Graham’s Scriptorium

Welcome to Graham’s Scriptorium:

A loose and growing collection of essays on writing drama for cinema.

I​ come at the craft from several angles. I’ve worked professionally as an actor, director, writer, producer, and academic. I respect structure and discipline, but I’m allergic to formula.

Most how‑to advice treats writing as a straight line; I see it as a treasure hunt. We all gather different clues at different times, then find the connections in our own way and in our own order.

That applies to both learning to write, and to writing itself. Because, in the end, they are the same thing. You can only learn to write by writing.
That’s why I designed the Scriptorium to be both coherent and contradictory. And sometimes a bit provocative.

Each article stands alone, links to others, and occasionally dares to disagree with its neighbours—on purpose. I think true creativity is born from the creative tension that comes from setting coherence against contradiction. Then, finding the answer in the space between them.

So, start anywhere. Bring your obsessions, test the arguments, and make your own map.

Then join an honest, respectful conversation on Substack, where we can all continue to learn from each other.

In Swahili, when you go visiting, you don’t knock on the door. You stand in the doorway and call out ‘Hodi, hodi.’

‘Hello, hello. I am here.’

To which the reply is ‘Karibu.’

‘Come inside, you’re welcome.’