The Office, Day Two

I'm back in this office.
My shoes are off.  My socks are off.  I should take my pants off.
But it's only 11:00.  I'm not that desperate yet.
I am still full of hope.  I got here 20 minutes ago.
Sure, I'm a little tired and I've resorted to the GLEE soundtrack
but I'm going to tackle today.

I did a lot of work yesterday.
That's the company line.
I fleshed out my story on notecards.
I watched Dustin Lance Black's mini doc on his creative process--
using notecards.  That's a sign from the Universe, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrvawtrRxsw

I had questions that I noted.
I had story points that I wrote down.
Right now they are laid out on this big desk
and I am looking at them.
Hmmm…
I have 26 scenes where there should be about 45-50.
I wrote about three pages last night.
Not quite the progress I thought I would make.
Or should make.
But I understand what I'm doing
and I know how this particular story will reflect me.
And there are scenes in this 26 which will be fun to write.
Joss Whedon says
that writers should write the fun stuff first and then when you write
the stuff that you have to write, at least you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel.

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1683167/how-to-be-prolific-guidelines-for-getting-it-done-from-joss-whedon

All right.
I'll believe him.  It seems like sage advice.
And it's a different approach, which I'm happy to try out.
And why shouldn't it be fun?
I'm tired of this being just labor.
I have written two scripts this month so far…in the first 18 days of the month.
I can do this.
I have this.
I am psyching myself up.

My boyfriend called me this morning
after I left when I couldn't find him
and I called for him in the bathroom.
He was in the bathroom, but didn't hear me.
He asked if something was wrong.
Are you on a deadline or something?
Yeah, how do you not understand that I'm not on a deadline!
Well, I thought…
The way you were last night
and then this morning…
Oh, you mean when I had all of my notecards laid out on the table…
I thought you might be on a deadline…
Hell, yes!  I'm on a deadline!
Notecards!
Headphones!
Rudeness!
I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything wrong between us…
No.  Just me being a writer
and ignoring everything else while I'm on deadline.
That's what this process is and that's why I left early to go to my office
so that I don't have to explain myself
or apologize.
I can be as rude as I need to be here.
I had a great weekend away where I let my mind empty out
and I wonderful conversation with one of my closest friends who happens
to be in from NYC last night.
Because of that,
I have to concentrate my focus
because my time has become condensed.
It doesn't mean that I shouldn't have gone on the camping trip,
it doesn't mean that it wasn't good for me,
but it just means that I have a tighter schedule
and can't just chit chat
or hang out the rest of the week
before I leave for SF.
That's all.

That's a lot to explain.

I'm focused.
I know he's not used to seeing me this way.
But this is how I am when I'm working
and I'm not going to change the way I am to accommodate a guy.
As much as I may love that man,
I did that before and it was disastrous for everyone involved.

So here I am at the office,
warming up,
writing this blog,
listening to Matthew Morrison and Kristin Chenoweth
singing Burt Bacharach
in a glorious musical theatre moment
that appeared on TV.
It puts a big smile on my face.
A big Broadway moment.

I have to do a lot in this script.
I have to take everything I do,
everything I am,
and pour it into this.
It plays to my strengths:
character
humor
theme
speeches
women

So I just need to go for it.

I am grateful for musical theatre songs with lots of bombast.
I am grateful for beautiful voices.
I am grateful to be reminded of big emotions and big feelings.
I am grateful for drama.
I am grateful for a boyfriend who is beginning to understand my whims.
I am grateful for a boyfriend who calls to make sure we're okay.
I am grateful for the chance to get lost in a story.
I am grateful that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I am grateful that I go from here (in two days) to getting together with old friends in San Francisco and Santa Clara.
I am grateful that I get to walk on the campus where I began my journey as a playwright.
I am grateful that I will have a beautiful and relaxing place to stay.
I am grateful that I finally get to read a book I have been rechecking out from the library for the past six weeks.
I am grateful that that book is an idea for the next pilot.
I am grateful that I have an idea for the next play.
I am grateful that I have an idea for the play after that.
I am grateful that I have an idea for the play after that one too.
I am grateful that someone wants me to write a monologue about growing up in LA.
I am grateful that someone has an innovative plan on how to market that, market me, and market my work.
I am grateful for creative partnerships.
I am grateful for new friends who spark something inside of me.
I am grateful for the excitement that that creates.