Tomorrow being a Wednesday by its very nature and also the 29th of August, means that I shall be taking part, as a writer, in the '100 Words Workshop' at the Soho Theatre in conjunction with the NYT. As a result, I am writing this blog to scribe my feelings and thoughts on the experience. So, here we go.....(I would like to add that the pressure of calling oneself a writer and then having to write a blog is very much like saying you're a singer and then being forced to sing Karaoke).

Writing a play within three hours, using just 100 words ....Frazer, how do you feel?  Well, being the kind of lad who finds it difficult just explaining what he had for his lunch, in less than 400 words, I have a sneaky feeling that this workshop will be something of a challenge for me. I do, however, relish a deadline, so there is always a silver lining to every workshop cloud.

I did put myself forward for this project for many reasons, the main one being a reason to get out of the house, but also the opportunity to meet other writers, have fun within a tight deadline and hear more of my work being performed - surely the whole point of this writing malarky.  As you can imagine, I am apprehensive, excited and full of optimism as one often is at times like this, but the main two words I would use to describe my current state would be 'over-tired' (as my Nan would say), although I do believe the correct words are 'jet-lagged'.  To explain myself, I have just spent the last two weeks in Japan, visiting a friend in Osaka, and arrived back late yesterday evening.  I had a truly magical time, visiting temples, hanging out with the Harijuku kids and generally soaking up the culture out there.  The experience is one that I shall cherish and harp on about for months to come, but one that has left me feeling somewhat disorientated, due to the time difference and the cultural shift, and very tired. (Jet-lag is surely a cracking excuse for bad grammar).

‘Why are you telling us all about your holiday?’, I hear you cry.  Well, I have spent the morning trawling the NYT website, looking for clues as to the 'themes' etc of the event, hoping for some flashes of inspiration.  I came across the following statement, ''(the project) explores how the essence of a language and culture can be captured in just 100 words and provides a linguistic and cultural bridge between the UK and China” , so.......... I am hoping that my trip to Japan will fare me well with this project.  Now, before you pass judgment on my lack of geographical understanding, I am well aware that Japan is not China, that in Japan they do not speak Mandarin, it is a very different country and it would be ill advised to draw comparisons etc, etc.....  However, I do think my Japanese experience has given me ample inspiration for the workshop, the essence being 'cultural identity and language', a theme which became very apparent to me whilst standing in the ‘female only’ carriage on the Tokyo underground system.  Yes, least said, soonest mended, but I'm sure you can see my point.

Whilst in Japan, I did attempt to communicate in the native tongue and on occasions my efforts were rewarded with a smile and a round of applause - the true reason why, I shall not go into, but the fact that I have difficulty even speaking English some days of the week, coupled with my failure to reach a high enough standard to even attempt GCSE French, probably gives you some idea that the claps weren't a result of my splendid use of nouns or inflection, but more through sheer embarassment on their part.  As you you can imagine, many incidents on my trip forced me to address my own feelings about language, my use of it, the impact this has on my own identity, and the choices I can make at home and away etc, etc.

I am waffling now (an issue about which I shall be reminded, I hope, at 9.30am tomorrow morning), but I trust this has given you a little insight into my feelings towards the project at hand.

So, how shall I describe who we are in 100 words?  To be totally honest, at this point in time, I have absolutely no idea.  There are several snippets of inspiration floating around in here somewhere, so I shall just look forward with bated breath to a bolt of lightning, but until this strikes I shall unpack my bag, pack my lunchbox and then spend the rest of the day adopting a thoughtful pose.

One last point - I'm not even sure I know 100 words.

- Frazer Flintham