Perspective

Time saver:  I won't be posting on this blog for a week or so.  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great one.

Inspiration

I got a new story idea today from a color wheel.  This one was made by Goethe and is found in his 1810 "Theory of Colours." 

What happened to writing plays?  I researched the submission procedures for the contest I was going to enter with my ten minute play.  I discovered how fierce the competition is.  Out of thousands of entries, there is only one monetary award and it won't be given until next fall.  The odds are too low and next fall feels too far away for my ambitious self.  I will go ahead and submit to the contest, partly because I really like the 10 minute play and I have nothing to lose, but I need to move on to something with more potential.  I might write plays on days when I need a break from the bigger ideas.  Or maybe I'll use them as a way to get a story moving.  I guess the important thing to remember with all of these writing efforts of mine is to not give up.

Keep Writing Or Else

I discovered something fun while reading the comments in a friend's blog today.  Somebody suggested this website which motivates you to reach a word goal within a time limit and keeps you writing:  http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html.  I recommend scrolling down and watching the YouTube demonstration. I didn't really feel like writing today, so this was motivating and kind of fun.  I think I'll use it again in the future.  I don't think the word count is accurate; I think it might count punctuation or spaces, I'm not sure.  When you're done, you just copy and paste to a regular document and then you can edit, save, or whatever.  Apparently, he's also working on an off-line version that you can buy.  Fun!

Asking the Kids

This morning, I asked my children what kind of play they'd want to watch. 

"One about pirates," said my son.  He's seven. 

"And the ending should have a possible romance," said my daughter.  She's ten.  Then she said, "Just kidding," because she was embarrassed.

So, today, I wrote a play about pirates.  But I don't think my son would like it.  These are female pirates-- a ship full of only female pirates.  One of them has smuggled a man on board and must keep the captain from making him walk the plank.  Yeah, it's silly.  But it sure was fun to write.

A

Just got a note from my playwriting teacher.  I got 98% on my one act play.  Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That means a solid A in the class.   I know, grading is subjective and it's not really that great of a play, but I'm still happy.   I learned a lot.  Next I'm supposed to take a class on writing creative non-fiction.  Just need to make some money somehow so we can afford it.  Hmm.  Not sure how that's going to happen.

A Play a Day

I survived the weekend.  I guess it's not really over.  Everybody's home from work and school today.  We're going to enjoy the freezing cold, party cloudy weather and beautiful leaves at a nearby lake.  It's too cold for a picnic, so we'll go after lunch.

I wrote another mini play today and really enjoyed it.  I think I may try to write a play a day for a while. It's good practice. I've decided writing little plays is just like writing short stories, only quicker and more fun. If nothing else, I'm getting good practice writing dialog. 

Ready or Not

I'm speaking in church on Sunday.  Maybe that's why I woke up in the middle of the night with one of those nightmares where I am completely unprepared for a test at school.  I was so relieved to realize it was just a dream.  There was a Calculus test I would be taking on Monday and I was going to fail.  I hadn't studied at all.  I hadn't even attended one class or opened the book.  I was worried about how another incomplete would look on my transcript.  I was racking my brain, trying to remember what little I remember about advanced math.  You'd never guess that I used to be good at math.  All this because of anxiety about public speaking and not feeling prepared.  Along with all the other things I've been doing, I've written most of my talk during the week, but I keep putting off finishing it.  No wonder I'm feeling anxious.

Happy Weekend!  I think I'll be a lot happier when this one is over.