Way, Way Behind

“Everyone has a plan…until they get hit”.
–Mike Tyson

It’s over half way through the month and I’m way behind on my pages. Some days writing feels a lot more like boxing than anything else. It requires discipline, stamina, and strategy. And strategy goes right out the window when you get into the ring.

I’ve been behind in my pages because I’ve been “hit”. What happened? Life happens, of course. Work. Family. Other commitments. Oh, and just plain avoidance and laziness, too.

Boxing also requires a certain amount of confidence and bravery. One part of my resistance is fear. In some ways it seems I don’t know where my play is heading (lacking confidence) but the truth is I know exactly where it is I’m going and what I want to write about but don't really want to go there (fear).

It's about the midpoint when I always wonder if this is trip is worth it. Why did I start this? What was I thinking? It happens every time, but I plunge on. Why? I'm masochistic. That's the long way of saying, I'm a writer.

I also know that if I can smell fear, then I'm on the right track.

So off I go…today I’m back on track, doing my pages…

Nothing to see here, move along

Nothing to say right now...still working it out...in between all the other things in my life...

So here's a quote from one of my favorite playwrights:

"To allow others to share in the astonishment of being, the dazzlement of existence, and to shout to God and other human beings our anguish, letting it be known that we were there."

--Eugene Ionesco

Week 2

Check out my "rhino blast" over on the official National Playwriting Month blogsite.

When in doubt, keep writing.

Day 7

Well, it's a good thing I did so much writing early this week as my regular regimen of writing has gone out the window. This morning I was back at it, hammering out another four pages.

There is now a new character named Lincoln. Yes, he has a top hat and wears a beard but that's where the similarities between him and the real Lincoln end.

Can I just say...I love imaginary friends!

Now off to do some more writing of another kind and actually do other life stuff.

Day Two

I only wrote a two page scene today.

It's not much, but it's coming along. Little by little, this is how we build our dreams. I only need to write an average of three pages a day and at the end of 30 days I'll have 90 pages.

The more scenes I write, the better I get to know the characters. It's interesting to see which characters I get to know first. Eventually I will get to know them all quite well.

If it weren't for some other writing projects going on, I might have been able to do more. But that's life as a writer. There's always something that will get in the way of writing. You can't let that stop you.

Always keep writing, moving forward.

Day One

It’s November 1st.

Day one of the National Playwriting Month.

I have begun my play.

The title?

A VERY AMERICAN DINNER.

Right now it’s a secret project so I won’t reveal too much. Obviously it’s about America and Family. I know, these are big targets.

My aim for this first draft really is to get a blueprint for when I direct it somewhere a year or two from now. This is an experiment in trusting my instincts and my experience, so I am not going to obsess over character, plot and structure right now. That will be for the revisions. I know that I'll rewrite a lot in rehearsal as a director.

I’ll chart my progress in this blog as much as I can.

It’s going to be a busy month.