Saturday, April 30, 2011

In the Wings

Waiting for the cue
For the first step in the light
Brighter than day
Breathing deep
Mind at rest
And buzzing
All at once

The crowd is there
But it's the story that moves me
(Not the applause)
The lines
The songs
The beatific face
I show them

Time to play pretend
To step out of my life
For a short while
To forget everything
To forget myself
To be another life
To live another dream
To see the world another way

If only for a moment

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Time Off

I'll miss all of you over the next few weeks, but I'm off tomorrow on a cruise with the hubby, and we will likely be out of touch with everything while we're gone. I'll check in when I get back, just in time for final run-throughs of the musical to go on, and then performance. (Whew, I am busy!)

I'm still taking my laptop with me, though. Got to keep writing! I'm in the midst of a play, and I hope to finish the rough while I'm gone, since a few other ideas are niggling at me, as well.

Hope the next two weeks are productive for you all (or restful!), and I'll see you when I get back.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

You Never Know

Funny, but I've gone weeks without writing (except in the blog).

At one point, I swore I wouldn't write in the blog until I wrote on my novel.

Didn't work.

Then I rushed to get all the house stuff done so that I'd have no more excuses. But houses, well, they tend to keep coming up with maintenance issues, and this house is no exception. I still don't have new countertops, and the dining room, writing room, and breakfast nook lights still need replacing...

Didn't work.

And then, like a miracle, I woke this morning at 4:45 a.m. I could feel sleep had left me, but an idea had not. I came down the stairs to my computer, opened it, started writing...

A few hours and 19 pages later, I had half a play. Script Frenzy is this month, with the goal, I think, being to write a play of 90-100 pages. At this pace I'll be done in five days.

Something must have worked. I only wonder what it was.

Makes me also wonder what tomorrow morning will bring. I just hope I'm ready for it.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Truths

Nothing is more perfect
Than a child's laugh

Blankets are made for snuggling
And should thus be at least big enough
For two

Healthy or not,
Food should taste delicious
Or it's a waste of time

A child's mind should
Always be engaged in something wonderful
And usually is
(If you just bother to ask)

And "Popeye" cartoons are really fun
When one is drinking...

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Calling

I sit down to type
But the voices are calling
Not in my head,
Not to push me to write
But to pull me away

I take out my sewing
But squealing and laughter
Are calling me
Not to mend seams
But to swim in the dappled sun

I try hard to work
But the little ones, calling
For help with a craft
Or to snuggle or hug
Or share in a laugh,
Make it hard to sit still
And attend
So I put down the chore
And answer the calling.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Developing Writers

I'm busy writing (hurray!), but I found this intriguing article today on Slate, which you can read here.

It compares Renaissance London to today's Topeka, Kansas, and thus shows us through the comparison how little we as a society tend to value writers. The article, written by Bill James, outlines four things we do for athletes that we do not do for writers:

First, we give them the opportunity to compete at a young age.

Second, we recognize and identify ability at a young age.

Third, we celebrate athletes' success constantly. We show up at their games and cheer. We give them trophies. When they get to be teenagers, if they're still good, we put their names in the newspaper once in a while.

Fourth, we pay them for potential, rather than simply paying them once they get to be among the best in the world.


While I can't agree with everything in the article, I do agree with his main point: instead of criticizing what we do to push athletics, let's just do the same thing for the artists and writers of our society, so that their skills are honed and encouraged as well.

I've been toying with getting my daughter art classes for a while now. I'm not toying with it any more. I think there's an art camp--and a theatre camp--she can join this summer, too. She's an artist with more talent at ten than I have at 41, and she can go a long way with the right encouragement and training.

And it's time to start a writer's group. Here. Now.

Wish me luck!