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In a year of huge personal milestones – getting married, moving to London –I’ve also managed to get some writing done. And now I come to the end of 2012 with a small stack of projects nearly ready for the outside world.

As well as my new play, Closed, I’ve been working on a screen adaptation of my novel Exit Strategies. This has been a challenging and rewarding project as I’ve had to strip the story back to its basics and build it anew as a feature film. Minor characters and subplots have gone by the wayside and I’ve had to ask myself: what is this story really about? What is the point of this film?

And the answer I’ve found is a very old question: can money buy happiness? My central character, Vic, believes that it can. Indeed, he knows the precise figure which will trigger a life of blissful content. The trouble is, how can he prove his theory true without causing others to be unhappy? I finished the first draft of the screenplay just this morning and I can’t wait to get started on the rigorous second draft in the New Year.

Also in the New Year I want to film a short adaptation of my play The Interview. I’ve got a script ready and I’m talking to a few people about putting a production together. More news on that soon I hope.

Away from my own work, highlights of the year included Duncan Macmillan’s Lungs at Shoreditch Town Hall, a wonderfully sharp, witty and genuinely touching play about a couple deciding whether to have a child. The writing is uncannily, sometimes unbearably accurate about the contradictions, deceptions and self-deceptions of human relationships.

Also, the North Sea Scrolls at St Pancras Old Church was a treat. This collaboration between Luke Haines, Cathal Coughlan and Andrew Mueller presents an alternative history of the British Isles strung around a set of beautifully crafted songs. Esoteric, hilarious, bizarre – and, crucially, the playful conceit doesn’t dull the melodic intensity. And there’s an album too.

So there we have it. Another year passes into history. See you on the other side.

News of a couple of events in September, both in the Brighton area. I’ll be reading from Exit Strategies and other work at Shoreham WordFest, on a lively programme with four other local writers, and giving a preview of my new play at Sussex Playwrights’ Club. Both events are open to all so please join us.

Saturday 29 September, 7.30pm
An Evening with Local Authors
Shoreham Centre, Pond Road, Shoreham-by-Sea

Compered by Craig Melvin of the Big Book Group, with readings by local authors Sue Walker, Sally O’Reilly, Pam Weaver, Matthew Turner and MM Lee, followed by Q&A. Refreshments available.

Tickets: £5, available online here or call 07522 957691

For more information on this year’s Shoreham WordFest see the website or pick up one of the brochures which are dotted around Shoreham.

The other date to look out for is Sunday 16 September, when my new 10-minute play The Exchange will be read at Sussex Playwrights’ Club. This is really work-in-progress towards my new full-length play, Closed, so it will be great to test the material in front of an audience for the first time.

The meeting starts at 7pm at the New Venture Theatre, Brighton, and the reading will follow a discussion of plans for the club’s future development. Guests are always welcome at these meetings, paying £2 on the door. And this includes a glass of wine!