Wise Words: Alli Davies
Writer Alli Davies from Northumberland has written plays that have moved me more than anything else I’ve ever seen in a theatre. The most recent one, Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light, was premiered at Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle last year and is their most successful production to date.
The urge to read and write started early for Alli. She talked from 10 months old. By the time she started school, she could read fluently.
She said: “Starting school and already being able to read was both a blessing and a curse. It was hard for my teachers to do the basics with 30 children and find time to give me something to do. The answer, they found, was to let me have free rein in the library. This was such a fantastic opportunity. I read the Hobbit, then Lord of the Rings.
“What I enjoyed about these stories was the premise that you could live an ordinary life until something throws you off track and you end up having a huge adventure. I had a difficult childhood so the chance to be transported somewhere else through novels, and be in another world while within the library space, was very special.” Her love of books grew thanks to trips to the local library in Cockermouth with her dad on a Saturday morning,
When she was seven Alli continued her whip-smart literature skills and wrote her first play. It was a murder mystery involving a sweaty sock soaked in poison.
After school she studied law at Newcastle University (she admits she spent most of her time in the pub) and then did the Solicitors final exams in London where she met her now husband Steve, in the hostel where she lived.
Alli decided law was not for her. She had a short spell in hospital and was so inspired by the care she’d received she retrained as a nurse, completing her BSc in Nursing Science at Northumbria Uni. Her first job was as a community nurse but an opportunity for Steve to work in India for a year meant a change of plan.
On her return to the UK Alli won the Good Housekeeping short story award which meant she got her first laptop. She began working for International China Concern (ICC), a charity looking after abandoned and disabled children and providing skills training to care workers. Based in Hunan province, the role was initially as team co-ordinator to help volunteers get from Hong Kong to the children’s centre. She worked there until 2009 but then continued her humanitarian work in a different country.
When visiting a friend in Nepal, Alli became aware of the huge disadvantage women faced who had suffered leprosy. To help build their skills and confidence she and her friend set up a small social enterprise, Danusha, named after a district in Nepal. The focus was on making jewellery, but also giving the women health education and basic literacy skills.
She recently caught up with some of the women who had been supported and was delighted to hear how their lives had been transformed.
Alli said: “All of the women we helped to get back on their feet were doing really well. One of them explained she had felt like a non-person but as a result of her involvement with Danusha she felt her life had value. Her life counted for something.”
Alongside the charity work Alli rekindled her love of English and completed an MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University. It taught her about script writing and she loved it as writing plays was quicker than trying to write a novel. A string of successes followed.
In 2010 she was long-listed for the prestigious BBC Alfred Bradley Award for ”White Silk”, an audio drama. A change to writing for theatre brought another first place, this time in the Short Sharp Festival of New Playwriting in 2012. This led to her first commission for “Weather to Fly”, produced by OddManOut. Two years later her second play Into Thin Air premiered at Prague Fringe and was shortlisted for the Inspiration Award.
Alli’s career development continued with a place on Northern Voices, part of BBC Drama Room, when her film script “Shimla Express” made it to the final 35 out of 3845 submissions.
She said: “I had a great time on this scheme as we got loads of practical advice from some fantastic writers including those who had worked on the Chernobyl series, East Enders and other leading dramas.”
Further awards came with a second long listing for the Alfred Bradley award.
Her short audio drama Hagstones, was broadcast on BBC 3 in 2019.
It was after this Alli began writing a play inspired by her childhood experiences. “Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light” was the result, mentioned earlier in this story. It received 4 stars from the Guardian and audience comments included ‘The play was amazing. I was in tears.’ ‘Thought-provoking, inspiring and insightful and above all brilliant.’ It will tour in February/March 2025 thanks to Arts Council funding.
She is now writing a children’s book called Kanchenjunga. It tells the tale of Kancha, a yeti with magical powers who ends up in Ashington woods, where he befriends misfit adoptee Rowena. The story also features the RNLI.
Alli’s advice from all her own experiences of writing for different genres and formats, and life in general is try to be a radiator not a drain. She stresses that a radiator gives out warmth rather than being a point of exhaustion in someone’s life.
She said: “Of course I often get this wrong. We’re human so we fail one another from time to time, which is why it’s important to try to understand the other point of view and offer forgiveness.”
In terms of writing, find a point of difference and be surprising if you can. Write what you can imagine, not just what you know. And don’t be frightened of failing. One year I set myself a task of achieving 50 rejections, and ended up getting shortlisted for a couple of competitions and writing a show!
“Try not to worry if you aren’t writing much. Sometimes life is stressful and our heads are simply too full. Sometimes we’re in receptor mode. Just accept it and realise you will want to write again when you’re ready. Micro-goals can be really helpful. 200 words a day will get you a long way in the end. Treat it lightly and try not to beat yourself up when you hit the buffers. It happens to all of us from time to time.
“Also, remember to read purely for pleasure. Books are like ships. A good book will take you on a voyage where you can spend wonderful times.”
Two of her favourite books are A Fine Balance by Indian author Rohinton Mistry, as Alli has lived in Mumbai, India for most of the past 11 years. It is set in 1975 during the time of Indira Gandhi’s government. Against a backdrop of political turmoil, the lives of four unlikely strangers collide forever in a moving and powerful narrative.
Haunts of the Black Masseur by Charles Sprawson is another book she recommends. Part social and cultural history, and part personal credo, this cult swimming classic pays sparkling tribute to water and the cultural meanings we attach to it. Alli is a keen swimmer and loves the poetic language, as well as the way the author builds the aquatic world.
The Stand-Up Mam has funny family stories. Do you have one to share?
My grandad was like a Roald Dahl character. He used to make fruit wine at home which was very potent. One day he was making blackberry wine and put the demijohn in the airing cupboard to aid fermentation. Unfortunately, it got a bit too warm, so the whole lot exploded. The cupboard door was open, so blackberry wine went all over the bathroom including the carpet, walls, towels, the whole place. They had to totally redecorate, and my Nana didn’t speak to him for about a fortnight. I’m not sure if he ever made wine again!