I made real contributions to our show. It felt good. It felt like I was exactly where I should be. I really want to do it again soon. After being in the writers room, this was a completely different experience. I know that it has made my TV writing better than it was before. I know that it has made me a better professor as well. I stand in front of my students now and I have real practical experience in production, something I can speak to.
Of course, when production finished, I desperately wanted to do it again. I wanted to get right back to work. But things happen in their own time. I spent August working on the things I wasn't able to work on when we were in production. I went straight into a workshop for a new play at the beginning of August. And at the end of the month, we presented a reading of the play. That was another magical experience. I got to see something I really love read by incredible actors who are supposed to be stand ins for my family. The experience of seeing people who are supposed to look like my family was incredible. Afterwards, so many friends and a lot of people I didn't know came up to me to say how moved they were by the play. My best friend David assured me and insisted that I wrote a really "fucking funny" play with tears in his eyes. Another incredible accomplishment. Then I went straight into finishing the pilot I had promised by manager a few months prior, but couldn't deliver because of my production commitments.
Gave him the play and the pilot at the end of August before mercury went into retrograde. Haven't heard from him yet. He was on vacation. And I'm doing my normal thing of worrying about it and desperately wanting to set up meetings and get things moving with making some career shit happen. I have no patience. I'm working on that.
September was about starting to teach again. I started on September 1st. And the past five weeks of class have been great. My students are engaged. I'm having a good time. But I'm spending a lot of time grading and doing lesson plans and working on that stuff. Sometimes it feels like what I'm doing is in the opposite direction of getting my next TV gig. But I remember something my theatre mentor Erik used to say, "Everything is writing." Thinking is writing. Resting is writing. Reading is writing. And teaching is writing. If I remember that teaching TV and Film writing reinforces everything I know about writing, then it's all moving in the same direction. It's all about integration.
After I finished the TV gig and working on set producing my two episodes, I realized a few things. Everything leads to everything else. I spent most of last year working on a play - to the exclusion of a lot of other things. That play lead to my TV job and my manager. Then I was teaching in the winter and spring while I was in the writer's room and working on my episodes. Getting up in front of my students and explaining the elements of dramatic structure prepared me to stand at the white board explaining my episode to the room. And that prepared me to write better outlines for the spec pilots I was writing. And that prepared me to teach outlines to my class for their screenplays and TV pilots. And again, that constant back and forth is making my own work more polished and sharp.
I spent several weeks this summer in the 100 degree heat of Canoga Park on sound stages working with a director, actors and a crew on this TV show. I could have been writing that pilot that was due. I could have done a number of other things. But I felt that the experience of working on the show was going to be beneficial. And it has been. Again, being an authority as a university professor has given me confidence in my own voice and stating what I need from my director and actors. I now know how to produce television. That makes me a great asset to a future staff. And it makes me realize that I can be a showrunner. I have the temperament, the organization and the knowledge to do it. Again, I'm hoping I get to put that to use soon. A lower level writer with production experience is an attractive candidate for gigs. I need to get people to see it that way of course and that's where my impatience lies. And that's not always a bad thing.
Other great things happened as well. I got to be interviewed on the USC campus TV station for my theatre company's upcoming theatre festival. I'm helping to produce that as well. And the big news is that I got into the WGA. I'm officially a member of the Writer's Guild. I think I'll probably cry when I get the official paper work from them. I think I'm in shock. I know my bank account is in shock because of the dues I have to pay. It's amazing.
And now we're coming up on the last quarter of the year. What's that going to be like? I don't know. I'm leaving it up to the Universe - I'm trying not to speculate and to just go with the flow. That's not easy for me. It's very difficult. But that's where I'm focusing my energy. On being surprised because so much of this year has been a delightful surprise. I'm allowing the unexpected to happen. I'm opening myself up to it. Again, a sign that the Universe can dream a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself.
I have no plans. I have a pilot to finish. I have nothing that I'm going to try and do other than what's in front of me. I also need a recharge. I've written so much already this year and I've done so much. I want to have some work come in that keeps me really busy. I want to write and produce more TV. But again, I leave that open. I'm keeping everything clear so that the rocket ship of my dreams has a place to land and take me to the next surprising, unexpected and wonderful destination.
I have a new idea for a play that I'm allowing to marinate. I'm producing this festival and writing something for it in October. The rest is still unwritten.
My intention is to become a part of the flow of the Universe.
My intention is to allow.
My intention is to surrender.
My intention is to let be.
My intention is to be surprised and delighted.
I am grateful for my class.
I am grateful for the opportunity to be excited every week.
I am grateful for the chance to take my time with my next pilot.
I am grateful for my community of writers, play makers and silly folk.
I am grateful that I am healing my relationship with myself.
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