welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. imagine a writer with a blank piece of paper. on the face of it, they're free to take their imagination in any direction they choose, tell any story they like. but it's not that simple. they need money, a commission. they need to win an audience, and for that, they must constantly adapt to changing tastes and technologies. my guest is one of the uk's leading playwrights and screenwriters, lucy prebble. she's had huge hits and one notable broadway miss. for a writer, how daunting can that blank piece of paper be?