Well, finally I have some good news to report. Remain in your seats and breathe in a regular rhythm because I didn't score a Broadway contract or anything like that. I didn't even get a production, although they are coming. I feel it in my bones. BUT, the good news is that I can cross something else off my list.
53. Write a short play.
And I say, Fine I will. So I did. It's called So Much Harm and it takes places on a mountain. Or a very large hill. You make the choice. I do so like my plays being interactive.
Now, I'm working on a new short play, a full-length, a radio play and keeping my sanity in check. Fun times people. Fun times.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Word of the Week
It's been a while, but this one is quite interesting. Well, at least I think so. This is one of those words that you think you know but when you try and define it, you end up saying something like "Well, it's ... you know, when the ... and the ... with the thing and then it's all ... crap".
So, in case you've ever had that problem and I most certainly have, here is your word of the week:
Serendipity
–noun
1.an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2.good fortune; luck: the serendipity of getting the first job she applied for.
serendipity
1754 (but rare before 20c.), coined by Horace Walpole (1717-92) in a letter to Mann (dated Jan. 28); he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." The name is from Serendip, an old name for Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), from Arabic Sarandib, from Skt. Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." Serendipitous formed c.1950.
No. No need to thank me. Your aptitude for making desireable discoveries by accident is thanks enough.
So, in case you've ever had that problem and I most certainly have, here is your word of the week:
Serendipity
–noun
1.an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2.good fortune; luck: the serendipity of getting the first job she applied for.
serendipity
1754 (but rare before 20c.), coined by Horace Walpole (1717-92) in a letter to Mann (dated Jan. 28); he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." The name is from Serendip, an old name for Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), from Arabic Sarandib, from Skt. Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions Island." Serendipitous formed c.1950.
No. No need to thank me. Your aptitude for making desireable discoveries by accident is thanks enough.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
April
Well, let's just admit it.
I've been slack.
Worse than that, I've not only been slack, I've been lazy. Which is probably the same thing but in my mind, slack is not being able to keep up with all the tasks one sets themselves or the tasks that have been set by others. Lazy is just not even bothering to set oneself tasks. In all honesty, there has been more lazy than slack, although both have played their part.
The last couple of weeks, maybe longer, alright the whole of March and perhaps part of February, have been attacked by the lazy fly. He sits on my shoulder and his sheer weight keeps me from ever getting up off the couch.
On the other shoulder lies the procrastination fly that likes to be entertained with mindless internet sites, TV shows, and anything else that requires only a minimal attention span.
But with Easter just passed and 4 whole days off which is awesome and kudos to the bloke that made it all happen, it was time to get the Flyspray and get to work. Which I did, even though I woke up with some sort of deathly plague cold flu thing which still hasn't left me.
So, things are back on track. Somewhat. What I did manage to do in March inbetween checking Facebook 75,000 times a day was get my submissions up to date and it's only the first week of April and I'm already half way through the ones I need to get done for April. Hoorah for me.
I also completed a first draft of a new ten minute play called So Much Harm which is just the best title anyone has ever come up with, ever, and you all know it, so shut up.
Then, if that wasn't good enough, and it really really was, I dived headfirst into writing the first draft of my new full-length The Reading Group which is now up to Page 20. Awesome behaviour.
March also saw a trip back to the homeland (aka Brisbane) for my nephew's first birthday and it seems that the play a day reading cycle got way behind. But, as the good girl that I am, Easter saw me read 10 (yes, count them, 10!) plays and so we are all up to date on that one. I still have to play catchup with the screenplays/watching movies and short stories. But I'm getting there.
I even (almost) bounced out of bed this morning at 4.00am and wrote for nearly three hours.
I have a feeling that April is going to be a good month.
I've been slack.
Worse than that, I've not only been slack, I've been lazy. Which is probably the same thing but in my mind, slack is not being able to keep up with all the tasks one sets themselves or the tasks that have been set by others. Lazy is just not even bothering to set oneself tasks. In all honesty, there has been more lazy than slack, although both have played their part.
The last couple of weeks, maybe longer, alright the whole of March and perhaps part of February, have been attacked by the lazy fly. He sits on my shoulder and his sheer weight keeps me from ever getting up off the couch.
On the other shoulder lies the procrastination fly that likes to be entertained with mindless internet sites, TV shows, and anything else that requires only a minimal attention span.
But with Easter just passed and 4 whole days off which is awesome and kudos to the bloke that made it all happen, it was time to get the Flyspray and get to work. Which I did, even though I woke up with some sort of deathly plague cold flu thing which still hasn't left me.
So, things are back on track. Somewhat. What I did manage to do in March inbetween checking Facebook 75,000 times a day was get my submissions up to date and it's only the first week of April and I'm already half way through the ones I need to get done for April. Hoorah for me.
I also completed a first draft of a new ten minute play called So Much Harm which is just the best title anyone has ever come up with, ever, and you all know it, so shut up.
Then, if that wasn't good enough, and it really really was, I dived headfirst into writing the first draft of my new full-length The Reading Group which is now up to Page 20. Awesome behaviour.
March also saw a trip back to the homeland (aka Brisbane) for my nephew's first birthday and it seems that the play a day reading cycle got way behind. But, as the good girl that I am, Easter saw me read 10 (yes, count them, 10!) plays and so we are all up to date on that one. I still have to play catchup with the screenplays/watching movies and short stories. But I'm getting there.
I even (almost) bounced out of bed this morning at 4.00am and wrote for nearly three hours.
I have a feeling that April is going to be a good month.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Weekly Update
Again, it didn't seem as if I was doing much last week but for a girl that has a full-time job I managed to do a lot of things that weren't photocopying and, uh, more photocopying. And trust me, there was a lot of that.
But the main thing I did this week was submissions. Although I didn't actually submit a lot (only 3) I did get all the bits and pieces for my brand spanking new full-length play New Light Shine. And there are a lot of bits and pieces. A lot of printing and a lot of thinking about how to write a freaking synopsis for it. So there was that.
I'm still having a lot of problems in balancing things, or how do you get enough time and motivation to do everything you want to do? Answers in 25 words or less please. I did read something on the internet quite a while ago about the top 50 (or something) habits of highly successful people. These were things they all seemed to share in common which astounded me straight off that they had that many things in common but one of them was that no matter what their mood, they always showed up and did the job. This has stuck with me and this is what I am going to try and do this week. No matter the mood, turn up and do the job.
Also, it seems that I tend to lose a lot of time in small increments. A lot of five minute slabs of time go down the drain because what can you do in 5 minutes? I don't know but I think I will have to try and find out. There are so many things that I want to do and accomplish and other people seem to be able to fit a lot more ino their life than I do which leads me to the idea that, uh, perhaps it is me.
I think this week, in an effort to combat the desire to do not much at all I am going to try a few experiments to see if I can get the workrate up.
My first experiment is to use my idle work hours to get submission information for various theatres that I want to send my play New Light Shine to. Because, really, how many times should you look at Facebook every day.
My second experiment is to write in 10 minute slots. I don't have enough time to write for much longer than that and I need to kind of look like I'm working even though I'm not. So ten minutes is a good time.
These are the missions for this week. Procrastination. Consider yourself at war.
But the main thing I did this week was submissions. Although I didn't actually submit a lot (only 3) I did get all the bits and pieces for my brand spanking new full-length play New Light Shine. And there are a lot of bits and pieces. A lot of printing and a lot of thinking about how to write a freaking synopsis for it. So there was that.
I'm still having a lot of problems in balancing things, or how do you get enough time and motivation to do everything you want to do? Answers in 25 words or less please. I did read something on the internet quite a while ago about the top 50 (or something) habits of highly successful people. These were things they all seemed to share in common which astounded me straight off that they had that many things in common but one of them was that no matter what their mood, they always showed up and did the job. This has stuck with me and this is what I am going to try and do this week. No matter the mood, turn up and do the job.
Also, it seems that I tend to lose a lot of time in small increments. A lot of five minute slabs of time go down the drain because what can you do in 5 minutes? I don't know but I think I will have to try and find out. There are so many things that I want to do and accomplish and other people seem to be able to fit a lot more ino their life than I do which leads me to the idea that, uh, perhaps it is me.
I think this week, in an effort to combat the desire to do not much at all I am going to try a few experiments to see if I can get the workrate up.
My first experiment is to use my idle work hours to get submission information for various theatres that I want to send my play New Light Shine to. Because, really, how many times should you look at Facebook every day.
My second experiment is to write in 10 minute slots. I don't have enough time to write for much longer than that and I need to kind of look like I'm working even though I'm not. So ten minutes is a good time.
These are the missions for this week. Procrastination. Consider yourself at war.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Word of the Week
Although it is nothing but doom and gloom here, there is always a little ray of light when it comes to word of the week. And, drum roll please, is ...
Aetiology.
I know, like, WTF?
Well, turns out, according to dictionary.com it is the same as etiology, which really starts to make you think if someone should really be employed to downsize the English language and cut the fat so to speak. But anyway,
Etiology
1.
Pathology.
a.
the study of the causes of diseases.
b.
the cause or origin of a disease.
2.
the study of causation.
3.
any study of causes, causation, or causality, as in philosophy, biology, or physics.
This really didn't help. Shouldn't it be one or the other, or is that just me?
Aetiology.
I know, like, WTF?
Well, turns out, according to dictionary.com it is the same as etiology, which really starts to make you think if someone should really be employed to downsize the English language and cut the fat so to speak. But anyway,
Etiology
1.
Pathology.
a.
the study of the causes of diseases.
b.
the cause or origin of a disease.
2.
the study of causation.
3.
any study of causes, causation, or causality, as in philosophy, biology, or physics.
This really didn't help. Shouldn't it be one or the other, or is that just me?
Weekly Update
I thought I would do an update on last week, but last week was a sham! A sham, I tell you. I don't know what happened but would bet a fair amount of money on the fact that I was lazy, lazy, lazy.
I have started two new plays. Started, being the operative word. And then it rained. Like a lot. And the weekend seemed to slip away from me. And it was a long weekend and I know I should have done more, but more was just not going to happen. I don't know why. I never know why, but ...
I move on. A new week, which is now half gone but I'd rather see the cup as half-full, as they say. No. Scratch that. I hate the people that say that.
What I DID do on the weekend is submit plays. Submit, submit, submit. This felt good. This was good. Unfortunately, it wasn't an entire blitz and I am still way behind on the submissions front. In order to get to 210 submissions this year I have to do 17.5 submissions per month. Which means by the end of this month that is not that far away, I have to have 52.5. I think I have about half of that at the moment. HALF! Not good enough. Nowhere near good enough.
So that is about the extent of it. What a depressing update. I don't even have any last words of hope for myself ... large, dramatic sigh.
I have started two new plays. Started, being the operative word. And then it rained. Like a lot. And the weekend seemed to slip away from me. And it was a long weekend and I know I should have done more, but more was just not going to happen. I don't know why. I never know why, but ...
I move on. A new week, which is now half gone but I'd rather see the cup as half-full, as they say. No. Scratch that. I hate the people that say that.
What I DID do on the weekend is submit plays. Submit, submit, submit. This felt good. This was good. Unfortunately, it wasn't an entire blitz and I am still way behind on the submissions front. In order to get to 210 submissions this year I have to do 17.5 submissions per month. Which means by the end of this month that is not that far away, I have to have 52.5. I think I have about half of that at the moment. HALF! Not good enough. Nowhere near good enough.
So that is about the extent of it. What a depressing update. I don't even have any last words of hope for myself ... large, dramatic sigh.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
February
Well, maybe because it was a short month or the fact that I've got to the point in my day job where I lose all the will to live, BUT it seemed that I just couldn't get my act into gear. This is usually the point where I lie down on the couch and stay there for a very long time. But I'm not doing that. Because there is shit to be done. You've seen the list. WOW! That's enough to get anyone off the couch.
So let's go through what I did do this month …
Number 11
As mentioned in the previous post, I've finished a full-length play. Let me repeat that. I'VE FINISHED A FULL-LENGTH PLAY! This makes me incredibly happy. And now I'm ready to send it to every theatre on the planet. Which is going to happen this month.
Number 1
I don't think I've talked about my play a day mission but let me rectify that now. I am reading a play a day and it's going really well. By this, I mean, it is helping the process of writing plays. I might post what I have read so far in another post.
Number 24
Lose a dress size. Not quite there yet but definitely on my way. I've eaten so much salad I may turn into a head of lettuce at any moment. And I'm not eating bread. I'm not as miserable about that as I thought it would be.
Number 35
I have begun The Life Project! The Life Project, or perhaps the first Life Project (how many life projects do people have?) is a cycle of plays about my home state Queensland and I have begun the research, brainstorming for the first play in the cycle.
Number 68
Dance. Oh yes, I have been. All alone, in my house. Wonderful stuff.
Number 108
I have taken to this like a duck to water. You should see my house. I'm expecting a visit from the Health Department at any moment.
So, not a complete failure but not exactly screaming through the list either. I need to get better at all of this, which I guess is the point of this year, and this list.
Stay tuned for March!
Busy
Have been slightly remiss in blogging lately ... Therefore not doing very well with Number 19 Blog every day but I have been working.
And, in exciting news, I can cross a big thing off the list:
11. Finish a full-length play.
Yeah for me. It's called New Light Shine and I have been working on this play for too long! But it's done. I really think it is done.
So now it's time to get stuck into Number 6 and get me some productions.
I'll do another post to sum up February and all the things I didn't think I did but did actually do ... Anyone follow that?
And, in exciting news, I can cross a big thing off the list:
11. Finish a full-length play.
Yeah for me. It's called New Light Shine and I have been working on this play for too long! But it's done. I really think it is done.
So now it's time to get stuck into Number 6 and get me some productions.
I'll do another post to sum up February and all the things I didn't think I did but did actually do ... Anyone follow that?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tricky Business
This rewriting business is indeed tricky. One small change and the ripple effect is more like a tsunami. But if you play it right, if you take your time and make considered choices your reward will be a smoking play. And isn't that what we all want?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Weekend
Late on Saturday night when normal people were out getting drunk, hooking up, eating nasty kebabs at 2.00am, I was at my laptop finishing my play. What? I hear you say. What did you just say?
Yes. That's right Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. I got to write The End, although what I actually wrote was End of Play. And while it is The End, it's still not finished. It's a draft and it's not too shabby but it still has some holes, some big enough to fit an tram through, if fitting trams through metaphorical holes is your things.
No judgement.
Yes. That's right Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. I got to write The End, although what I actually wrote was End of Play. And while it is The End, it's still not finished. It's a draft and it's not too shabby but it still has some holes, some big enough to fit an tram through, if fitting trams through metaphorical holes is your things.
No judgement.
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