. oh, and then there is the rest of my life to deal with.
I don’t mind, but I am one of these generally over anxious type of people who will freak out about everything until I’ve submitted my work, and then I will find something else to worry about.
Am I the only person who feels this way?
Where am I up to in my Masters?
25 days away from submitting my first TMA (tutor marked assignment) to the Open university.
It’s part of an ongoing piece of work I intend to do when I do my EMA (end-of-module assessment)
What am I doing?
I’m passionate about people, life, my community.
I’ve been doing loads of research on homelessness- particularly teenagers who are homeless in the U.K.
Mind blowing, the local authorities make life a nightmare for these children to get into ‘normal society living’.
The premise of my script is ultimately a good old fashioned love story with plenty of obstacles – the end hasn’t been written yet but there is where I am up to:
Desire is a 14/16 -year-old runaway, she was a full-time, undeclared carer for her parents – her Mum who has Dyspraxia and her Dad who has Dementia. She struggles with the guilt of leaving her ill parents to look after themselves yet she wants to find her own path in life and be successful – have a career, relationships, family- all normal milestones.
She falls in love with the charismatic, highly talented and artistic, drug addicted – Leo. They are polar opposites. She is not into the whole drug scene and engages with hostels and programs to try and get off the streets. Leo loves Desire because she is everything he is not. He wants the best for her but he is not really a planner. Lives day to day. His mother had Cancer,and she took an overdose, Leo found her and he has been on the streets for many years. To get by he sometimes is able to get commissioned work for his artwork . The drugs get in the way of him being able to maintain a job.
He enjoys the Freedom of living on the streets and he sees it as his home. He knows the system well, he knows how to play it so he doesn’t fall into it.
Vee, a hostel coordinator at Steps hostel and day care center for homeless teens, sees the potential in Desire and tries to pull as many strings to help Desire get off the streets. Her biggest obstacle seems to be her need to care for Leo and her love for him.
Desire has a chance to get into a new program, funded by an organisation, to help 25 young teenage women get their life sorted but she ends up falling pregnant with Leo’s baby at the same time she finds out her Mom dies of a stroke and her Dad- unable to keep up with the rent payments on the house, is taking into a state care home.
Her mental health starts to unravel quickly. She disappears for a couple of months and then goes back to find Leo to confront Leo with the news of her parents and to tell him she is pregnant. Leo already suspects Desire is pregnant. Desire finds Leo’s in his favorite place to get high and chill – he loves reading- the library.
Desire’s dreams of being with Leo start to fall apart when he has to convince her to go into a hostel -full time and to focus on her and the baby.
Desire is reluctant- as there are so many ways her being pregnant could play out. She could get transferred to a single teenagers hostel.
In my research, I have found out that unlike teenage hostels- where the rules are rather flexible a lot of young single Moms are cut off from their partners (who often happen to be homeless or on drugs ) and living a chaotic lifestyle.
There is also the worry of social services getting involved.
What will happen?
I’m yet to write that bit. ha ha! I have an idea – a rough idea. I know the ending already although this may change when it comes to drafting the next part of this script.
The main obstacles Desire will come up against is being able to adapt to living in a more structured environment, in a place where she knows no one,lives with many different girls in various different mind states and in different places contrasting to Desire.
Can Desire forget Leo?
How does Leo deal with not being able to support Desire, in a way, a father -to -wants to?
How does the system support young ,homeless parent- or parents to be ?
How does this story end for Desire and Leo?
Many people think homeless people choose to live on the streets without knowing the red tape nightmare , internal conflict,external life issues and stress that these people have to deal with on a day to day basis.
I didn’t want this to be an agitprop / political piece. I have always written stories and scripts about themes that do come up in politics.
My main obstacle was to create awareness of the complications and obstacles homeless people face but I needed to do this in a way that an audience would engage with , relate to and come from a place of empathy.
Who hasn’t been in love?
Who hasn’t had to make tough choices?
Life is not black and white. There are many gray shades and people are complicated. We are not a piece of paper with a checklist of criteria who fit into a neat box.
Approaching the current homelessness crisis from this angle is not working!
I’m currently tweaking the visual narrative, dialogue everything!
I’m still undecided whether it should be environmental theater, site-specific location or low-level audience participation interaction in the style of promenade theater. I do know that I envision the play to be staged to the bare minimum. I agree with Moliere and many other playwrights ‘less is more’ when it comes to scene setting. Audiences left with their own imagination can come up with a far better setting or set than I can.
deadline submission date: 25 November.
I still need to write a commentary to discuss the creation-evolution process and any obstacles I came across and how I worked it all out. 😀
Posted on Nov 1, 2016, in MY WORLD and tagged Education OU, Good Writing habits, mental health awareness, MY WORLD, open university, Stage scripts, Write to create, Writer development, Writing challenges. Bookmark the permalink. 37 Comments.
Keep chugging along my dear, you’re doing well. Hugs ☺ 🌷
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ha ha chug chug – does that involve alcohol ? ha ha! 😉
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Hahaha. Good one. Anything that keeps you going! ☺
How are you today?
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Good -my script is coming together, tomorrow I get to go to a creative minds workshop – something not related to my Education lol…
Happy to get involved with volunteering and brainstorming again xxxxxxx hope you are well? sorry for my absence I have been so busy
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I miss ewe too. It’s been crazy busy with me these days oscillating between my two blogs (launched a self-hosted one) and the rest of my life. Oh well!
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I don’t know how you manage it. You are super woman. Hugs,my friends xxxx We do these things – ha ha!
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I question myself at times. We have to do what we need to do 🙂
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Now that is very true. 🙂
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I love the story – it sounds really emotive and real, whilst still allowing readers to engage. I’m sure it’ll make it a fantastic script. What exact course are you doing with the OU? I started one, but I was too unwell to complete it. (That sounds like such a cop out 😦 )
Yeah, I’ve noticed you absent from the blog world a lot – particularly because you’re just about the only person who visits my blog! Miss you too. But your life is moving in different directions. Doing an OU course is looking towards the future. This blog, however emotionally important it is, isn’t moving you forward any further.
You’re doing the right thing. It doesn’t mean we won’t miss you.
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Ah Thanks for the encouragement. I’ve decided to be a bit of a guiniu pig 😀 -it is the OUs first year that they are doing a Masters in Creative Writing. I’m doing year one at the moment. I need to pass this year in order to do the 120 credit module for 2017/18. It’s really good and I have a great tutor and a good group of writers on the forums I access- there is just so much else that has been happening in my life ,recently that makes things a bit more stressful. lol ..I think it is a great idea to study with the OU. They have so many courses, degrees etc….
I think you can start the A215 course that introduces a writer to writing and then do the advanced one. A363 . I did that in 2015 which helped me to get a decent enough grade to do my MA. It is looking towards the future. I also want to be more involved in my Volunteering. I seem to thrive in that kind of environment doing things.
Have you had any thoughts about what you want to study
I have not left my blog. I am still here. I just don’t get to spend as much time writing and reading other folks blogs. I think once my first TMA deadline is out the way and I get my marks back I can see if I’m stressing too much and can get blogging regularly.
I know a lot of bloggers who don’t blog every day and I guess, it is what works for me at the moment. I will see what is happening in your life right now. Blogging is a really awesome way for me to express myself and connect and I never want to lose that. I guess blogs evolve. I don’t know how mine will but I’m not going anywhere lol xx xxx xx
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The OU is a fantastic association? What are the entry requirements for the Masters? I’m guessing you have to have a BA? Or could you slip through without one if you could produce a good enough portfolio? I guess not 😦 I’m never gonna get to uni.
Oops, should’ve read ahead. Oh, introducing a writer to writing. This might sound big-headed, but I think I’d find that pretty boring – I don’t need an introduction, I’m publishing a book! But maybe it’s a sensible idea. I donate a lot of money, and try to do some volunteering but I still f ind it hard to get out of the house.
It’d be nice to see you blogging more, but remember that recovery means your life has changed. If, at some point, you feel that this blog isn’t right for you and you want a different one, different focus, then do it. It may end up being an important part of moving on, as this blog has been so involved in your recovery.
We’ll see. Good luck with your TMA? Did it have to be a script or was that a decision? Much love x
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Yeah, I suppose that can be quite boring. I got my BA through the OU. I don’t know. How awesome you are publishing a book! what is is about? You say such wise words. Food to think about. My chosen genre was stage scripts and my second genre is fiction xxxxxxxx We all have our off days. xxxxx
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Love the story! So glad you’re doing a Masters and although I’m also the type who feels guilty (and obsesses), daily give yourself permission to think only of you. When you are focused–and happy–the people who matter in your life will also be. Hmmm, sorry, a bit preachy here. Wishing you lots of love, peace, and continuing creativity!
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THank you poeturja. 😊😊😊😚😊😊 it’s been so heart breaking to read how we as a society fail our fellow hmsn beings. It’s a global crisis. I never think I do enough work wise. YOU are not being preach 😁😁. A lot of people who know me well have to remind me to be kind to myself. I know your blog well and you come across as a true empathy. So remember to be kind to yourself too, my friend 😉😉😊😊😊😊😊
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Empath. MY mobile phone predictive text drives me nuts x
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Thank you, I will ! 🙂
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Catching up on reading at your blog again…love this part “Life is not black and white. There are many gray shades and people are complicated. We are not a piece of paper with a checklist of criteria who fit into a neat box.” So true!
XxX
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Hi Patty. Glad I am not the only one playing catch up 🙂 hope all is well xx
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Patty ~ I just copied that quote to paste on my Facebook page (by Daisy). Really liked it! 🙂
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Thanks Mary Lou xxx
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Daisy has more beautiful quotes, always a joy reading at her blog 🙂
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Patty! aaaw ,I’m blushing xxxx
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Hugs! Keep reading…..Keep writing…..All shall be well! Hugs! ❤
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❤ ❤ On holiday yet?
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Not yet….Preparing…. 😉 Hugs!
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Your story sounds very sad but also relevant and surely very well-researched. Good luck with it! Please tell me where you found that picture of the sketched girl with the very colorful thoughts pouring out of her head. I must know who the artist is. you always find the most amazing images for your posts.
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Thankyou Eve. Oh gosh I found it in a Google image search – here s where I found the image – https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/51/99/6f/51996f59f87a2cb10b92f69
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or try this :https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/51/99/6f/51996f59f87a2cb10b92f69d4d7b5c96.jpg
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Hey Daisy, this is awesome ! Well done. You really are focused and please don’t worry too much about blog reading, your Masters is important, that should be a priority….oh and then there is Life. You are doing great, just keep on doing what you are doing. Hugs x
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Really? Oh thanks,Lynne. It means a lot to me (my masters) -I just hate not being able to everything I want to do. lol You are such a huge supporter of mine. Thank you,it means so much to me! xxxxxxxx hope you are well?
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My pleasure 🙂 just don’t stress. All is well with me, thank you. xxx
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Glad to hear it xxx
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Hello beaut. Did you get my video message? Loved reading this post and finding out where you up to 🙂 You don’t need luck, you got talent! Xxx
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Hey, hun… No, I didn’t get it! 😦 – can you resend, please? I do need luck – Ii need a pot full of lucky clovers lol ❤ ❤
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I will resend later this morning
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If I haven’t deleted it. I’ll check
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I re-sent email. Hope you got it 🙂
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