On Hiatus

Taking a cue from one of my blogging friends, I have decided that it would be best if I took a break from the blog.  I am so grateful that my plate is full and I have plenty of projects to keep me occupied through the next 6 months.  Other changes are stirring in my life as well, and I realize I have not been as devoted to this blog as I have been in the past.

So I'm taking a break.  I want to thank each and every person who has read my words, followed my ups and downs, commented publicly, privately, or simply sent good wishes along the way.

This is definitely not goodbye.  It's just a break.  I don't know when I'll start up again...there may be sporadic postings here and there, or one long silence until I feel able to start up again and write regularly.

In the meantime, I wish you all a productive fall and hope you will continue to read my posts when I resume the blog.  Thanks again for everything!

See you soon...

Rhythm & Flow

Joie de Vivre by Robert Delaunay

I went to the theatre this past weekend and finally saw a play I've wanted to see for ages. I read plays all the time, but remember, plays are meant to be seen and not necessarily read. 

What struck me about this particular play was the vividness of the rhythm and flow of the dialogue.  It was heightened; not many people I know speak to each other the way these characters spoke to one another.  It was quite theatrical in many ways even though the entire play takes place in an ordinary living room.  I need to learn how to do this in my own writing.  My work needs to be heightened; it needs, believe it or not, more theatricality.  In my attempt to make situations naturalistic, I'm afraid my work sometimes borders on the mundane.  Ugh...death!

Does it seem I am contradicting myself if I say I didn't like any of the characters, but I did like the play?  In other words, I would never want to know those people...I'd never want to go to their house for dinner.  I would be mentally exhausted trying to keep up with the minutia of their conversation.  I didn't like them at all, but in terms of the writing, I found their behavior and their dialogue riveting. And of course, they were very recognizable.  I have known people like that in my past.

I am always in student mode...always learning more about how I can make my writing more dynamic.  In the scheme of things, I'm still a very young playwright--I've been writing professionally for less than 10  years, so that makes me a very young artist indeed. I have so much to learn from the many stellar writers out there.

As I move into a very busy fall season, where multiple plays need to be created, characters need to be given life, and storylines need to pack a wallop, I sit and ponder the magnitude of what I need to do.  But I also get to develop new worlds, new relationships, and that is the part of the work that is the most fun and the most intriguing.  I simply need to get out of my own way, and let the muse take over.  Where the heck is she???

A Pile of Words

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." ~Ernest Hemingway

I find myself sitting amidst a pile of words, wanting to string them together as if they were beads on a thread. Can I do that?  Can I randomly choose one after another paying no attention to articles of speech or context?  I believe it would sound something like the Jabberwocky or worse.

It is not my intent to create nonsense or indiscriminate writing.  I have a focus; it's simply slow in coming.

I play in my pile of words as if they were freshly fallen leaves from a tree.  I dig deep, I throw them in the air, I thrash about, I cough up the dust.  When I close my eyes I still see them floating in front of me.  Words, words, words, like Shakespeare exclaimed. Meaning nothing.  Meaning everything.  My lump of clay.  Sitting expectantly.  Waiting for me to do with them what I will.   

All in a Day's Work

Right now at this very moment, I'm in between gigs. Finished Round 1 and am ready to hit Round 2. So what do I do with my very little precious time in between? Write a blog post of course. Actually, I read and answered quite a few emails and am jotting notes to prepare for this evening's class. But I also wanted to get a post in, because it's gonna be awhile. So here ya go!

I've done this before. This sort of manic juggling of a variety of different jobs. The most gigs I ever held down simultaneously was 6 and that was back in 2003. That was a long time ago. But here I am, back up to speed and doing it again. Total gig count as of today: 4. I'm teaching, writing, teaching and editing. How's that for a juggling act?

It feels good to be this busy, but at the same time I'm finding myself yearning for a Red Bull. Well, it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon and I have miles to go before I sleep, so that seems about right.

Gotta run. Just wanted to once again thank you all for weighing in on how to survive this juggling game.  This activity should calm down for me in a couple of weeks...for a little while anyway. Then me and the D-man are gonna take a short little jaunt somewhere special before all the craziness starts again for both of us.

It's like a clown car, isn't it? You think only one  person is getting out of that car but they just keep coming. Those crazy clowns!  Well, all I can say is that I'm grateful that these gigs keep coming. I'll find a way to balance it all. I always have. I think I thrive on it.

Hope all of you are enjoying your summer. No one should be working this hard in August...enjoy the dog days if you can!

Here's the thing...



So the thing is… I have a deadline.  Well, to be clear, I have multiple deadlines because I’m in the midst of doing multiple things.  And of course, each thing has a deadline.

The big deadline is 3 months away, so you might say, “Well, hey, no sweat…3 months is a long time.”  But it’s really not.  It’s not at all.  3 months are going to fly by and before I know it, the deadline will approach.  The day will be here…knocking on my door.  “Your 3 months is up.  Over.  Kaput.  Where’s your project?  We’ve come to collect it.”

And this is not one of those things that you can quickly put together 2 or 3 days before the deadline.  Oh no…not at all.  I NEED these 3 months to accomplish what I need to accomplish.

But then I have other deadlines.  More immediate deadlines.  I have, what I call, my bread and butter deadlines. Daily deadlines that are my bread and butter.  Suddenly, I seem to have a lot more bread and butter deadlines than ever before.  Which is kind of a good thing, but at the same time they cannot be ignored because after all, they are my bread and butter.  So obviously, these immediate deadlines get my priority.  And after I have accomplished what I need to do for my bread and butter, I am absolutely exhausted, knocked out, depleted and I think about the looming deadline 3 months away.   And I think, “Well I have a little time for that one. Don’t I?”

But no.  I don’t have time.  Because now it’s the end of July, and August is already fully plotted out, and before I know it, September will be here and bring with it all that it will bring.  As October rolls around, the chaos may dissipate and some semblance of order may find its way into my life.  But then I will only have 1 month.  October.  And I cannot fully count on October being my friend and providing me with the time, focus and concentration I need to complete the BIG DEADLINE.

I have to find a way to make it work.  I have to.  There isn’t any alternative.  I am a writer.  And I write for my bread and butter and I write for the big deadlines, and I live in the chaos and I get it done.  I find a way.  I have to.  There is no room for discussion here.  I find a way. There is no other option but to do it.

Any suggestions???

Down the Rabbit Hole

image design by Emek

Wonderland is alive and well and exists in the form of the Oregon Country Fair. Please understand, this is no ordinary country fair with folks selling apple pies and growing gigantic zucchinis and raising enormous pigs. Nope...not even close.

This fair is like entering a parallel universe where giants and other mythical creatures roam freely throughout the magical woods. There are artisans galore happily offering their wares including pottery, jewelry, candles, soaps, and artwork of all kinds. Food of every kind will permeate your senses...a veritable smorgasbord of delight. A menu for every palate: vegan, vegetarian, carnivore and those with a heavy sweet tooth...it's all there for you to partake and indulge and decadently devour!

It is not at all unusual to be greeted by a parade of colorful characters and musicians at every bend along your journey through this dreamlike world. I can't even tell you all the sights and sounds I saw when I visited the fair this weekend, but I will tell you it I was on sensory overload.

I didn't know where to look first--the Cirque du Soleil type of folks seemed to be everywhere...there were magic shows, musical concerts, puppets, vaudeville, street performers and anything and everything you can think of to delight your senses. Very scantily-clad men and women with their bodies painted in delightful colors and flowers and it seemed like the '60's were alive and well and happening in Eugene Oregon.

The hippies were everywhere because here, at the fair, everyone is coming from a place of peace and love. There are the die-hard hippies...holdovers from Woodstock...the ones that partied with Jerry and the Dead...there are the new hippies, the teen hippies, the baby hippies and even the hippie wannabes...because let's face it...at this fair, everyone wants to be a hippie.

The port-o'-potty I used (which of course they refer to as "The Honey Bucket") reeked of weed and patchouli...not a bad combination when you have to pee outside. Frankly, I was delighted not to smell piss and shit!

I enjoyed myself immensely... a big thanks to the D-man for taking me down there and tuning me in, turning me on, and letting me drop out...if only for a day. Today, I emerge from the Rabbit Hole...but I wouldn't mind staying down there a little longer. Oh well...there's always next year. Oregon is cool!

Peace & Love Everybody!

 These are not my feet!

A Pillar of Salt

photo by Philiphannis

Sometimes I find myself missing my old life.  And then I wonder why...I'd rather make something of this new life then mourn the old one. 

If I keep looking behind me, I might just turn into a pillar of salt.  Best to keep moving forward...