It's crazy really. You write a play - and you read it back and you think that's a good one. It ticks all the right boxes and there's a competition it would be just right for. So you send it off.
Perhaps as in my case with another play which you consider to be on a par - or perhaps not so good. A bit too cliche - a bit too straight down the middle. Whereas the first play is right on and with it and all those cliche phrases that us oldens use.
And then you wait.
And then you get the news. One of your plays has been shortlisted.
But hey, wait a minute. It's not the one that you had the faith in - it's the other cliche ridden piece of garbage that you wrote to please the judges - but just hoped that this time round - they might branch out - be daring and up with the moment. But no! It's all gone wrong. The play that you really wanted to get to be shortlisted - but hey that's only the first stage - next in the finals and then overall winner - that play sinks into the mire of overlooked, unproduced plays - of which I suspect that we all have quite a few titles.
So what is it, you have to do? - Follow the bandwagon or step outside and be ignored?
It's a funny old writing world - isn't it? But-your tastes are not someone else's, thank God! And at least one of them got into the shortlist. I now wait to see where it ends up.
But the dismissed play - the one breathing its last on the side lines - well, perhaps if I looked at the characters and made the plot a bit stronger - then perhaps - well, there's always next year, isn't there, judges?
