I have been angry about the lack of recognition of grief and trauma we are living through during this pandemic. Tens of thousands dead and this separation and loss is not acknowledged. I am taking the time to build a small altar in my home, with a candle. I recognize and honor the dead. They mattered, they are precious, they …
The things we want to be disciplined at are actually fairly simple in a lot of ways, writes Leo Babauta. We want to be consistent with the journaling habit, or meditation, or writing? Just start, as simply as possible. Do that again the next day. If you miss a day, no problem — just start again. Over and over. All …
I find information about the subconscious and creativity enormously interesting. I have learned that giving requests to my subconscious before bed, then meditating on them and writing them down in the morning, is a way to rewire the brain for creativity. “Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.” — Thomas Edison I take a few moments before going …
I’m enjoying rereading David Edgar’s “How Plays Work,” which is packed with delicious information and knowledge. He writes in the chapter on Genre, of the importance of what people (characters and audience members) know when, which he calls the “choreography of knowledge.” His example is one of my favorites: “It’s worth noting how brilliantly Sophocles choreographs the information available to …
One of the things I do when I write a play is assemble a Tumblr with all of my inspirations and research. It helps me keep everything in one place while I write. It’s also invaluable as a place to refer those people who ask, “What inspired you?” or don’t believe you when you write, for example, character who’s stalked …
The poem, “Lines Written Near San Francisco,” by Louis Simpson, is a work of stunning anxiety. Perfect for pandemic times, I’m afraid. My favorite passage: Whitman was wrong about the People, But right about himself. The land is within. At the end of the open road we come to ourselves. Read the whole thing here.
Ever wish you had a personal coach or even a personal nag who would stand behind you and make you write when you don’t want to? Maybe I do, too. I’m sometimes good at self-motivating … and sometimes terrible. That’s why I’m glad I came upon the idea of a “commitment device.” A commitment device is different than a motivation …
This poem by Maggie Smith resonated strongly with me. “This place could be beautiful, right?” Life is short, though I keep this from my children. Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways, a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative …
I’m moving into an intense rehearsal and recording period in August. First up is “Bystanders” for Central Works. It was scheduled to premiere as a live play in October, but is uniquely suited to audio. There is a single moment that is viscerally visual, but the play has a lot of storytelling that lends itself to soundscape, and the climax …
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” –Howard Thurman (photo by Mi Pham)