Q&A with Ellen Brammar
Our next writer Q&A is with Ellen Brammar, whose full-length commission Keeper follows a couple on a first date, where not all is what it seems.
Ellen Brammar. Photo by Sergej Komkov.
Why did you want to tell this story?
I knew I wanted to tell a 'romance', or my version of that I guess. I wanted to see if I could create a couple of people who really fancied each other and then add a layer of drama on top. I also wanted to test myself a bit and see if I could write something in real time (ish!)
How has this writing process been for you?
It's been good. The first draft was a bit of a slog to get out, but I always find it is; blank screens are daunting. I always try to remind myself that I just have to write down anything, like it can be pretty crap, it's just getting words on the page then I can make it good later. Hopefully I've achieved that a little bit.
Tell us about your writing set-up.
I write in bed or on the sofa. I do most of my writing in the morning. If I have a day with no kids about then I might continue into the afternoon, but probably after a quick nap and it'll usually be a lot of reading what I did in the morning and trying to make it better. I find three hours of actual writing a day is about my limit.
How do you feel about your characters?
I always love my characters, even when I strongly disagree with their actions. I think it's because, as you write a character, you find all the little bits of humanity in them, why they do what they do. I love both Jess and Ben, but also find them both difficult to like at times. I don't agree with the decisions they make, but hopefully that's what makes them interesting.
Do your characters do or say anything that really resonates with you?
Yes, there are several moments where their conversation becomes a bit autobiographical. There always ends up being a bit of me in everything I write, but the story itself is completely fictional.
If your play has had a life before now, how has it developed? And if not, how would you like to see if developed in the future?
I might take the feedback from Fresh Ink and write another couple of drafts and send it off to a few places. I've also been toying with turning it into a radio play.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about applying for Fresh Ink 2026?
Why not? This was my second time applying and, if I'm completely honest, I nearly didn't do it. I was feeling sore from some knockbacks and a couple of days before the deadline I didn't even have an idea to apply with, so made the decision to not apply this year.
Then, the day before the deadline, I had a little chat with myself, scoured through my notebooks for a germ of an idea, and spent a couple of hours crafting the story and writing my application. By the time I got to the last question on the application I had fallen in love with my idea and wanted to write it whatever the outcome.
Ellen’s 70-minute play Keeper will be performed on Saturday 19 July at 7.30pm, after the keynote speech by Ola Animashawun, and on Sunday 20 July at 11.30am, alongside The Pull Up by Sean Climie.