Recently I spoke with Zoe Lamond, from Blackpool, who is this year’s winner of Grand Words. This one act playwriting competition for people in North West England has been running for several years now and is associated with the Grand Theatre Blackpool. I asked her:
David Riley: How long have you been writing?
Zoe Lamond: I have been writing for about eight years now. I loved to invent stories as a child but hadn’t done any creative writing as an adult until I turned forty. My childhood stories were full of adventure and heroic deeds – probably inspired by Enid Blyton and cowboy films on the TV.
DR: How long have you been involved with Grand Words which you won this year?
ZL: Grand words evolved from the North West playwriting competition and having seen the winning play performed the first year I was inspired to enter the next year. Since the competition moved to the Grand I have entered every year.
DR: Do you write anything other than plays?
ZL: Sometimes I attempt to write fiction for children. The ideas come easily but trying to turn them into something a child would not lose interest in is very difficult. Recently I have started writing several novels but always find I am over-writing them and must learn how to condense them into a more palatable form for young readers. If a child isn’t hooked very early on they are likely to give up on a book .
DR: why do you like to write plays other than other forms of fiction?
ZL:I write plays because I enjoy the challenge. A play relies purely on what is said, in a novel you have the luxury of description. All the story in a play has to be told simply through the actor’s dialogue so it very important to get it right.
DR: What sort of plays have you written?
ZL: Comedy-drama mostly. They are usually very simple plots where the characters are often flawed in some minor way. I enjoy personalities and foibles and writing about situations that most people can identify with. I have also written a play based on the life of Joan Rhodes, a strong-woman act popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The play I entered into Grand Words this time is a straight drama –I wanted to change direction with this one.
DR: You’re also a performer on stage. When did you start that – before or after writing? Do you find it helps you when it comes to writing?
ZL: My husband, Ian, has a long association with performing and he persuaded me to go with him to lessons with local drama teacher Jennifer Smethurst. We both enjoy acting and after a while Jennifer suggested we try to write for performance. That is how I began to write but the acting came first. Acting and knowing how to perform are essential to me and provide me with insight into how a line or scene could work well.
DR: I know you’re also involved with the local writing for performance group Stage Write. Would you say being involved in a writing group is a good thing for a writer?
ZL: Being in Stage Write or a similar writing group is really useful for a writer. You can discuss ideas and try things out and seek advice from other writers if you are unsure of an idea. You get honest feedback and encouragement too. It is also good to see what others are doing and enjoy their work in a friendly environment.
DR: What advice would you give to someone who wants to write for the stage or other performance media? Any specific exercises / ways of working that you recommend?
ZL: I would suggest studying what is currently happening in the area that interests you; e.g. seeing as much theatre as possible if you intend to write for the stage. If you hope to write for the radio listen to what is currently being broadcast. I don’t really have a specific way of working as I am not very disciplined. You need to find a way of working that suits you and fits in with your other commitments.
DR: Is reading important to you (as a writer)? In what ways?
ZL: I am not a great reader to be honest. As a child I read avidly and when I was a teenager too. I do enjoy reading and try and analyse what I read to identify what makes something good to read or if it is tedious how it could be improved.
DR: What are your further ambitions as a writer / what do you plan to do next?
ZL: I would love to have something published. At the moment that seems a long way off. My next project is a play about a man who has been kept hidden from society for all his life and his introduction to the world on the death of his mother a woman he simply calls ‘her’.
Thanks to Zoe for that. Grand Words will be continuing this year. There will be a performance of Zoe’s winning play around May when entries for this year’s competition will be sought, with submissions possible until August. If you fancy having a go look out for entry forms with more details locally from then. Good luck!
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