Juggling Projects

I juggle a lot of things at once. I like the idea of being productive.

Keeping busy keeps me happy. Not having anything to do depresses me.

It took me a while to figure this out. But, as I've said before, taking breaks is a hard concept for me. I prefer to be constantly busy. But that's just not physically possible. We all need breaks. It's human. But I don't think of myself as human. I think all artists think they're capable of impossible tasks. They can write plays in a single bound! They're more powerful than the need to sleep. It's just not possible.

So I spent nine months working on one play. And now in the final three months of the year, I think I can write countless scripts. I'm zeroing in on one pilot. I've written 26 pages of a new play and I'll be writing that throughout the rest of the year. I also had this brilliant idea that I'd write a pilot this week. A different pilot. We'll see if that gets done. If it does, then I'll have four scripts by the end of the year. But this will be it for new scripts this year. If I have two new pilots this month (that's crazy), then I have rewrites to do on everything else. That is all I will be doing for the rest of the year. And technically, this rewritten script will be a reimagining of a script I wrote last year. So I'd still count that as five scripts this year. Like I did last year.

But there will be nothing else that will be new that will be added to that pile. I will then spend all of November and all of December rewriting and rewriting and rewriting. Technically, I will have done more writing this year than last year even though I had fewer scripts. That's because I have probably written about ten drafts of the play I wrote this year. And even having written that one script many times, that probably eclipses what I wrote last year. And that's wonderful and super and amazing.

But I like to challenge myself. I would like to have more polished scripts this year because I plan on sending things out to agents and managers by the end of the year. That's why having two polished one hour dramas will be good. That will add to the three plays I have no problem sending out. And the two other fresh pilots I can send out. That should be plenty of material to nab an agent or manager.

I just have to manage the many ups and downs of emotions that I go through in a single day. I started out the day totally depressed. Then I wrote 13 pages and I feel better. It makes me feel like more is possible. I'm trying to write as much of the rest of this pilot tonight to see if I can make myself feel AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. I'm in a constant (Amazing) race with myself. I feel like I'm running marathon after marathon, just trying to improve my PR.

One of the jobs I want is TV staff writer. That job is all about writing under deadline and writing fast and furiously. I feel like I am building the stamina for that. That was the mission last year and that mission was even more accomplished this year. I see friends who take off in the TV space because they've got that sort of stamina. It's important. You have to start catching up to that speed and then you need to blast past everyone else with the producing skills. That kind of work excites me. But it's about something different than what I'm doing now which is purely creative work on my own time frame. And that's wonderful too. But there are other skill sets I'd like to build. I'd like to be able to write on that sort of furious TV deadline and I'd like the production experience. That stuff's exciting to me.

I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given.
I am grateful for the time to write freely.
I am grateful for the ability to take that time and make it a master class.
I am grateful to be working harder and harder every year.
I am grateful for the opportunity to constantly reinforce to the Universe and everyone I know that I am a writer first and foremost.
I am grateful for my ability to put my heart on a page.
I am grateful for good friends. 
I am grateful for a remarkable boyfriend.
I am grateful for fun and love in my life.