My last full day of this writer's retreat went well. It started out rough - with two beers in the morning and then some buzzed blogging. But it freed me up and by the time I got back from lunch and the Korean Spa at 3 PM, I was ready to work. And I did a lot of work. I took a couple of breaks, but didn't really finish up until 11:30 PM and I was spent.
I rebroke the outline. I had figured out some key character moments that I needed to figure out. It was really good over all. I have a much clearer arc for my main character going through the pilot. There's a lot that will be changed.
What about "actual writing?" I wrote four pages of a new opener that still needs to be fixed. But the work I did structurally is going to make that rewrite so much easier. I'm no longer the kind of writer who can just write and write hoping to get somewhere. Not with my TV and Film work anyway. I need to know where I'm going. And this writer's retreat was a massive success for that. I needed to get away to clear my head.
From the moment I got into town, ideas started flowing. The fantasy is that I get here and by Friday I have a fully realized rewrite. Writing doesn't work that way. Especially when you take time to take a hard look at structural issues. The hope is that the more you get specific about the problems in your script - and the more you work - the faster that problem solving becomes. And I'm much more in tune with how to fix that stuff now. I'm in a race to get my own stuff done because I go back to work on January 2nd.
Going back to work on a show can be a thrilling and scary thing at the same time. It's thrilling because time passes more quickly when you're in a room with other writers and group thinking. That I love. This will be my second time in the room, so I've learned a lot about how my ideas translate on the page. I have more confidence than I did a year ago. But what the whole process of being on staff has taught me is how to think fast and work fast. That's an incredible skill - to not be precious about everything. And it's scary because it means that the personal creative work takes a back seat for a bit. The money and the company are great - so that's what I try and focus on when I'm in the room. I try to focus on the things that I have versus the things I don't. My skills improve when I'm in the room. And I take those skills and put it into my own personal work when I'm not in the room. I also hone my skills for the room when I'm teaching. So I'm excited to bring that with me into the room as well.
That's all to say that the work I did this week was important. Because I'll be working on the script in this following week before I have to sit down between Christmas and New Years and grade my student work. So the work happening Sunday, Monday and Tuesday will be the work on the actual script. With the structural work I did, I can get a solid draft done in a few days. That won't be too hard. I know what I'm capable of doing.
And today I leave. I'm doing some recapping of what I worked on during the last four days in my journal for the project. I'm doing this blog. I had some good personal time as well as some productive time. I'm really grateful. This was money well spent and time well spent. It's a good thing.
My intention is work.
My intention is focus.
My intention is growth and expansion.
My intention is to bear fruit.
My intention is results.
My intention is open heartedness.
My intention is readiness.
My intention is to do it all.
I am grateful for four days in Vegas in a hotel room to myself.
I am grateful to spend time with my ex-boyfriend and to solidify a friendship.
I am grateful for the affirmation that I am in the right place and doing the right thing.
I am grateful for many good nights sleep.
I am grateful for a writing retreat that was productive.
I am grateful for my own space.
I am grateful for friends who checked in on me.
I am grateful for my community of writers who keep me productive and honest.
I am grateful for the knowledge that I am on the right track.
I am grateful for certainty.
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