I have to admit that neither I nor the group I went with got much out of the Almeida's production of a new play, The Writer.  There are big issues of power and gender there, and interesting transgression of the boundaries between different roles of author, director, audience and assistants, but I found the second half dreary and clumsy.   Which puts me out of line with most of the critics, but there you are. There was, however, one scene which captured completely the essence of Paula Principle Factor 5 - positive choice.  The eponymous writer clashes with her boyfriend over whether she should sign the contract for a large fee…