Speaking to people, and being asked some interesting questions, definitely helps firm up one's ideas on a project. After my last post I came to realise my concern with the original ending had far more to do with the way it was dealt with, both in terms of the style and the heavy handed manner, than the concept of promoting certain values.
In that light I've been working on the redraft, and while it's still in the early stages I'm happy (or as happy as any writer is at this stage) with how it's coming along. I felt strongly that the story needed a positive ending. After the sacrifices of the two characters for the greater good, they needed some form of reward even if the people in the story were unable to give it to them. So yes, they go to heaven. But I felt it had to be about them, their friendship and their reward than the original ending which focused far more on praise for God.
So that's where I'm at with the adaptation.
I'm closely moving toward the point where I need other eyes to see the play from a fresh perspective. It's all to easy when writing to overlook problems or mistakes in the text, but on the same hand, it's too easy to begin to think there's nothing right with it either. There's definitely a point in any piece that I write where I lose perspective with it. But apart from that, sometimes you just need a person with whom you can discuss the various ins and outs. Talking through plot concerns, or character motivations, with an actual real live person instead of being wrapped in your own head is incredibly important. Not just for the development of the piece of writing, but for the sanity of the writer.
For this project I could really use they eye of someone with an understanding of classic literature or theatre. So if anyone has time to read over a ten page children's play let me know...
