- First Staff Job - I suppose the most obvious thing to put on this list is that I became officially a professional paid writer this year. I spent most of 2016 working on this show and producing my three episodes. What I learned this year is that I can do this. I always thought I knew I could do it, but the honest truth is that I didn't really know until I started doing it. I always wanted to teach - and when I first taught university five years ago, I hoped that it would work out because I had a desire to do it. I feel the same way about writing for TV. I always had a desire to do it, but I didn't actually know. As I get ready for my second season on the show, I walk in with knowledge on how to do the job. I have confidence in what I am capable of doing. I had so many "I don't know if I can do this" moments working on the show. I remember the first time sitting in video village and just sitting there, watching everything unfold. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing so I had better just shut up and listen. And I did that for a couple of days, then I started getting pulled in and more involved. And then I started doing things because they were asked of me. I was asked my opinion, so I had to give it. I was asked to help rewrite something, so I did it. That made me pay more attention and give my feedback when it was time to do that. It was trial and error, like everything. But I came through and I did it. And it was incredible. And I'm ready to do it again.
- Joining the WGA - This was completely unexpected. I thought that because we were a "web series" officially that I wouldn't get enough credits to join the union until the next gig. But I wrote two half hour episodes (that were later expanded into three episodes) and that got me into the WGA. I sat in a room last weekend with other new members of the Guild and I listened to how important being a part of this community is. I realized that I had done something that so many people want to do, but never get the chance to. It's an incredible honor that I take incredibly seriously. I'm really honored by it and it was the perfect end to my year. I'm excited to start contributing to my pension and to start setting up a financial future for myself.
- Regular Teaching Gig - I was teaching Playwriting at SDSU for a friend on maternity leave when I got the TV gig. I had a regular gig and then I got asked to teach in the Fall. And then I was asked to teach two classes in the Spring Semester. Then I got another gig to teach at another school in the Spring as well. As of this typing, I'm still figuring out if I can do all of it. Two years ago, I was applying for teaching jobs and wanting so badly to get employed somewhere. For years, I was trying to get in to a university to teach. And now, it feels like I've got people wanting me for jobs. I'm trying to find a way to balance the teaching and the writing. But maybe the teaching needs to fall by the waist side for a bit. I don't know. I'd like to think I can do it all, but the logistics might be completely out of my hands. Teaching helps me give back. Teaching reinforces what I know and it makes me a better writer. But maybe I've learned everything I need to learn from teaching for right now. I know that I can leave the doors open and come back to teaching when I want to. I'll be in demand because of the work I'm doing. But there are personal reasons I'm trying to keep all three of my jobs.
- Writing my best play so far - In September 2015, I had the final reading for a play I had been working on since February of that year. I went through 11 or 12 drafts of this play. It had been all that I worked on all year - and I was starting to hear from colleagues that this was THE play of my career so far. I couldn't listen to any of that and I started working on another play. When I brought in some pages for my writers group, I got an enthusiastic response. That encouraged me to keep going and I finished a full draft of this new play in February 2016. When I heard it, I knew there was something there. I sent it to the head of the writer's group and he flipped. We immediately started talking about a workshop. Then the company committed to the workshop and then the company committed to me as a new member. We did our workshop in August 2016 while I was also finishing up production on our show. I did some serious rewrites and was getting really engaged in the work. We had an incredible cast that was assembled by my incredible director and the workshop was a dream. Now THIS was the play that everyone started talking about. And I started another new play because I couldn't listen to all of the hype. I don't expect that play to be better than this one. I didn't expect this play to be better than the last one. I had to write it. I have to write this new play. That's all I'm trying to worry about. This new play I'm writing is going to be a mean little play. I try to find a challenge each time I work on something new. Because of the size of the play - and the next one I want to write - they feel more producible. But I didn't give a shit about producibility in the last two plays and I don't care about it now in these next two. These are just the stories I want to tell. I write plays because I realize that my voice is not being heard in the theatre and it needs to. Would I like my plays produced by all the big theatres in the country? Sure. But as a new acquaintance said to me recently, "Working in TV takes the pressure off of getting my plays produced." I get that. I have a completely different attitude about getting plays produced. That doesn't mean that the plays are bad or that I stop caring about people hearing them. But it feels like the path to production in theatre is narrower than my ability to work in other mediums. I also am learning that just because a play doesn't get produced - or doesn't get produced right away - doesn't make it a bad play. I write plays because I have something to say. Or I have something to say about a subject that's familiar that is unlike what other people are saying on the subject. But just writing this play has been one of the biggest accomplishments of the year.
- Joining a Theatre Company - This was something I never even thought to dream about. I liked the idea of being a part of a theatre company. I thought that the only way for me to do that was to start my own. But I didn't know how that would happen and I don't know if I had the time to start something from scratch. This was an experience where people liked my work and my personhood and then wanted me to join their merry band of misfits already in progress. I'm humbled by it because I finally got something I wanted last year when I almost got a literary manager job at a theatre out of town. Thank God I didn't get that job. I started to talk myself into that job because I felt that I needed to be a taste maker in the American Theatre. It needed someone like me - and it still does. But now I can be a taste maker in my theatre in LA. I don't need to be anointed by the AT. They don't give a shit about me. I've been kicking around for awhile. The irony is that they might care about me more the more I accomplish as a TV writer. But being a member of our company means something to me. And taking part in what we do as a company - being a part of that community - means something to me. I have real influence and say in what we do as a company. It's amazing.
- Producing - I helped produce a festival and I'm going to be producing two workshops and at least one reading for the theatre company. I wrote our annual fundraising letter. I'm running our writer's group for the first four months of next year. I stood behind a camera and produced my TV episodes. I'm getting involved in producing again and that excites me. I'm learning a lot about how both TV and plays are produced. This has lead to the next thing -
- Realizing I Want to Direct - I have nothing on this other than the fact that I want to do it. I had to co-direct my short play in our festival. I decided I wanted to direct a play workshop and then my friend Cory said I should direct his workshop. And that blew me away. So I'm doing that in June 2017. Being on set, I realized that when I become a showrunner, I want to start directing as well. I know it's a path to directing that's available to me. But I want to start preparing for it by directing other things. I don't know if I would direct a full-length play any time soon, but I know how to work with material and I have a visual sense. I also forgot that I used to be a choreographer in college. I can stage things. I took a directing class in college and didn't feel I did very well at it, so I have been afraid of directing ever since. Yet, I directed by senior showcase in college (a long time ago) and I produced that myself. I've been prepping for this for a long time.
- A Break Up - I ended a relationship on January 4th and then everything good that happened this year happened. I'm slowly trying to have a friendship with my ex. I'm learning a lot about putting my feelings forward and not being afraid to be vulnerable. I have great affection for my ex, but I am no longer in love with him. I couldn't say that for most of the year. I'm not in love with him any more, but I have care and respect for him. I care about what happens to him. I care about his well being. But it is no longer any of my concern.
- Getting a Manager - I got new representation this year. And things are not moving as fast as I want them to, but maybe that's okay. I'm creating work. I've got work. And I'm learning things that are becoming excellent skills for me. Much like I'm building a financial future with the Guild, I'm building a TV career with my manager. We're putting the building blocks together. I'm incredibly excited about this next year to come. I feel like I have support around me to start making things happen.
Again, this has been an incredible year. So many things have happened. And I'm still at it in the last two weeks of this year, trying to finish one more script. Whatever strides I make on the pilot and on the new play will have to carry me through until the Spring. I have a play challenge in February that I may or may not participate in. I don't know how I'm going to do it if I do. The great thing about having a theatre company is that I have resources available to me. I don't need this play challenge any more. And I"m thinking that some things in my life will have to shift. I may have to give things up to allow new opportunities to come my way. But in the mean time, I'm going to try and say YES to as many things as I can. But I'm also going to try and learn when I have to say NO. What an incredible position to be in.
My intention is growth.
My intention is flourishing.
My intention is expansion.
My intention is awareness.
My intention is happiness.
I am grateful for friendships.
I am grateful for a busy calendar.
I am grateful for love in my life.
I am grateful for my optimism and its longevity.
No comments:
Post a Comment