Martin Keady, Semi-Finalist

Martin Keady, Screenplay Semi-Finalist, LISP 3rd Quarter 2020

Can you please tell us about you and your daily life? I'm a writer - primarily a script writer, but I have also written poetry, journalism, lyrics and librettos - and I write every day.  - When did you start writing? How often do you write?  I have written all my life (certainly since the age of seven), and will continue to write for the rest of my life. I write every day, even if it is only a few lines for a poem.  http://theshakespeareplays.com/ How does it feel to have your work recognised? Wondrous. What's the best thing and the hardest thing about writing a Screenplay?  Best thing: seeing the pictures in your mind. Worst thing: rarely, if ever, seeing your words (or name!) upon a screen. How did you come up with the idea for your LISP selected screenplay? Is there a story behind your story? And, how long have you been working on it? I came up with the idea for "Tigress: The Judith Kerr Story" after reading an obituary of Judith when she died in 2019, which included her memories of fleeing from Nazi Germany as a child with the rest of her Jewish family. The story of Tigress came to me as soon as I read that obituary. Then I wrote the script in one day at the start of lockdown, before revising it over another day. So, two days in total.  Please give us a few tips about writing a short screenplay Just one. In cinematic terms, "short" doesn't mean "small". You can still deal with large and complex issues in a short screenplay (as I hope Tigress does), but you have to deal with them extremely quickly and extremely efficiently.  What's the best thing and the hardest thing about writing competitions?  Best thing: winning them (obvs). Hardest thing: losing in the semi-finals (as Tigress, sadly, has in the LISP contest). Just as in football, losing in the semi-finals is the worst place to lose. So near to success, but so very far away, too. Lastly, do you recommend writers to give it a go on LISP?

Yes, of course. And if I had won, I would have recommended it even more heartily!