The Year of Challenges: March

It's the middle of March. Actually, it's the 17th. St. Patrick's Day. I have two weeks left of this month and I am not anywhere near a script for the pilot. I have been working my outline like crazy.

I also have two day jobs right now. I'm teaching. And I'm staffed on a web series. I'm producing a night of theatre for my students. And I just finished coordinating a Play Rewrite Challenge for my theatre group.

I've decided to say no to applying for another writer's group. I've had to postpone a reading that was supposed to happen in April…to May. I'm nervous about getting that done. And now I have a new manager (more on that soon), so there's even more work to be done.

This month's challenge was supposed to be a non-writing Challenge. Like Yoga. Or Hiking. The way this year of Challenges is turning out, it's not going to be that. Maybe my Challenge this month should be to get some sleep. I'm sure that will be an upcoming non writing Challenge. I have to finish this new pilot rewrite by the end of the month. I'm seriously uncertain if this will happen But it needs to because I need another sample to have in case I need it for something.

I've thought about abandoning the Challenges because the point of them was to stay productive. But work has taken care of that. I still think it's important to do my own work while still getting paid for other stuff.

If March's Challenge is a final draft of this pilot.
Then April's will be the play rewrite for the reading.
And May's Challenge will be a new pilot idea suggested by my manager.
Then I'm leaving shit open-ended.
June could be the play rewrite of the play I just finished if I have nothing else to do.

But in the spirit of keeping the path open and making sure my launching pad is clear (this is an idea that worked very well for me earlier and I believe helped make room for the web series job), I am not going to plan anything else for the rest of the year. I'm leaving room for work to start filling those voids.

But at that point I will have rewritten a pilot, written a new play, rewritten that pilot again, rewritten an old play, started a new pilot and rewritten the play I started in February. That's literally a script a month. And it will result in working on three scripts in six months. Plus the two scripts I'm getting paid to do.

Holy shit. That's amazing. I can't complain. I'm working at a breakneck pace.

And then maybe sleep. Somewhere. Somehow.

I am grateful for the rest I do get.
I am grateful for peace and quiet.
I am grateful to have money in my pocket to make plans with friends.
I am grateful for the good things that have happened.
I am grateful for the love of friends and family I have.
I am grateful that I have some peace and quiet. 
I am grateful that I'm seeing some very good playwright friends next month.

The Year of Challenges: February Recap

When I started out in January thinking about giving myself one new Challenge a month, I had no idea how much work would be coming my way. I'm still committed to getting one Challenge done a month, I'm not going to slow down. The original idea was to stay productive. Last month, I got staffed on a web series and that's keeping me busy. I'm writing my first episode this month. And my second episode next month.

In the middle of that I completed my February Challenge. I finished a new play. It's 107 pages. I gave this whole diatribe in a blog post last month about how long this play was going to be and how it was really the first of two plays. I no longer believe that. I went off on intermissionless plays. I heard it read two weeks ago. It's going to be a play without an intermission. I'm restructuring it that way.

I'm amazed at how people are reacting to the new play. I spent eight months last year working on a new play. I had a series of readings and a workshop. Then I sent it off everywhere for development. I didn't want to be obsessing with what was going to happen to it out in the world. So I decided to write a play I had been thinking about since April 2015. And four months later, I finished it. In that amount of time I've worked on two pilots.

With the 61 pages of the pilot I rewrote in January and this play at 107 pages, my page count for the year so far is 168 pages. I've got a lot more to do this year.

I have a play reading in May, so I'll be rewriting another play.
I want to make some minor changes to the new play so I have something ready to be read by the theatre company whose writers group I'm in. The moderator of the group I'm in seems to be really into it.
Then maybe there will be some play development stuff going on with the play I wrote last year and maybe even a production. So I expect my page count will be going up.
I have rewrites of the pilot from January that I need to do. I'm tightening up my outline now.
I'm teaching and grading plays.
I'm getting ready to produce an evening of theatre in April.
There's a shit ton going on.
But I did say I wanted to be busy this year. I am busy.

So right now I'm 2 for 2. I didn't get the secondary challenge of finishing another rewrite of the pilot in February. That's being pushed to this month. More on that…

I am grateful for every word I type.
I am grateful that the work keeps coming.
I am grateful for the new challenges that have come my way.
I am grateful for the new friendships I have made at work.
I am grateful for my students who continue to challenge me.
I am grateful for everything good in my life.

Jobs

I just got hired on a web series. That is fantastic news. I started thinking about having two jobs. I'm teaching this term as well and I'm fortunate that those two things are not in conflict with one another. Then I thought about the pilot I'm rewriting. That's a third job. And a play I'm finishing. That's a fourth job. And the play I have to rewrite for a rewrite for a reading in April. That's a fifth job. And I'm looking for new representation. That's a sixth job. And there might be a couple of other play things going on this year, so those might be a seventh and eighth job.

I have to really think about all of these as jobs. Some of them don't pay. Or not yet. I'm writing scripts to get things produced or for more staffing opportunities. I remember something my grief counselor said to me three years ago, after my Dad died. He said that writing was my job. I was a working writer despite not getting paid for it yet. Because it's what I spent my time doing. I dedicated time and space to writing every day. I'm at the library right now working: my mobile office. Yes, I am getting paid to be on staff on this show. And I'm taking time to enjoy that feeling before the work begins. But I've been working in offices that I've paid for. I've been dedicating time and making sacrifices for my work, for my jobs.

That's the switch that has gone off. These are all jobs that I have. And I have to take them seriously. All of these jobs will eventually lead to money. Some of them already have and that's another boost I've needed. It motivates me to work harder and to keep my butt in the chair. It has made the visualization easier because it makes the vision clearer. And that makes my motivation and my intention stronger. And it brings opportunity with greater velocity. It's momentum.

Now I've got to get to work.

I am grateful for my new staff job.
I am grateful for my teaching.
I am grateful for my new pilot script.
I am grateful that I outlined it so quickly.
I am grateful for the pilot script I wrote before that.
I am grateful for the play I am writing now.
I am grateful for the support of all the writers groups and organizations that have given me a place to present my work.
I am grateful for the support of family and friends.
I am grateful for the actors, director, assistant director, dramaturg and producers who gave me the opportunity to present new work last year.
I am grateful for every page I've written and every page I'm writing and about to write.
I am grateful for the clarity of vision that got me here.

Next Level Stillness

I consider myself a productive person. Everyone in my life would hopefully tell you the same thing about me. I like to have things to do, to fill my time. My history tells me that being busy and productive means that I'm working hard. If I'm just kicking back, letting things kind of happen then I'm not putting the work and energy into my goal. I've done a lot of work over the past few years towards being more still. That has meant just living a quieter life. I started by just being quieter. I start my mornings in as much silence as possible. I meditate. I do all of the things that are supposed to make me calmer. I don't drink coffee any more. I try to regulate my sugar intake to make me less jittery. I'm still loud, that hasn't changed.

I realize that calmness is not the same as stillness. I can still have a fire and be still. I can still have focus and energy and be still. My friend Susan told me a few weeks ago a story about keeping my launch pad clear. That metaphor has really spoken to me. Today I realize how that image of keeping my launch pad clear is related to stillness. Clutter is visual noise. If I keep adding things to a clean launch pad, then my rocket still can't take off.

For me that is Next Level Stillness. De-cluttering my life. I did my cleanse last month and in the process of that physical cleanse came a spiritual one. I got rid of a partner that was cluttering up my launch pad. He didn't know it. I didn't know it. But when he was gone, I had a clearer perspective. I have more time to devote to my work: that will make me more desirable to an employer and to an opportunity. The playwriting class I'm teaching is only seven students this semester. That's all I need. The students who dropped out allowed me to focus more attention on the seven students I do have. It's all de-cluttering.

I have been practicing getting things done as a way of de-cluttering. There are some opportunities on the table and I am clearing my plate so that those opportunities have the chance to land and so I have the chance to take off. So yes, I have given myself this Year of Challenges and I filled the plate up. I also know that if something needs to be put on hold in order for something to land, then that's fine. It's all about flight patterns. Maybe something else needs to circle for a bit so that the opportunity I need can land. I'm only handling one thing at a time.

I have a play reading in April that I need to do a rewrite for. And it feels great to have things in the docket. But if I have to postpone that reading so that a job can so that a job can land, then I'm all for kicking the reading down the road a bit longer. I have a production that I want to happen this year. I need to make room for that as well.

I don't have to do everything at once. If I'm obsessed with teaching, then I'm not making time for other things. My approach to teaching this time around is to do the work I need to do and to place limits on my time and commitment. I used to think that meant I didn't care, that somehow doing five times the work that was being asked of me was somehow noble. In reality, sometimes if I'm done done with that job, then I can't invite another opportunity. I have an opportunity coming up that I intend on making room for. And it's an opportunity that's easily manageable with my teaching schedule without compromising anything. But I can't do that and teaching (two jobs that pay) and finish the play and finish the outline. Something will get compromised. So it's fine that if the thing that gets compromised is the play or the outline. But if I get the play and the outline finished or near completion so that I can finish it and then be ready to start another gig, that's really where I want to be.

That's why I've been working so hard to get these other things off my plate. They are also opportunities that can lead somewhere that I want to take advantage of. I'm working towards paying jobs this year, so the things that can most quickly and directly lead to that are where my focus is right now. I feel so good about the ideas happening around the play and the pilot. I feel good about the skill that I'm building as an idea generator as well, which is the skill I'll need the most in taking on a writing gig. I've got the productivity down. I've got the writing down. And now I have the idea generating down. These are all skills that I'm building on. I'm putting the energy out there that's alerting the Universe that I want these opportunities by preparing for the job that I want.

It's this stillness that I've been building that has allowed me this focus. It starts from giving up caffeine five years ago and it leads directly and incrementally to starting a new job.

I am grateful for the ability to connect the dots.
I am grateful for the stillness and clarity I've been able to bring into my life.
I am grateful for deliberate and conscious thoughts and actions.
I am grateful for my friends who inspire the go-getter in me.
I am grateful for the grace to know what's my business and what is not my business.
I am grateful for the continual practice of decluttering.

The Year of Challenges: February Report

As I've mentioned, I've given myself a year of Challenges to accomplish. Last month, it was rewriting my pilot script. This month it's finishing my new play. It's the end of the first week of February and I've finished Act One.  Admittedly, I only probably had 18 or so pages to write to finish the end of the Act. But on Monday, Feb 1st I didn't even know what the end of Act One would be. I didn't know how close I was to the end of the act. So now I'm ready to start Act Two. I know where I want it to start. I know where I want it to end (I think). So now I need to figure out how we get there.

Here's the new challenge. I worked on both projects this week. Act One of the play is 76 pages. Act Two will probably be another 50-60 pages. That's not a small play. That's a two and a half hour play with intermission. Listen, not every play can be 90 minutes no intermission. I love those plays. I've written one or two plays like that. Four characters, no intermission. But my last couple plays have been long. And this story is actually two plays I'm thinking. So indulgent.

Okay, that's not the challenge I was talking about. I finished Act One this week. I also got notes on my pilot rewrite. I worked on those notes last night. I'm at the place where I'm ready to start Act Two of the play and the new outline for the pilot. I'm thinking that I'm going to have a rewrite of the pilot done at the end of February. That will be my second Challenge of the month. Is this year turning out to be even more productive than I thought?

Not like focusing on one writing project a month isn't ambitious. But last month I rewrote the pilot. I also did my cleanse. I did very minimal work on the play. This month I'm going to finish the play and finish the pilot rewrite. Next month…

Okay, let's not spike expectations just yet. I need to figure out how to prioritize. That's the overall challenge this month. The main challenge has always been to finish the play. Let's finish the play this week! I'm still percolating on the new scenes of the pilot and how to rearrange some plot points. I need time to think on that. But I'm motivated to get it done sooner rather than later. So let's get that nuts and bolts planning shit done this week while I prep to write the pilot in the last two weeks of the month.

Okay, that's a plan.

I am grateful for friendships with writers.
I am grateful for smart, talented actors.
I am grateful for friends who send me job opportunities.
I am grateful for friends who put me up for jobs.
I am grateful for all the spinning I've been doing this week.

The Year of Challenges: January Recap

2016 has been set to be my Year of Challenges. How true that has ended up being.

When I said Year of Challenges, I meant that I would take the format of my Playwriting and TV Pilot Challenges of writing a play or pilot, respectively, in a month and apply it to a different challenge every month.

I ended up having to deal with a break up as well. There's a challenge for you.

So January became a month of new beginnings, of taking care of myself and of proving that a break up wasn't going to define me this month or this year. I needed to set a personal tone for myself for 2016. And that included getting a pilot rewritten.

The official challenge was to "rewrite something you wrote last year." And I did. I wrote 61 pages. A new draft of a drama pilot. That's exciting. I've also focused on clearing the path for things to come into my life this year. I obviously did that by ending my relationship. But I also have done that by getting this pilot off of my docket. I have another script, a play I started last year, to write in February.

I also had two other challenges I accomplished last month, I stayed sober and went vegan for the month. I kept it up even after breaking up two days after I started those challenges. I needed to know for myself that I could take care of myself during rough times instead of doing things that were self-destructive.

This month I'm just going to give myself the Challenge of writing a new play. That seems to be enough, given the subject matter.

I am grateful for challenges.
I am grateful that I got through January.
I am grateful that life keeps moving forward.

Managing

Ask me how I am these days and I'll say I'm managing. Yes, I just went through a break up two weeks ago and my emotions are up and down. But I don't mean that I'm hanging in there. I mean that I'm juggling a lot of stuff right now. It feels good to be busy. I am the manager of my life.

I started teaching this week. I have seven students in my Playwriting class at SDSU. That's pretty amazing. It feels good to get back in the classroom. I enjoy sitting around and talking creativity with a bunch of students. We sat around for the first class yesterday and I went into my schpiel about what the class entails. I couldn't believe I was able to talk that much for that long. I think I kept the energy up and kept things interesting.

Today, I spent all day coming up with my lesson plans for all the classes I'm teaching. I kind of couldn't help myself. I'm trying to create room for other things to come into my life by having all of my teaching plans settled. It means, again, that I am clearing the launch pad. Making room for the things that need to come into my life. I went through each week and realized that I have a pretty good plan for how this class is supposed to work. I have a pretty good sense of organization.

I have another project I'm working on: the play rewrite challenge. I'm going to finish the play I started in February. And in order to get that going, I probably have to have the pilot I'm working on now off my plate. That has been hard. I've been really interested in the ideas and themes of the pilot, but it has taken me awhile to wrap my head around what to change. I think I'm closer, but I need to find time to write the thing. And honestly, I think I'm dragging my feet because there are a few things I still need to figure out. Also, I know I can bang out that pilot in three days, once I know where I'm going.

I've been looking for new representation as well. My material is out to some people. I sent it out and I'm kind of forgetting about it. I'm just letting things be right now because I'm so busy. Yes, I want things to happen yesterday. But I've got to focus on what is in front of me. And there's plenty to focus on in that arena.

I'm feeling incredibly busy, productive and useful. Maybe that's a distraction from the break up. But at least it's keeping me moving.

I am grateful for all of the activity in my life.
I am grateful for the fun I'm having.
I am grateful for the friends who have rallied around me.
I am grateful for the fact that things are looking up.
I am grateful that I'm not spending my weekend at a music conference this year.
I am grateful that the sky's the limit.