And here we go again

I picked up the play last night - after putting it down however many months ago. I cut a lot. I cut a WHOLE lot and added some.

There are sections that need to be reworked and the whole thing needs to be polished. But, I am actually liking it more now. It took me a while to figure it out, but I have realized that things that I saw as nice, but not necessary would be seen in very much the same way by an audience. So, as much as it pained me to cut some of my favorite songs...

It had to be done.

I'm BACK!

After leaving the Susan Werner work on the back burner for a while (where it will stay until I figure out the next steps) I have started work on a NEW project!

That's right! I am writing another one! This one is not a musical and has nothing to do with Susan Werner - not a thing! The idea - small as it was at the time - occurred to me a few months ago while I was still reeling from the death of my director from AMDA. I kept seeing her, hearing her, remembering her. And after a while, I started learning more about who she was, how she was, her passions. One of them was equal treatment for homosexuals. This was obvious - but to hear how people described how she fought... wow. So I'm writing a new piece - trying not to copy her life as I do not want to make anyone uncomfortable.

Up until yesterday night... okay, this morning, I only had an inkling - no real idea of how anything would progress - just that stuff would happen and there would be people. Great. Who wouldn't want to see that?

Person 1: Hi. Did you know stuff is happening?
Person 2: No. I was completely unaware.
Person 1: Well, now you know.
Person 2: Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you, citizen.
Person 1: You are most assuredly welcome, friend.
Person 3: (Entering) Whoa! Look at all that stuff happening over there!
Person 2: Yes, we were just discussing all the stuff.
Person 1: It is truly remarkable.

Actually, I might be on to something, there. It's almost Godot-esque... in a not-at0all-close kind of way.

So, I write. Outlining has begun and snippets of scenes are slowly getting scribbled down. I am excited.

s'been a while

Just a quick note to let you all know... if you'd like to read any of my work it can be found HERE.

It starts again...

I went to an AMAZING concert on the 6th. Susan Werner and Trina Hamlin rocked it out as usual. I spoke to Susan after the show and she suggested some great books about writing and told me that while she liked the script and thinks I write like people talk, there needs to be a little more conflict at certain points. So, now I'm back to writing. But, after almost two straight weeks of over thinking how to do it, I may have figured it out.

So the process that is the SECOND draft begins...

ok then

just got an email from Susan.

"ok read the whole script and enjoyed it plenty"

went on to say that I write the way people talk and all these great things about how she liked it. SHE LIKED IT!!!!!!

I am in a state of shock right now.

next!

I mailed the script to Susan this morning. I also emailed a friend, Dan, to see if he is able to help me turn lead sheets and mp3s into actual sheet music for the book.

The script won't get to Susan until probably Thursday, maybe Friday. I don't expect a response from Dan right away... So now, I wait.

I've spent the past ten days scrambling.

Print it out, hold a reading, change it, change it again, and again, and again... print it, find formatting errors, reprint it, bind it, read it, TRY to write a personal note to Susan which is WAY hard when you're trying to be eloquent and concise, email, email again... all while working full-time and entertaining my nieces and nephew who are in town for the first time in four years with my sister and brother in-law... Oddly enough, I am not tired. I am wound up and wish that it was already Thursday or Friday or next week - or the concert on August 6th, so I could see Susan's face when she says "I loved it" or "I hated it" or whatever.

Maybe I should go for a run... okay a walk.

So...

I held a table read today. There are five females and four male characters, the table read cast consisted of me, Kelly, Siobhan, and Dan. That's right, three women and one men.

And oddly enough - it didn't suck!

I came home, with loads of edits to do... songs to cut, lines to move, LOTS AND LOTS OF FORMATTING!

But it only took a few minutes to do. So now it is final. As final as I can get it right now. Now all I need to do is convert music lead sheets to sheet music and put them into the book. Yeah - not hard at all... HA!

But, I will submit it now to the local theatres because that way, they can tell me if they will do it and have plenty of time to plan ahead for it.

Mailing it out to Susan this week!