Some lovely bloggers and tweeters

I am continually taken aback by how much blogging and tweeting has changed my perspective. It's lovely to feel part of a community.  This week I have been bowled over by the encouragement of other bloggers.

I posted about my struggles with my ghost story for Open University Creative Writing Diploma assignment. I had to adapt my short story into a stage or radio play or film and I had this ghost that just would not work however I tried.  Loads of lovely bloggers gave me suggestions (and a whole pile of ghost books, films and tv shows to distract myself with). Headhuntress, Mummysquared, @jencull (jen), This Mid 30s Life, Mañana Mama, Imperfect Pages.  Suddenly it felt like I had a team of 'ghostwriters'.  (Sorry  - couldn't resist).

This week I tweeted that I was just printing out my radio play to read out to myself and Him up North, from the Blog Up North, asked what I was writing and offered to read it.  And do you know what, he actually did, and sent me some fab words of encouragement.  I told him he should get into writing beyond the blog, his blog is always a good read, witty, original and well written.

Next Kirsty at Imperfect Pages suggested I record it. Brilliant idea. She's clever you know, a Philisopher, and always full of brilliant, imaginative solutions on twitter.  And her blog is a lovely, intelligent, interesting place to visit.

Unfortunately I haven't got the energy to master podcasting tonight, in order to share the dodgy recording I made with you (any advice there gratefully recieved!).  But there I was making the sound effects, wind, creaky doors, footsteps.  I was having great fun, until I woke the 4yo with my over zealous footsteps. Then Mr A came home and caught me at it, very embarrassing. And then I listened to it back, and imperfect pages was right, recording yourself does make you sound like your posh friends from school. (I wonder what happens to posh people? Do they sound like the Queen?)

Embarrassments aside, being a 'one woman radio play' really helped me be objective about it and I'm quite proud of the end result.  And I've just sent it to my tutor hurrah!

Thanks you lovely people, for all the encouragement.

The one where I am a playwright

Severe writer's block today, not on here.  No, it appears that today, when I am supposed to be doing "creative writing" I would much rather be blogging.  I am doing an OU Creative Writing course.  My task is to adapt the short story I wrote for my first assignment in to a film or a stage or radio play.  I should be able to do this, I studied Drama, I taught Drama and Film.  But taking plays or films apart, or teaching other people to do it, is proving to be a very different art to putting them together. 

The biggest problem is I have a ghost in my story.  I am scared stiff of putting her on stage as having a ghost on stage has so much potential for naffness.  I know it can be done, but it is a challenge.  I just keep getting haunted by awful visions like this:

I think it could be a good film, I am thinking of Sixth Sense.  It could also be a radio play, but I am only just admitting that my Radio One days are over and that Radio Four might be good listening (I know...I have been missing out), so I can't say it's a medium I know in the same depth.

At the moment I have so many different versions in my notebook it is beginning to look like a series of Friends.  I've also been reading Alan Ayckbourn's Crafty Art of Playmaking.  It's a very useful book but stylistically I am not a huge Ayckbourn fan and I fear his influence is rapidly turning my work into a farce.  Anyway, these are my favourites:

The one where the ghost haunts through the radio while her husband is on a first date and he smashes the radio.

The one where the ghost comes home to find her husband with a new girlfriend but they can't see her

The one where the ghost comes home to find her husband with a new girlfriend and they can see her

The ins and outs of what ghosts can and can't do is a minefield too.  Walk though doors? Be heard? Be seen? How do they travel? 

So anyway, help me out here, which title jumps out at you? 
Radio? Film? Stage?
Any good examples of ghosts in plays or films you can think of to inspire me?

This is part of the BMB Blog hop: