UoB's thriving theatre scene would be nothing without its student playwrights. The second in Epigram Arts' playwright series sees what makes Megan Good tick.
Meet Megan!
What inspires you OR How and do/did you come up with new ideas/the idea?
To be honest, I don’t have a set method or inspiration, it just happens. I’ve had some less than savoury life experiences, but that luckily means I’ve got a well of stuff and issues that I care about to draw on for ideas. I guess I’m a selfish writer, and focus on things that interest me and write to express my feelings - audience be damned!
Did you write it all in a short burst or was it a slow grow?
It was initially written in a thunderclap moment of inspiration. I think I sat down for about eight hours, wrote solidly and when I came to my senses again had a play in front of me. The editing and refining has been very slow going though.
Have you ever had an idea that you later realised didn’t work? What happened?
I had an alternative plot to the current play I’m writing that I sent to both directors, who very quickly told me it was awful and scrapped it. In hindsight, it was terrible in relation to what we currently have, but it really helped me to understand my own characters. So silver linings and all that.
The cast of Megan's show for the Bristol Playwrights Collective, New Writing Festival 2017
Did you ever hit a writers' block?
ALL THE TIME. I can only write when I’m in the mood or have a spark of inspiration, otherwise I’m basically a potato at a laptop.
The hardest part was not laughing at my own terrible jokes!
What was it like seeing your work on the stage for the first time? Was it as you imagined - how yes/no?
Well I was onstage with the work as I was playing the character based on me! It was amazing to just watch everything come to life and to be able to interact with my own characters. The hardest part was not laughing at my own terrible jokes!
Do you only write plays or other forms of writing too? If you do, do you feel like that affects your style?
I have written some prose, but it is mostly all first person perspective and long monologues. Plays, I find, are the easiest medium to work with, just because it’s the most natural and life like to me - especially since all my work is really character-centric due to my background in theatre.
Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about the experience?
Find people who believe in you and everything become a lot easier. And come and watch our Bristol Previews!
Megan Good, Third Year English
The Seven Second Theory - 1st - 18th of August, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019
Look out for the third installment in our series 'Meet the playwright' with Clodagh Chapman.
Featured image credit: Canva / Gabi Spiro
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