Encounters in Writing and Theatre

Thank you, Assistance League of Salem

2012-02-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

Since November, we have been performing our play "Paul Bunyan" regularly in the schools, thanks to the Assistance League of Salem and their program Operation Art Adventures. They contracted with us May 2011 to do about 30 performances in the Salem area elementary schools and we'll be finishing up those performances next week on the 29th.

One AL member asked me today if I'll be going into withdrawals next week. I said that I'd be
dancing around the house because I'll have more time. Now I'm thinking she was so RIGHT. Tears are starting to form at the corners of my eyes just writing this post!

And why is that? Because of the kids! Through the months we've performed we've had teachers and counselors tell us:
"It was so great you picked that child to play the part; they needed the boost."
"Great job! The kids really loved it."
"They've never been so attentive in an assembly."

And the kids have commented:
"That was a great movie you did." (Okay so they don't get to see many live plays. We'll worry about the vocabulary another day.)
"Can you come next week?"
"Thank you for letting me be Babe the Blue Ox."
"You did good!"
"Thank you."

What a delight. Thank you, Assistance League, for allowing us this wonderful school year. Thank you, kids, for being great audiences...and remember the secret code is 398.2

Reading and Writing and More Reading Excitement

2012-01-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

I got a Kindle Touch in November for my birthday...And that's my excuse for any blogging not getting done.

I love reading. Here's a sample of what I've been reading, not necessarily in this order:
*How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks - All for Free, by Jason Matthews
*How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months, by John Locke
*Smashwords Style Guide, by Mark Coker
(You can tell what that's all about, right?)

*The Complete Idiot's Guide to Year-Round Gardening, by Delilah Smittle and Sheri Ann Richerson (I started reading the kindle book through my library's lending program but I ran out of time so I ended up buying the paperback because it was cheaper than the Kindle version. I'm happy with it either way. Did you know you can compost your shredded paper?! I digress)
*101 Self-Sufficiency Gardening Tips, by Sheri Ann Richerson (On Kindle loan through Amazon. Too bad my Amazon Prime trial runs out next week).
*Running Wide Open, by Lisa Nowak (ah, finally, a fiction novel for relaxation--Lisa is an indie author and part of the Indelibles team--an impressive group of writers.)
*My Man Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse (reading this with the hubby; shared humor is funnier)

Between Smashwords and Amazon, my Kindle is loaded!

You may ask: "That's a lot of reading but you said something about 'writing' excitement?" Well, yes. The whole point in reading the How-to manuals in regards to ebooks is because I'm getting ready to publish that way. AND GETTING READY TAKES SO LONG--I'm about to faint from brain overload. Right when I think it's time to format and upload, there's a book I have to read about it, so I'm totally ready. I need to stop doing that and forget about being totally ready; maybe almost ready is close enough.

And here's what's coming soon from me:
White Fire: Delsina watches her house burn around her parents as she flees with her oldest brother, Talem. When she realizes escape preparations were made years before Sethrum, Man of Fire, entered her home and burned up her family, she thinks it's because Sethrum is after Talem. But that's not so; Sethrum is after Delsina for a special talent she doesn't know she has.

I'm also helping a friend out. His first book is:
As the Mind Wanders: People, Teenagers and Other Wildlife: Non-fiction observations from many years spent watching and participating in the often strange, disgusting, angering and/or humorous events of our daily lives here in the United States.

The Mist of Stuart Mountain

2011-10-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

(a Halloween story just for the fun of it. Took me 1.5 hours to write, and it hasn't been edited; they'll be lots of mistakes but enjoy anyway).

The dog howled, not barked, howled. Then stopped. The noise was preferable to the sudden silence.

Inside the vacation cabin, Thomas held an open book on his lap. It made him look like he was reading. Sue stopped in mid-knit.

“The dog?” she finally questioned her husband.

“I better check on him,” Thomas said, closing the book and putting it on the new end table made to look rustic. “Probably got his foot stuck somewhere.”

Sue rose when her husband did. “Wait. The dog would still be howling if it was only his foot.”

Thomas smiled. “Would it help if I took the gun?”

Sue laughed. They didn’t own a gun. The only thing they used to shoot anything were cameras. Thomas and Sue loved nature and loved their yearly trip to the mountain cabin. This year, they hadn’t been able to make it until October 31 but they figured that would be okay because they might see something different at this season. To start, they enjoyed the beautiful fall colors.

“I think you need to be cautious,” Sue said. “It could be a bear.” Her smile faded when she realized the dog could very well have been killed by a bear.

“Let me call the dog from the window.” Thomas walked over to the kitchen window and opened it. A chill air came in. “Zoom,” he called. There was no answering bark or whine.

“Zoom!” he called louder, but there was still no response from their pet Saint Bernard.

Now Thomas was worried. Zoom usually stayed near the cabin. His interests tended toward nosing around the clearing, not wandering away. Thomas closed the kitchen window and walked into the bedroom. Over his shoulder, he told Sue, “Let’s not get worried yet. Maybe Zoom chased a skunk. I hope we have a lot of tomato sauce.” He laughed, trying to calm himself and Sue.

Thomas kept the light off in the bedroom and looked out the window. The moon, though it wasn’t full, still lit up the mountain clearing. Mist moved along the ground and through the trees. It wasn’t too thick to see the yard. Zoom wasn’t in it, but Thomas opened the window anyway to call for the dog. A cold breeze and bits of mist entered and swirled around the bedroom.

“Sue,” Thomas called to his wife as he closed the window and walked back to the front room, “let’s both call Zoom from the front porch.” He saw Sue out of the corner of his eye by the east window. He opened the front door, letting in more cold air and more mist. “Come on,” he told Sue.

But before he stepped out the door, Sue made a strange noise. Thomas finally looked at his wife.

She looked at him with terror in her eyes. Mist swirled in front of her, almost creating an opaque wall between them. He couldn’t see what terrified her but his heart began to pound harder.

“Sue,” he spoke slowly, “can you come here, please?” She shook her head slightly. “Sue, it’s just mist. Come through it.” She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head again.

The mist was swirling closer to her now. Sue gasped and Thomas saw blood well up on Sue’s arm. She shrank in, making her body smaller, trying to keep further away from the mist. Another tendril of vapor whipped out, lashing her cheek. Blood flowed to her chin.

The sight of the blood put Thomas into motion. Without thinking, he strode towards Sue and the mist. He was ready to put his arm through it, grab Sue and haul her away from the fog. The two of them might be bleeding but they needed to get away from this evil. But as he reached towards Sue, the fog parted. He took her hand and turned to leave.

Thomas stumbled back against his wife. The mist had gone around him, enclosing them both. Thomas could now see what he could not a moment ago. There were gruesome faces glaring at him. Now and then a hand formed in the mist and each hand he saw held a knife. One lashed out towards him and blood oozed through his sleeve. Sue was sobbing against his back. He leaned into her, trying to protect her body with his.

When they first started coming to the cabin, they had laughed when they read the legend of the Stuart gang, a band of murderous thieves from the early 1800s who had disappeared into these woods October 31, 1811 and had never been seen again. No one was sad about that; no one ever looked for them again. Thomas and Sue were the first to see them in two hundred years.

Another slash through his leg caught Thomas off guard. He was seriously bleeding now. He would die but perhaps he could save Sue. Turning, Thomas leaned on Sue and brought her to the floor in a heap, covering her as much as possible.

“No,” she said, realizing what was happening. “We’ve got to run.”

“Can’t,” he said simply, wearily.

“Zoom!” Sue yelled. “Zoom! Zoom! Help!”

The misty Stuart gang stopped at her plea for help. As if hearing something out of the range of humans, they turned their heads towards the door.

Sue looked under her husband’s arm and saw their faithful dog snarling with all his teeth showing, his fur down his back standing on end. Zoom leaped through the mist to their aid. He faced the evil vapor and bit at it. The dog was winning. The faces in the mist reacted as if Zoom’s teeth harmed them. He barked, snarled and bit, backing the Stuart gang out the front door and away into the woods, never leaving the porch. When the mist disappeared, Zoom trotted into the cabin and nosed the door closed. Then the massive dog plopped himself in front of the door and gave a cross between a happy bark and a concerned whine. It sent Sue into action.

She helped Thomas into a sitting position with his back against the wall. Reaching into her knitting basket, she pulled out a half-finished scarf and tied it around the wound on his leg that was still bleeding. “Can you get up? We’ll get you to the hospital.”

With Sue’s help, Thomas stood but when they took a step towards the front door, Zoom growled.

After a brief moment, Thomas said, “It’s safer to stay for the night.” He eased himself to the couch.

Sue agreed with him. “I’ll get some wet towels and the first aid kit.” She disappeared down the hall, turning on every light as she went.

Two hours later, the adrenaline was gone and their wounds were dressed. They fell asleep together on the couch, near their dog.

Once they slept, Zoom lay down and turned into mist.

NaNoWriMo

2011-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

National Novel Writing Month is just less than six days away! The suspense is building, like it does when someone says, "On your mark. Get set..." AND GO!

NaNoWriMo is in November and during that time, writing enthusiasts try to write a novel with a minimum of 50,000 words from scratch. The website allows you to track your progress and become friends with other writers. If you're a young writer (17 and under), you get to choose your target word count through the Young Writers Program. It's a chaotic, intense,
leave-the-dishes-in-the-sink month (and, boy, do those dishes stack up).

I participated for the first time in 2009 and had a rough draft of White Fire at the end of November. In 2010, I wrote Thirina's Desert. It's still only in rough draft form. A friend said we need a NaNoEdMo so we'll be spurred on to actual edit our manuscripts.

Now for the math (which I do every year):
November = 30 days
Weekdays = 22 days (I like to leave 2 days a week open and Sunday is a total rest day for me)
Holiday = 2 days (Prepping for and then Thanksgiving Day which is game playing day (we participate in the Million Minute Challenge, too--nothing to do with NaNoWriMo).
TOTAL WRITING DAYS = 20.
50,000 words / 20 = 2500 words per writing day.
2500 words per day / 1000 words per hour (my typing speed) = 2.5 hours per day.

Between performing, teaching, working, sleeping (now and then), praying and playing, I have to find 2.5 hours to write. Be sure not to disturb me during those times.

Book Away!

2011-10-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

My MG Fantasy novel, White Fire, is completed for Round 1 of editing. Phew!

It's being critiqued by my writer's group, an editor friend, and family members who have an eye for good storytelling. Then comes Round 2 of editing. I already know I left off a couple of chapters...not the whole chapters, just I forgot to put "Chapter 4" and "Chapter 5."

My poor editor friend got my pre-edited version without me realizing it. But...okay...is this good or bad? She liked it before she knew that it was not my edited version. So either she is being a little too gentle or maybe she really liked the story. I'm going with "liked the story" because I sent her the story on Thursday, she finished it
by Sunday. I hope she likes the edited version. Maybe I made it worse. I guess I'll know in a week or two.

Unfortunately...or fortunately, I don't have time to sit around and wonder about the red marks the members of my writer's group, my editor friend or my storytelling family members are making because I'm on to a new story!

Time to write. Round 2 editing of White Fire will have to wait until all the votes are in.

Typing up the Edits

2011-10-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Besides Christmas and molasses, I don't think there's anything slower than typing up the edits made on my printed out manuscript. The process is thusly:
Look down at the manuscript for scratch outs and additions.
Look up at the computer screen and scroll to that page in the manuscript.
Look down at the paper to verify where you are.
Look up at the manuscript to find the exact spot.
Look down for the changes and memorize what those are.
Look up and highlight the letter, word, sentence or passage.

Look down at the changes that are no longer memorized.
Type the changes.
Verify the typed changes.
Look for the next marked spot...try not to re-read the whole thing from the spot you just finished to the next marked spot--takes longer that way.

You know, it is kind of encouraging though when you get pulled into your story again.

A How-to Theatre Book Written

2011-08-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, I get to combine theatre and writing in this blog post.

Finally, after years of plodding along, I finished my theatre book to my satisfaction. It's a how-to-teach-theatre for elementary teachers. Knowing that their time is limited, I wanted to write something that was easy to follow. So the book has sets of 15-minute activities that help develop theatre skills. But why bother? Because kids can use these skills for a lifetime! It helps with how they see and present themselves, how they communicate, and even how they read.

I used to substitute teach and I noticed that when it was time for "art," there was always only one kind--visual art. Not that that's bad but that was the only
kind of art. And of course there was the exception such as the 5th or 6th grade teacher who directed his or her kids in a Shakespeare play.

I haven't looked at them for awhile but the Oregon State Standards had their arts section and although it said that the standards could be used for the performing arts, the sample that they gave was all about visual arts. The National Education Standards were the same. (And I really haven't looked at them for awhile so I don't know if they've changed.)

Theatre can be a scary thing to teach because kids get out of their seats; they have to move and do, instead of sit and do. It can seem out of control. But the chaos that might ensue is creativity in action. (And before I go scaring a teacher: the activities are controlled; chaos doesn't reign.) What a thrill though to see a child open up, to try something out of their norm, to be creative and learn a skill for life!

I get so excited about the whole thing. You should see theatre & kids in action! Amazing! Here are some true theatre anecdotes we've experienced.

Gadzooks, Look At the Time

2011-08-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

Kudos to those parents who let their kids take their time coloring crowns.

Cwerks had a booth at Riverfront Family Fun Festival today and our hands-on activity was crown-decorating. We cut out crowns for the kids, they would use markers or crayons to decorate them and then we'd fit them to their heads.

For the most part, the kids zipped through the coloring--there was so many other things to do at the festival--but there were some kids who were meticulous. One father brought his two- and four-year-old over and both of them took their time to create masterpieces...okay, no, they weren't really masterpieces; I was just so impressed with their ability to focus on their art even if the medium was cheap markers and crayons and the material was plain white paper. Dad was so patient letting them color. There was another child who left no white showing on her crown; a little girl was determined to use all the light colors we had (and we had brought a lot); one girl was left at our booth to finish while Mom, Grandma, and sisters went to the next booth (they were in easy reaching distance if needed).

Then there's me. I try to fit as much as possible: into my day, into a workshop I'm teaching, into a week-long class I'm directing. Once, we went to a nearby, rather small theme park and bought a daypass. I was determined to get our money's worth. Well, the rides of a theme park on not many acres tend to be primarily circular--circle vertically, circle horizontally, figure 8s. We were all dizzy by the time we left and staggered to the car. Apparently, the adage "too much of a good thing" is true.

Then there are schools: start of the day activities--15 minutes. Period. Reading time, 45 minutes. Period. Recess, 15 minutes, including restroom and drinks. Stop. Math, History, Health, Science--stop on time. Heaven forbid we go off on a tangent because the kids are interested. Don't talk while eating lunch because you must eat within 15 minutes so you can hurry and go play for another 15. Now stop.

At home: Get up. Get ready (parents and kids). Get breakfast. Get out to the bus or car. Get home. Get to the other activities. Get dinner. Get the chores and homework done. Get ready for bed. Get to bed.

I do hope that those parents who let their children take their time coloring today will continue to let their children take their time as they grow older. There are too many of us who learned to watch the clock. Perhaps by watching the clock too much, we've actually lost time.

The Face of Mime

2011-07-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

What words do you think of when you hear "mime": White face. Black outfit. Silent. Mocking unaware people. Avoid.

Do you think of the animated tough guy on Rapunzel? How about the caterpillar on the street corner in A Bug's Life? Remember the mime that Dustin Hoffman pushes in Tootsie? (That's a while back, isn't it?). Even Garfield had a mime in one of his cartoon strips.
As a mime, I think of several things:

Marcel Marceau performing Sidewalk Cafe, a multi-character routine that fascinated me. One man, multiple characters = Amazing!
Red Skelton and his expressions while performing.
The Goldston and Johnson School for Mimes, where I learned how much I didn't know. (Ouch!) And watching Gregg Goldston and Nicholas Johnson perform was a thrill.
The Box--people ask me if I can do it and usually they're thinking of THE BOX, the skit that apparently every mime performs by getting into a box and the box shrinks. As a matter of principle, I never perform the shrinking box. (But I do have a number of "Box" skits that are more creative).
Street mime: I don't like it. Mostly people try to avoid me or no one ever stays around long enough to see even a short mime skit. (I did manage to figure out how to have fun at street mime--I talk! That's right, in full mime make-up, I ask people to give me a word and I'll make up a skit using it. Or I'll ask them if they'd like to learn how to do the mime wall. I get much better responses from people when I talk in mime face.)
Grandma. When I showed Grandma a new mime skit, she would say, "Oh, Marian Lee, I can't tell a thing you're doing." Because of her, I've worked hard all these years to make my mime clear to the audience.
Magic!

Magic is the word the kids in my classes have used when I demonstrate the wall. There's always a little gasp from someone, a "it looks real" comment, and then a child will say, "It's like magic." Yes, it is. I can quiet a whole group of kids when I play with a mime ball.

Adults aren't much different. They get so fascinated with (well-done) mime. I recently performed with some friends in a variety show for families. There were three mime skits: one with four of us performing, one with two of us performing, and a solo I did. Several people enthusiastically told me afterwards how wonderful the mime was. Perhaps they were surprised because we tend to think of mime as: White face. Black outfit. Silent. Mocking unaware people. Avoid. But at the show we allowed the audience to be swept away in fun experiences.

Now you know. Mime can be like magic. If you have an opportunity to see a mime concert rather than street mime, go watch and enjoy the experiences unfolding on stage.

(By the way, I don't like wearing black, nor do I like wearing black and white stripes like a referee. My mime costume is a dark blue outfit with shapes from white sequined cloth sewn onto the shirt in front and back. There are actually a large variety of mime costumes used and not many are straight black. Another mime myth busted.)

A Return to the Fairy Tales

2011-07-28T01:21:00.000-07:00

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." —Albert Einstein

I love this quote, probably because I love fairy tales. I don't know if what Mr. Einstein said is necessarily true; I don't find myself genius level. But I can be darn creative sometimes. And reading to kids is a brain booster. Anyway...

Now and then I return to the "real" fairy tales, especially after seeing a number of animated ones. I love the movies but I like returning to the source. Did you know that in the story Rapunzel, she puts her hair on a window hook before sending it down for the witch and the prince to climb up? (The animated movie has her do that and I didn't even remember). You probably remember that in the original story the king's son ends up with his eyes being scratched out by the brambles he falls into. But do you recall that when he finds Rapunzel again, she's living in the desert with their twins? (The book says he wept "over the loss of his beloved wife," when he didn't find her in the tower...I guess the prince was authorized to perform weddings even for himself.) And the dwarfs' cottage was not a mess when Snow White found it "but neater and cleaner than words can tell." The prince didn't wake her with a kiss either. As the prince's servants were carrying the coffin down the mountain they stumbled and the piece of poison apple came out of Snow White's mouth, who woke up and raised the lid of the glass coffin. Kissing came after the wedding I assume, since it doesn't mention it in the book.

The book I have is called The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Other Fairy Tales, selected by Alfred David and Mary Elizabeth Meek. It has my maiden name still in it; I bought the book for a college class. Love it! It has fairy tales from the Grimm's brothers, Perrault, Anderson, de Beaumont, Asbjornsen, Afanasiev, and a couple more. It is not a picture book. The princesses may be beautiful but some of them are cruel, until the poor soldier (or whoever) overcomes the tasks and she concedes to marry the man. (Yeah, that's what I would want, "Okay, fine. You did the impossible, so you didn't get beheaded by King Daddy. I guess I'll marry you." Make sure wife-y goes through the metal detector when she enters the bedroom, eh?) Of course, in Andersen's The Little Mermaid, the girl doesn't even get the prince, in spite of all her suffering (unlike the Disney version, every time the mermaid used her new legs, it was as if she were walking on sharp knives).

I love reading fairy tales, folk tales, myths, tall tales and legends. They're quite the adventure in short form. And I also enjoy their animated adaptations. (I think I'll go watch Hercules--among others--and then read the real thing another day.)

Writing...

2011-07-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

And that's what I'm doing. Just thought you should know because that's what it comes down to if you want to be a writer---WRITE!

Just to carry the thought a little further: There are many who think of being a writer. That's a good place to start. Nowwww, it has to move you to action. So, you write. If you've written a handful of stories--literally, one handful of stories--it's time to write more. Keep writing. My husband, then-older-teen son and I were attending a writer's conference. As we hung out in the hotel room after a long day, my son asked me, "How many
stories do you have?" I took out my 2" notebook (you know, the big, scary-looking kind--the kind that could cause serious injury if a full one ever dropped on someone's foot) and started reading the titles of my stories to him. His eyes got huge. "I didn't know you had that many!" The notebook didn't include the scripts or songs I've written.

So if you don't remember anything else I say about writing, remember this: WRITE.

P.S. Then as you progress, you'll start learning about writer critique groups, writing conferences, how-to books, NaNoWriMo, writer websites, and so much more. But always, always one is writing.

Laugh

2011-07-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

Part of good theater etiquette is laughing! Seriously, it's laughing in the funny parts. Audiences seem to have forgotten this. Or people are too scared to be the first to laugh out loud. Don't be afraid to laugh--enjoy yourself! A friend was part of a theater group for years and sometimes audiences just didn't respond. The cast thought they had blown it but after the show was over, they heard many comments to the effect of "it was so funny, I could hardly contain myself." Well, don't contain yourself, laugh! Several director friends like me to attend their plays because I "seed" the audience--I laugh out loud and the rest of the audience takes permission from that and they start to laugh, too. Laughter is contagious and fun. It's energizing to performers. It just darn well feels good. So laugh! (and you don't have to wait until you're in an audience to laugh; you can also laugh at your--for instance--husband's dumb jokes :D )

Guess Who

2011-07-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Our writer's critique group had fun the other day. We each wrote a 1000 word story based on the setting of "beach" that we printed out with no name and no title on it. When we arrived for the meeting, each manuscript went face down in a pile. A neutral observer (my daughter) mixed them up and handed them out. We labeled the manuscripts A through E and read them aloud one at a time.

We were not allowed to look at the manuscripts or hear any part re-read, except for the one we read out loud. We just had to guess who wrote it and
who they were trying to sound like. I failed miserably. If it weren't for my own story being in the pile, I would have guessed wrong 100% of the time. Drat.

Andrea got 100% right. The three men in the group wrote manuscripts that fooled three people each. Apparently, I was so intent on sounding like everyone else, I came out sounding like me! Andrea & Gene write first-person contemporary stories, the one minor in our group writes sci-fi/fantasy contemporary, Charlie writes pieces that always have lots of facts woven throughout. So I wrote a first-person, contemporary, sci-fi, factual fiction story--about an alien family with a fascination of sea turtles.

I could tell you a bit about sea turtles now, especially the Kemper's Ridley turtles on Padre Island in Texas :). (Research is always great for fictional stories; makes them more real.)

How Do I Feel About Editing?

2011-07-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Daunting! Overwhelming! Frightening!
A bit exciting when one discovers one's story isn't as bad as one thinks.
A writer friend likes the editing process. As this is my first novel (my focus has been picture books and scripts), I guess I'll find out if I like editing.

Being Loud is One Thing But...

2011-06-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

...being loud enough is another. It all depends on your audience--who they are, how many, how far away the person farthest away is, and where they are.

There have been many times that I've been in a large group of people and the microphone that was being used suddenly doesn't work right (TDO=technical difficulties occur). Rather than wait for the microphone to click back to life, a person says, "I don't need a microphone; I'm loud." Unfortunately, there's more to being heard than being loud. In theatre, it's
called projection.

Projection is being loud enough to be clearly heard by the person in the very back of the room. It's not yelling but it is "throwing" your voice against the back wall.

And here are the other things to consider:
*Who your audience is: seniors? family groups? mixed group of adults? You've got to take into consideration if most of the people in your audience will have a hard time hearing you. Senior citizens might need someone to be louder. Audiences made up of families will need loud, too, because sure as you begin speaking, a child is going to start talking (or whining). The group of adults might think you're no longer speaking to them and start talking to their neighbor. It happens. Know your audience so you can project to be heard.
*How many audience members there are: Projecting for a group of 20 is going to be different than projecting for a group of 100. The more people there are, the more energy needs to go into projecting.
*The person in the very back: For awhile we stopped attending a high school's theatre productions--and we loved going--because we usually ended up in the back and the projection just wasn't good enough. Why go if you can't hear? (The high school built a new auditorium; we're attending plays again). Those in the back are important, too. A hundred people in a perfectly square room is different from 100 people in a long, rectangular room, which is different than 100 people spread out outside. Use the microphone if you know your voice won't reach the person in the very back.
*And where's this audience? If the audience is in a theatre, more than likely there will be some pretty good acoustics--sound carries easily to the person in the back row. Mostly, I've seen those microphones in classrooms, large banquet halls...well, everywhere but a well-designed theatre. Without a microphone, the voice may not carry well. And if you're outside, sound waves seem to go every which way. Also, if you're outside, there's always a truck that rolls by just as you start to speak without a microphone, or an emergency vehicle passes nearby, or the wind whips up. Unless you're standing in the Mormon Tabernacle (which has incredible acoustics), use a microphone.

So it comes down to this:
*Use a microphone if you've not practiced projecting.
*If you can't use the mic or one's not available, don't just be loud, project your voice to the person in the back.

Last little tip: Projection is filling a room with sound--you can "feel" it. If you have to ask, "Can you all hear me?" more than likely they can't. The people who answer "yes" are usually sitting in the first few rows. Be sure to pay attention to the blank stares in the back; those are the people who didn't hear your question in the first place.

And another last little tip: If the mic goes, get closer to your audience or have your audience get closer to you.

Let Your Kids Give It a Try

2011-06-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

Thursday, a couple of kids I've been coaching performed a short Tortoise and the Hare skit for the local library's preschool storytime. I'd say the show lasted all of four minutes. The script was one of mine, written for a couple of kids to perform. This script is not to be confused with the two-person script of the same name that runs for 45-minutes and is meant to be interactive with a large audience. This is one of two scripts written so a couple of young friends or siblings can perform for mom and dad or grandma and grandpa. Or in this case,
the handful of youngsters at a preschool storytime.

The performers--ages 12 and 15--rehearsed a couple of times a month for several months (but it added up to three or four hours of rehearsal, along with the actors' memorizing time) before performing in front of a small audience. The novice actors got nervous, as was to be expected, but they performed just as rehearsed and the show came off well.

A friend in my writer's group attended the performance because she has a little one. She commented how well the skit went and wished her older two had been able to attend (one was sick and the other was staying nearby) because they had downloaded the play a few months earlier and read it out loud. She wanted them to see what the finished product might look like.

I'm sharing this just so you know, there are short scripts available for the young ones to try out: http://www.cwerks.com/scripts.html

Books on My Shelves That are Falling Apart

2011-05-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

You know the Velveteen Rabbit story, right? The stuffed animal is so loved through the years that his fur starts to fall off. Well, I have books that are like that--falling apart, I mean, not with fur falling off. So they must be the books I really LOVE. And here they are:

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH. I had to replace my childhood copy with another. I think the next copy I buy will be hardbound. Recently, I listened to the sound recording and at the end--what a bonus--was an interview with Norton Juster, the author!

THE CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN. The first book in the series is The Book of Three. The second book is The Black Cauldron. The animated movie called The Black Cauldron does absolutely no justice to the first two books. The last book in the series, The High King, was a Newbery Award winner.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. I think we're on our second set.

7 KINDS OF SMART. Well, well, well. I went to search for a picture of the cover and discovered there's a newer edition. Great. Now I'm going to have to go get it.

THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES AND OTHER FAIRY TALES, selected by Alfred David and Mary Elizabeth Meek. These are not your kidlets fairy tales. These are the real gritty fairy tales, as in, there's poetic justice in the end. (For instance, Snow White's jealous stepmother dancing to her death in red-hot slippers, a symbol of the envy that consumed her--ouch.)

THE LITTLE PRINCE. I still quote from this book now and then. And--just to boast for a moment--I read it in French, too. (French Lit in college--it was intense. I'm lucky I didn't fail.)

THE NURSERY RHYME BOOK. I read this now and then just to get more ammo for the nursery rhyme game (maybe I'll tell you about that one day). I also use nursery rhymes in my theater classes; they come in very handy. (That is, when the kids know them! Come on, Parents. Read nursery rhymes to your kids!)

It seems to me, I wear out a lot of children's books...yup, I do. I read big people books now and then--business books, gardening books, some fiction--but only when I want to.

Pirate Guns, Sound Effects and Jokes

2011-05-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

We performed Captain Bobella of the Beast last week. It's an original pirate story of a cruel pirate captain (me) and Lagee (Chris), a sea-loving pirate. Captain Bobella is yelling at everyone to swab the deck or practice knot-tying, and Lagee brings in her hat. But he's smiling, so Captain Bobella yells some more and gives Lagee a long list of chores. Then she exits to go inspect the galley. Well, Lagee loves the sea so much he starts telling pirate jokes* and laughing. Captain Bobella enters on the run with gun (bought from
Disneyland years ago) drawn. It just so happened that at this particular show and at the exact moment I entered, someone's balloon somewhere nearby popped. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw several people jump. Heck, I almost jumped--I was pretty sure the gun didn't make any noises at all.

After the show was over, a young man wanted to know if he could see the gun and "fire" it to hear the noise. He was surprised to learn that it didn't really work. Oh, but that was a well-timed balloon explosion.

*Pirate Jokes:
Q: Why did the pirate captain feel like she was always being watched?
A: Because the crew kept their "aye, ayes" upon her.

Q: What did the pirate say when he saw the hurricane coming?
A: Air she blows!

Q: Why did the lookouts never answer their captain?
A: They had to rest their aye-ayes.

I suppose there are other good pirate jokes out there, probably better...

VICTORY OVER THE MICROPHONE, or How to Use a Microphone to Your Advantage

2011-04-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

If you have to use a microphone
Something you abhor.
If you have to use a microphone
But feel like running out the door.
If you have to use a microphone
And you find a mentor.
Maybe that microphone won't scare you anymore.
(based on Shel Silverstein's If You Have to Dry the Dishes)

May I be your quick tutor on microphone usage? It's not too hard to use a microphone properly but on the other hand it's not hard to use it improperly either. So...

The objective when using a microphone is to be heard by the person farthest away from you. To achieve that goal, you'll have to:

Hold the microphone up to your mouth, not below it, not away from it, not against your chest. You may not want to eat it but you still have to have that microphone very near your mouth because most microphones are not omnidirectional and they aren't that good at picking up your voice unless it's right in front of you.
Aim the top of the microphone at your mouth. That's the part of the microphone that picks up sound.
Hear yourself through the speakers. That's the scary part because we tend to get quieter when we hear ourselves through the speakers. Don't get quieter! If you can't hear yourself through the speakers then only you and the people in your immediate vicinity are hearing what you say.

And that's it. That's how you use a microphone to your advantage. If the microphone is not one that you hold--it's on a stand or podium--just remember to aim your mouth towards the head of the microphone; adjust the microphone as needed. And make sure you hear yourself through the speakers.

Now, overcoming the fear of using a microphone is different but it only requires one thing: use a microphone more often.

An Oral Report? Don't Let Your Child Shake in Their Boots

2011-04-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just because a student has the words down on paper doesn't mean that he or she's ready for that oral report. Reading what's on the page--even if your child is a good reader--still doesn't make giving the report easy. Work with your child to prepare and improve in these five ways:

Practice until almost memorized.

When I direct a 30-minute play, I have 1500 minutes (25 hours) worth of rehearsals. That comes out to be 250 minutes for a 5-minute play...or report. In general, a child may not have to practice quite so much for an oral report, but there needs to be plenty of time put in before the report is due.
Your child needs a live audience when practicing for the report. That's you! Sit on the couch and let the child walk to the "front of the room" and practice. Now have them do it again...and again. Find the little details to praise ("You made eye contact at this part" or "Your posture was good when stood up front") and the little details that will help ("You were a little quiet sometimes; try it again and be louder" or "The word you were having a hard time pronouncing is ______")

Vary the inflections.

Help your child read the report with feeling. No, they don't have to be totally dramatic, but they shouldn't be monotone either. If the student will be turning in the report, print out a second copy so they can write on their copy. For instance, they can underline words or phrases they want to stress, make little happy faces next to sentences where they could smile, or put a squiggle under a phrase where they want to speak slower.

Make eye contact or at least look up often.

Looking up from the paper helps in a couple of ways--the child looks and feels more confident and his or her voice isn't muffled by the paper. It's not easy looking out upon a group of classmates who may be distracting; that's why at least looking up is the key. I tend to look right over the top of people's heads, instead of directly at someone. It makes me less nervous. The only way to be able to look up often though, is to practice until almost memorized (see #1).
And so the child doesn't lose their place when they're looking up, there are several tricks: print or highlight the paragraphs or sections in different colors; if the paper is on a podium, the child can move their fingers slowly down the page as they speak so a quick glance will help them know where they are (this is what I personally do); enlarge the font size so there's fewer words across.

Pronounce the words correctly.

It just takes practice (see #1). It might also take a phonetic spelling of the word. I"ll make marks and notes to help me pronounce words correctly, when needed.

Good posture.

When it's time for the oral report, the child should sit up straight in their seats. Nothing says "not ready" to a teacher like a child trying to hide by slouching. As the student walks to the front of the room, he or she should walk with good posture--not stiff, but not slumping or clumping along. (This is one of those things your child should practice in front of you.) And as they stand to read their oral report, it's good posture again. Standing up straight is not as easy or natural as it sounds. Most of us fold our arms or put them in our pockets when we're just standing around waiting or talking. Kids might also twiddle their hair or the bottoms of their t-shirts. So even standing straight (but not stiff) is something that needs practice.

With these five focuses, your child's ability to give oral reports will improve. Mostly, it takes a lot of #1...a lot of #1! The benefits of these simple tips will outlast the memory of what the report was about.

Break a leg! (Theater term for "Good Luck!")

Creatively Ruin Something!

2011-04-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

In February, I posted about glitter glue because I was working on a new costume at the time. It was slightly scary using that glitter glue; I had no idea if it would work out. But I plunged ahead and was pleasantly surprised by the results. And that's when I told myself, I needed to be brave and creatively ruin something everyday. What's funny is I find I still get a little--or a lot--nervous right before I start being creative because I'm pretty sure I'm going to, sure enough, ruin something.

I really don't know what I'm that afraid of. It's not like the projects I'm doing are that perfect anyway. Besides, the more I try, the better I get, right? Or maybe the more I try the more creative I get? I don't know but I do need to stop stopping myself. Here are some of the sketches I was afraid to start coloring:

And what about writing? Gotta have the perfect word, the perfect sentence, the perfect character, right? Well, when I've participated in National Novel Writing Month, it's been so fun because the goal is to reach 50k words--we're talking quantity, forget quality (that comes later with editing). It was so freeing to just type away and not stop every paragraph and re-do something. And there are so many writer's blogs that preach "write crap" (they might use another word) just so you get something on paper. Google "writer's block" or "write crap" and you'll see.

And on top of all that, when did I get to be a perfectionist?! Maybe I've always been a closet perfectionist and never admitted it to myself, hiding behind a joke or a laissez-faire facade.

Note to self: Get over it. Get going. Be creative. Ruin something. Enjoy.

Note to others: ditto.

The Creativity Take-Over

2011-04-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

I started by sketching with pencils...and not the cool drawing pencils; usually, it's a click pencil I have handy in my purse. After I filled a couple of purse-sized sketch books, I grabbed another with the idea that this sketch book had to be filled with color this time. I bought the really fancy/expensive Prismacolor pencils...I've only colored about 5% of the sketches in the book. Nevertheless, once you start being creative,
it's hard to stop! The family painted the kitchen during spring break, but we couldn't stop with just slapping on a coat of paint; we painted hot air balloons in a few spots. I've been working on a fancy cross stitch for months now (I only do a little at a time). I got to teach bread-making to a few kids. I've got two novels and one non-fiction to edit. I wrote a new 45-minute children's script in January and had to create a few neat costumes for it. After I finish getting my tax return complete (!), I plan on writing a new murder mystery...and a couple more novels while I'm at it. And yesterday, I completed a hot air balloon painting for my husband's birthday. (Do you know how hard it is to paint a picture for someone who's home mostly at the same time you are?) And it was difficult because I was using a photo to draw from and of course the whole time I'm worried because the painting is not coming out like the photo--duh. But I like the end result and here it is:

Perhaps I'm getting braver with being creative...or perhaps my brain is being taken over by the creativity bug.

Are you being taken-over? If not, try it...everybody's doing it.

Blogspot URL has Changed

2011-03-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

Because of the new name of my blog--Encounters in Writing and Theatre--I went ahead and changed the blog spot address:

http://encountersinwritingandtheatre.blogspot.com/

The other address of "simplymarian.blogspot.com" will no longer work.
Yay...change...can I stand it?
Or will I go crazy?

Ed Speak: A Follow Up to Educational Theatre

2011-02-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

Thinking about the post on "Educational" Theatre, I decided to practice Ed Speak (the highfalutin words used to take a simple educational act and make it sound like a treatise). It's really quite the writing exercise and can be dang funny when you realize what the words are actually saying. Here goes:

Students will learn teamwork as they create a visually and

audibly appealing presentation. They will increase their reading and communication skills as they prepare for a successful conclusion to a long-term project. Students will be guided by an adult mentor who will focus the participants' creative efforts into a unified whole, including using resources to construct objects required for the ornamentation of the presentational area. The learners will receive immediate feedback on the success of their undertaking from the adult mentor and other community members invited to observe the final project. An evaluation will take place in an informal setting.

In other words:

The kids are going to put on a play. Rehearsals will last about six weeks. The director will try to get them ready. They're going to make sets, props and costumes with whatever is on hand. Tickets will be sold to everyone within a 20-mile radius. After the show is over, there will be a curtain call in which all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, obscure relatives and friends, and the director will applaud the cast. Cast party at the local pizza parlor!

My thesaurus was smoking after this little exercise.

Try an Ed Speak writing exercise by taking a common activity and put it into education lingo. Then post it here; I would love to see if I can figure it out. Using a thesaurus is optional but highly recommended.

"Educational" Theatre: A Pet Peeve

2011-02-22T18:35:00.000-08:00

In the schools, I've performed numerous assembly programs, taught theatre and directed productions. Sometimes it's been through arts-in-education organizations, and other times it's been through my theatre company. What flabbergasts me is the question of "and what will be the educational value for the children?"

Apparently, art--visual or performing--is not educational in and of itself. It's only educational if you attach a historically significant date on it or some kind of geographical information. For instance, I've worked with one group of kids to create an Oregon Trail series of puppet plays; another group performed a play about different habitats. But we couldn't announce to the schools that we had a theatre experience for the kids; it had to be of "educational" value.

Theatre (and the other arts) is valuable without having to attach social studies or social awareness (e.g. bullying) to it. Sure, theater can teach about those things but look at what it does without all that:

Reading. If the kids are memorizing a script, there's a LOT of reading going on before the script is put away. In fact, it's usually referred to constantly by the actor, even when scripts are no longer allowed on stage.
More Reading. When a play is based on a classic story (Little Red Riding Hood, Tortoise and the Hare, etc.), children are apt to pick up the book when they see it on the shelf. We did a dress rehearsal of Princess and the Pea for my husband's third grade class long ago. The next morning, two girls rushed over to him with their reader open. "Teacher," they said, showing him the title of the story. "May we read this?!" It was Princess and the Pea. (He told them they could.)
Posture. It sounds like such a trivial thing, but posture--learning how to stand up straight and such--is a confidence booster.
Presence. On stage, there is no hiding. There's no sitting in the back of the room, slumped in a desk. Presence is that quality of being noticed and not shrinking away from the attention.
Confidence (along with Posture & Presence). It takes at least a spark of confidence for any child to be willing to try something new and then to carry out the project to see it to a successful end. Isn't trying new things a constant part of school? a constant part of life?
Teamwork. Just like sports, a winning production depends on all participants doing their best. It's a great feeling to hear applause at the end of a production for every actor involved, no matter the part! At the end of a production I had directed, a father approached me. I was nervous because his son had a small part--was I about to be questioned on that decision? No! The father was all smiles, proud of his son's accomplishment. And isn't true teamwork the opposite of bullying?
Success. The feeling of success is powerful, so the person involved wants to feel it again. And again. Someone who has had to work for the applause learns not to fear work in the pursuit of success in other areas of life, such as school.
A Different Success. Quite frankly, are there not children in school who just don't cut it academically? How devastating to be in the "low group" year after year. We can certainly pretend that those children are never called "stupid" but it happens, even if it's the students themselves. For those kids, it's a relief to discover a talent, something they CAN do. It changes everything! When I was teaching a mime residency at an elementary school, I was supposed to have only 30 students. They gave me 60 on day one, and I was told I could decide which 30 to have in there for the rest of the sessions. I drew up my list at the end of that class and handed it to the principal. Her reaction was unexpected: "I'm so glad you picked him. He's not doing well in school." He did well for me; he was actually the best mime I had.
Creativity. I can't top what Albert Einstein said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."

Theatre's value goes beyond school and academics; the skills children learn are useful and essential even when the kids become--and especially as--adults.

Ice Breakers from the Vaults of Theatre Games

2011-02-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

A friend asked if I knew of any theater games that would work for ice breakers. (Perhaps you've seen the same ice breakers over and over again?) So here are three ideas:

1. What's Your Name and Your Claim to Fame
     If the group is larger than about 30, then it will need to be split up into more manageable sizes. If it's a rather large group and everyone is sitting around a table of about 10 people, then each table will be it's own group.

     Remember those rhythm games you played as a child? The one in which you slap your thighs then clap your hands, and repeat. That's what everyone does as they say, "What's your name and your claim to fame?"
     Person 1 might answer, "My name is Chuck and I have four indoor cats." Everyone repeats the chant and Person 2 answers the question.
As you can see the "claim to fame" doesn't have to be incredible, but it just might be.

2. Good News/Bad News
     We're not learning names with this game, so everyone in the group may want to
introduce themselves before the game begins.
     The leader takes a group of people--as above, it could be by tables--and Person 1 begins with a "Good News" statement; for instance, "The Good News is I found $100 on the sidewalk." Person 2 adds "Bad News": "The Bad News is it was counterfeit." And on around the table.
     It isn't necessary for everyone to listen to each table's Good News/Bad News creations but if there are not too many groups, it can be a lot of laughs.

3. Two Truths and a Lie
   Okay, this might be one of those games that is used often as an icebreaker. So if you're tired of it, use one of the games above. But if you haven't tried it, read on.
   Each person in the group gets a chance to tell two truths and one lie about themselves. The lie can be told anywhere in the sentence or group of sentences spoken by the person. At the end of each player's statement, the rest of the group tries to decide which is the lie. For instance, I might say, "I have five st. bernards. I've been to Greece. I've rappelled off a cliff. " Those in the group guessing that my lie is the dogs would be correct.

Prizes for the games are optional. But if I'm playing and I win, I want Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Dove Chocolates...thank you.

Did We Use the Same Thesaurus?

2011-02-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

Or do all writers do a lot of "musing"? I was doing a bit of research and came across several writer blogs with the subtitle "Musings of a Writer." So today I couldn't stand it any longer and changed my own subtitle because it used the "m" word. Good clang! We writers/performers/etc. need to stop musing so much and get out and do something.

Doesn't the word "musing" sound like it's going to produce something deep? So far, I've not seen anything real deep on this blog. I'll try to muse now and then and put something deep on here...or not. Probably not.

In the meantime, I need to get out and do something!

(and the word "thesaurus" looks like it ought to belong to a dinosaur--random, non-deep musing)

Children's Theatre Excitment!

2011-02-16T00:24:00.000-08:00

There's one in Seattle this year!
I stumbled across the information as I was googling "theater for young audiences blogs"--you know, to see if there was an article I just had to tell you about. And I find Theatre for Young Audiences, the USA arm of ASSITEJ (it's French: Association Internationale du Théâtre de l’Enfance et la Jeunesse). And TYA USA is having a conference in Seattle. In Seattle! That's a few hours worth of driving. I've got family that direction. I could actually GO!
I graduated in children's theatre 28 years ago and Dr. Oaks--my mentor--was an active member of ASSITEJ. He had served as president and as treasurer, etc.. Anyway, for years (28 to be exact), I've been thinking about how cool it would be to be a part of that organization, to attend one of their World Congresses and Performing Arts Festival (much further away). But money was earmarked for other things--food, for instance.
And now there's the USA conference in Seattle! According to TYA's blog, this conference hasn't happened in 4 years.
But how am I going to get the $275 for the conference registration? The fam still needs the money for food and such. I could sell the Catan games...no, no I couldn't. I could sell my first born child...no, he's too old.
I know!
How many of you need a singing telegram? a character visit? a one-hour classroom workshop? a large bouquet of balloons? a show for your kid's school?
Perhaps you'd like to attend Double Play Saturday on Feb. 19.
Any of these things will help out a poor mom who has sacrificed for 28 years for her children and now has a chance to go to a children's theatre conference! Oh. My. HECK! That would be so grand. And humbling to be around so many incredible professionals--I'd be too scared to talk to anyone. I'm just going to faint with excitement. Or at least, I'm not going to get much sleep tonight.
Every little bit helps, so just call Cwerks, 503-999-1196 and schedule whatever it is you want from that list above.
(How exciting!)

The 9 Everyday Ways People Use Theater Skills

2011-02-08T23:23:00.000-08:00

Theater. So unessential. So superfluous in the general scheme of things. Right? Actually, I believe the opposite--theater skills are essential, necessary in day-to-day life. Here are 9 ways theater skills are used on a regular basis:

Oral reports. Usually something just school-age children and youth have to do but...
Presentations. Ah, now we're with the adults who must impress a boss or client.
Job interviews. Nice clothes (costume); best smile (stage presence); exuding confidence (acting).
Reading out loud. Children do it at school; adults read a book to their children or a quote to their colleagues.
Memorizing & Rehearsing. For that presentation or oral report; the joke you'll tell your friends; the question you want to pop.
Speaking Loudly. If you need to be heard over the whirring, roaring thingamabob, you'll speak up. In theater, it's called projection.
Greeting people. You have to put yourself out there, just like actors do every time they get on stage.
Business networking. Marketing your business puts you in the spotlight.
Improvising. Stage actors may blow a line and have to improvise; in everyday life, one might have to "wing it."

I use theater skills because I am in theater. And they have served me well in lots of ordinary activities that have nothing to do with the stage, such as the nine written here. Hm. Do you know a 10th everyday way to use theater?

The Amazing Properties of Glitter Glue!

2011-02-07T08:30:00.001-08:00

What a cool invention is glitter glue!
How unique!
How simple!
Yet it just adds something to a project.
Take, for instance, a blue formal and silver glitter glue...

Because it's acostume and because I found it at a second-hand shop for only $12.99 (true price), I wasn't too afraid of ruining anything. Notice the glitter glue dots--easy and fun, fun, fun; dots must have a calming effect. Perhaps there's a study out there: The Effects on the Anxious Mind of Creating Circular Shapes and the Long-term Benefits of Daily Shape Circling.Notice the glitter glue piping around the bottom edges of the bodice--

that took a minute per side (not including drying time).
I love it when you get to experiment with creativity and not be afraid of ruining something. It's so much more thrilling. It's like Ms. Frizzle in the Magic School Bus Books and you get to "Get Messy." Maybe I should go with the motto "Creatively ruin something everyday!"
Then there was the paper crown. The printer ran out of red ink and the glitter glue came in a set. Red glitter glue for the crown!

And look, another circular shape. (I'm on to something)

So, dear friends, go out and creatively ruin something today!

(BTW, don't let your curious cat walk across the glitter glue while it's still drying.)

And When You Get to the End...

2011-01-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

Can you name that quote? It's from Disney's Alice in Wonderland (I have no idea if it's in the actual book). I love the quote! More people ought to use the concept! Including me!

I'll set the stage: It's the tea party with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Alice is supposed to tell them her story or problem or something (I haven't watched the movie in awhile; maybe I'll do that later). And Alice "hardly knows where to start." Hare says, "Start at the beginning." Mad Hatter adds, "And when you get to the end...Stop."

Have you read books that just go into a few too many details? I'm busy thinking, okay, okay, get to the good stuff. But for some reason authors must have x amount of pages or words. It doesn't matter that the story has actually come to an end; go back--let's put in 1.5 pages of the meal. Notice I didn't say feast. Some stories are delicious with their descriptions of the feast; the feast must stay. I'm talking about the 1.5-page description of a plain meal. I believe most authors go back and remove lots of material that make the story bog down. Thank goodness--I'd hate to slog through the uncut version (including mine). But then you have the successful authors who have made themselves (or been made to) edit their first three books to a manageable size. But, by dang, now that we're famous we're not cutting out anything in the next five books! My writer's critique group friend often points out, "There's 100 pages of story in 300 pages."

To quote another movie: "Skip to the end."*

Then there's some people I know (okay, fine. including me). Who can't just ask a simple question. If they, for instance, want to know what time it is, they'll launch into why they have no watch, followed by what happened to their cell phone which they could have used as the watch, topping off the preface to the question with the observation of no clocks in the room. The other day she-who-shall-not-be-named was telling something to her son--have no idea how we got on the topic--but 30 minutes later, her son asks, "Why are you telling me all this?" She replied, "It's plot exposition; it has to go somewhere."** She-who-shall-not-be-named failed to stop at the end.

In my most recent scriptwriting session--which is right now and I'm using the blog as a WMP***---I actually finished the script at a decent hour last night. BUT THERE WERE TOO FEW PAGES! I know how long it takes to perform one page of dialogue, and I had to have more show! Into the middle of the night (yay, electricity), I managed to grate out five more pages. And I finished the script for the second time. The damage was not too bad. The script still flowed okay; the characters just got a tad more verbose and they had another little adventure. I NEED 5. MORE. PAGES. The story is over. I want to stop. I can't. I must have more running time on the script. Oh, the agony! When will it stop?!****

*Princess Bride
**The Great Muppet Caper
***Weapon of Mass Procrastination
****Obviously not at the end

What a Lot of Hams!

2011-01-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of normal people out there who are so not-normal; they are hilarious! I need to hire them. The other day, we were out doing a clowning gig and part of the schtick was to bring a few props and costume pieces so the birthday child could act out Jack and the Beanstalk with the guests. I'm afraid the clowns made Birthday Child a little too nervous but the whole family--along with the guests--pitched in with the show (and I'm talking the WHOLE family, including Grandma and Grandpa).

"Mom" was tremendous, weeping and wailing because of the loss of a cow. Her improv was top-notch. I almost cried for the wretchedness of her situation. Then the performer sacrificed her carpet (and vacuum cleaner) and pulled beans from the little bag and threw them out the imaginary window (and all over her carpet; what a sport!).

"Jack" was great as he presented with excitement the bag of gold and the hen that lays the golden egg to "Mom." His disappointment was so real as "Jack" got in trouble for climbing the beanstalk without permission.

"Hen" was priceless. When it was time to lay an egg, she squawked. When "Jack" brought her back to "Mom," she began pecking for food.

"Giant's" death scene was cheered.

I would love to hire all these performers. But I can't, and I can't tell anyone about them, because I'd be out of a job!

Do I Really Like Writing? Or Is the Grass Always Greener...?

2011-01-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

On my to do list: finish landscape cross stitch; start dragon cross stitch; 1/2 done quilt; just started quilt blocks, two quilt kits waiting in the wings; cool outfit sewing project; restore treadle machine; paint kitchen; volunteer somewhere in my community; crochet a scarf; remove blackberries; de-clutter; read more books; decide what's truly important to me; etc., etc, etc. (etc.).

But I'm thinking about the new show that we'll be doing in Feb...the one I have to write. I have two novels and a non-fiction to edit. If I don't edit them, I can't submit them. If I don't submit them, they won't be selected for publication. Then I think about my other to-do list (see paragraph one). Wouldn't it be nice just to create something beautiful? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the time to sew or paint or de-clutter while listening to music-that-would-date-me-if-I-named-the-band?

Or if I had that kind of time...would I sit at my computer and write?

Rowdy or Engaged?

2010-12-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

This has happened so often, I have to share the most recent incident.

Setting: Large group gathering in a gym. Buffet food line. Tables scattered throughout. An area in front of the stage for the children to sit on the floor. Stage set with everything needed for interactive children's play.

At Rise: Buffet line is done. People are sitting around talking--loudly. Person in charge comes up to microphone.

PERSON IN CHARGE: Cwerks is going to start the play. The children can sit up here. (indicates where; children rush to sit in front of stage)

(Cwerks performers go through whole play at full volume to be heard by children sitting in front; parents continue talking around the room at full volume; children, during the course of the 40-minute show, yell out to the performers, try to touch props on the stage, shove one of the performers who's supposed to be sleeping; the head performer--me--tries to find ways to cut the show short and manages to shave 5-10 minutes off the running time; afterwards exhausted performers quickly tear down the set while quietly commiserating about the awful job they must have done to have the children so rowdy)

PERSON IN CHARGE: (to performers as they are leaving) That was so good. The kids have never been so engaged in the entertainment. Thank you.

NaNoWriMo Winner

2010-12-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row, I've managed to pull off 50k words of a new novel during National Novel Writing Month. The real trick for me now is to go back and edit both those stories!

Side note: My friend's husband calls it NaNoWiMo = National No Wife Month. LOL!

A Past Life Perhaps

2010-12-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

One of the first mime “skits” that Marian had the kids create at a middle school workshop was a 7-second chore or something they do on a regular basis. Because of past experiences, Marian ticked off on her fingers the things the kids may NOT PERFORM: “You may not show me playing video games.” [kids groaned] “You may not show me playing computer games.” [more groans] “You may not show me watching T.V.” [“aww”] “You may not show me doing nothing or sleeping. And because someone once tried this, I must add—

You may not show me going to the bathroom.” [Kids laugh] Now making eye contact, Marian adds for emphasis, “So if you don’t go skydiving on a regular basis, don’t do it. If you don’t drive the car, don’t do that either. Got it?” They always get it, in theory...

The last kid up mimed an allosaurus.

Empathy for Charlie Brown's Lucy

2010-10-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

I was doing a bit of cross stitch while watching a movie with the fam when I needed to get another length of thread. As I'm measuring and cutting, a length of it lies over my lap and dangles towards the floor. The cat of course thinks it's a cat-toy. And I just think it's funny as she bats at thin thread.

I get the two threads I need and I lick the ends prior to threading the needle, as per usual. I don't know, maybe it's gross, but once I thread my needle and if the threads are a bit twisty, I'll take the whole piece of thread just through my mouth to get it straightened. And it's not like I'm dripping saliva on the thread--it's just a quick brush-through on the inside of my lips.

DON'T LET THE CAT PLAY WITH THE STRINGS! It didn't dawn on me that the cat was catching the string with her mouth!! I zipped the string through my lips and when it reached almost the end, I went through lots of moisture. It took me about two seconds before I realized it wasn't my spit! Cat germs! Yuck!

Recollections of Charlie Brown flashed through my head when Lucy was kissed by Snoopy and she rushed around screaming "Dog germs! Get the antiseptic!" I thought Lucy was silly. Now I know what she means! I ran for the kitchen to find whatever I could that could be an antiseptic for my mouth.

So gross.

The Saga of Tortoise and the Hare

2010-10-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

I must really like this Aesop's fable because I've adapted it for the stage three times.

The first time was in 1996 when I was directing children's shows at Miss Mella's Drama Theatre. Because I had no idea how many children would come out for auditions, I needed the script to be flexible in terms of number of cast members. I also needed it to last about 45 minutes. So Adaptation 1 was included in the script Four Fables of Aesop, which could have a cast of 6-25, or more. The Tortoise and the Hare portion included other animals in the forest--Tortoise was polite to them and Hare was rude.

Goodness, Adaptation 1 got performed at Miss Mella's Drama Theatre, Abiqua Elementary, Children's Educational Theatre, and Chemeketa Community College (with adults performing for childen).

Adaptation 1.5 (2009) was a Spanish/English version. My husband translated it then directed it at Grant Elementary. The kids had to work hard to flip back and forth between Spanish and English. They were great.

Adaptation 2 came about in 2006. It was an interactive two-person play for adults to perform for children. And we have definitely performed it a lot since it was created. Either me and my husband, me and my daughter, my husband and my son, or my husband and my daughter. I prefer to play Tortoise and let my children play energetic Hare. When my husband and I perform, we fight over who must play Hare. (I think it's my turn to play Tortoise!)

Adaptation 3 happened just the other week when I wrote a script for two children to perform the tale. Several years back, a woman wondered if we had any two-person scripts for children because her granddaughters loved to act out stories. It took me awhile to get around to it, but I did it. And the first two-person kid script is yet another adaptation of The Tortoise and the Hare. (it's posted on the Cwerks website; free download, along with a Stage Terms sheet: http://www.cwerks.com/scripts.html)

I love the Hares I got for Adaptation 1. They've always been quite energetic, always running around the stage, speaking quickly (but clearly), and bursting out into laughter--that's not easy for a young actor. But they've always managed it.

The Tortoises take a special type. It takes someone who can speak and walk slowly without sounding or looking like a video in slow-motion. (Try it; it's not so easy). I remember my first Tortoise...Oh, my gosh! I saw her the other day and she's now an adult, working her way through college...or was she done with college? And she's participating in the community theater. Wow.

My speed seems to be Tortoise-like; whereas, time keeps running like the Hare.

I Like Playing Left Field

2010-10-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

(disclaimer: I don't play a lot of softball anymore, but when I did...)

I liked playing left field. When chosen for a team, with no idea what I could or couldn't do, the team "captain" would usually place me in left field, especially if it was a co-ed team. I was okay with that because I would just wait my chance. I watched good hits send the ball to right field; many balls stopped at the infield, and I still waited. All I had to do was keep alert. Be ready. Sooner or later, a fly ball would come nearer to me than to the right fielder and I had my chance--I ran all out to get under that ball. I watched that thing until it hit my glove. Then I saw the expressions on the faces of the rest of my team--especially the captain. They were surprised and excited and I was a hero for a moment in time. I must admit though, I really wasn't that great at softball so playing left field was perfect because I had less opportunity to make a fool of myself. And as long as I kept a sharp eye out for that perfect ball, I could manage to look good.

Going up to bat was fun, too. I'm not a heavy hitter; oh, I tried really hard every time. I even had a good-looking stance but smacking the ball for me was sending it just beyond the pitcher and sometimes slightly past second base; I could never get it way out there, most annoying. But no one expected me to run so fast. I was almost to first before the person picking up the ball realized it. The best was when they'd throw it anyway. I could tell by the time the first baseman got the ball, I'd be almost to second, so I kept going. If the first baseman was foolish enough to throw it to second while I was running there, I'd head on into third. Usually by then the pitcher was calling for the ball.

It's kind of fun when no one expects you to be good at something; then you can come from left field and wow them.

I love playing left field!

(10/12/10 Update: So my husband read this and told me left field is actually where most of the balls go because hitters pull that way...Great, it just shows how ignorant I can be. But I know it was left field that I would end up--I guess no one was too worried that the ball would come way out my way. Well, then, perhaps I was often in right field, too...)

Hare's Blunder

2010-10-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a non-runner who played the Hare in a performance of The Tortoise and the Hare. There were 300 children in the audience. What fun! How silly the non-runner was with the Hare, zipping around the stage and through the audience, delivering lines at the speed of light, and boasting--because that's what Hare does in the fable. Then Tortoise challenges Hare to a race, because that's what happens in the fable. A child is brought up to say "On your mark...get set...go!" because that's what happens in the play. And Hare dashes away, ahead of Tortoise, because that's what happens in the story. But the non-runner forgot that what the story doesn't mention is that hares don't have to stretch out to run; they're built for running. Non-running performers ought to stretch out even if it's just a play; for the non-runner, upon hearing "go," pushed off with her left foot so she could win the race. But something in the foot stretched too much and the non-runner had to limp during the race, even though that's not in the fable. Luckily, the non-runner is a good performer and didn't let on how much the race hurt. She had to put her foot up, though, for a week afterwards.

Moral: If you are not a Hare, stretch out before running even if the race isn't real.

GOALS! GOALS! GOALS

2010-10-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

I read constantly--a must for any writer? Usually fantasy. Usually a middle grade or young adult novel. Sometimes, I go on a non-fiction kick--The Idle Parent; Drive; A Whole New Mind, Eat to Live. Oh, those are sitting in my to-be-read pile. Right now, I'm reading The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. Oo, I want tobe successful. I finished the chapter on goal-setting--I'm supposed to have 101 goals! Dang it shoot, that's a lot of goals. I haven't made that many yet, but I do have a small, spiral notebook with 60-some odd pages left in it and I've begun writing goals down. And I take my goals with me everywhere. And the goals have deadlines. And I'm starting to finish some. And I've made more goals. And for the past two days, I've been getting up way early (for me) just so I have more time to write before the phones start ringing around 9 a.m. or so.

AND I COMPLETED THE NOVEL I STARTED DURING NANOWRIMO LAST NOVEMBER! It's the first draft but it is done.

Ah, success. I think I'll read over my goals this evening, as per The Success Principles. Then I'll read another few chapters before retiring for the evening.

Shakespeare was Long-Winded!

2010-08-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Preface: I do like watching Shakespeare plays.

But, oh, my goodness, the fam just saw Henry IVth, part 1 at the Ashland Shakespeare Festival--which was wonderful; I love seeing what directors do with blocking for Shakespeare; I love watching what the actors do. Anyway... It began at 8 p.m. and ended at 11 p.m. The Bard needed a good editor. That's all there is to it. English professors love to dissect Shakespeare--which really doesn't help students to understand the storyline in the first place if the class is reading only a page or so at a time. Theatre professors--or at least mine--felt that Shakespeare was meant to be performed, not just read in a classroom. The other thing one of my theatre professors said was "Shakespeare probably cut Shakespeare." I wish he had when we watched Henry IV. I tried to pay strict attention the whole time. I managed pretty well. And when they were running around with swords, striking people down, I thought, "Almost there." Then finally the main antagonist is killed--after a bit of monologuing. And Prince Hal/Henry/Harry (can't remember how many names Shakespeare used for him; an editor could have helped him realize that was too much too) holds the dead man and...monologues. Then Prince Hal stands and starts to go and I'm thinking, "Any second is the final 'phrase' and it's curtain call." Nope. Princey sees his dead friend. Aaa! More monologuing. Look, Shakespeare, when most everyone is dead, the story is over.

(I should probably go back and edit this piece so it's not so long-winded.)

My Opinion Counts...

2010-07-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

...to kids, anyway.

We had an outdoor performance of Tortoise and the Hare on Saturday. Right afterwards, several children came up to do more than thank us for the performance; they came to, well, chitchat: "That was good" "You were funny" "Today I'm a butterfly, see? [the child's face was painted]" "I have a butterfly [paper craft at one of the booths]" "My mom's working in a booth; so we're here all day" "You were the pirates [she had seen a May performance]" "I read that story before," etc.

We get similar comments after all our children's shows. It could possibly go to my head. Just like it does to many celebrities whose opinions are sought after. I could start spouting advice/opinions to little kids. We could have a 10 minute "Chat with the Actors" session right after each of our shows, maybe charge extra. Then I could tell the kids all sorts of things:

Pink is so "in." I love your pink shirt...and shorts...and shoes.
Your hair is cute.
Your hat is great.
Your new shoes are way cool.
Sometimes I'm a princess and sometimes I'm a pirate. Isn't everyone?
I bet you could beat me in a race.
You should read the story. Just ask your librarian for books on...
The best ice cream is Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter. And don't you love their squeaky cheese? [you must be near their factory to appreciate their squeaky cheese]
If it's not yours, don't touch it.
Be nice.
Did you know that story has several versions? You should read them. There's even a Kate and the Beanstalk [etc.]. Just ask your librarian...

I'll just have to write down a few more opinions I have for children so I'm prepared when the television stations start calling me.

Theater Activity #3 Trip to Hawaii

2010-06-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

I love games and I combined a group game with the practice of the theater skill of enunciation.
Trip to Hawaii
The group sits in a circle. Person 1 says, "I am going on a trip to Hawaii and in my suitcase I will pack _____________" Person 1 fills in the blank (and it can be as silly as "my pet elephant"). Person 2 says the same sentence but this time fills in the blank with whatever Person 1 said and adds "...and ____________," filling in the blank with something else. Person 3 says the same sentence and what the other two have added to their suitcases, followed by one more item. And on it goes around the circle. There's one more little thing the students must do--they OVER-enunciate everything. The "p" in "trip" almost comes out as two syllables--"trip-puh" (not quite almost; there may be a lot of spit flying). The "t" in "suitcase" must also be overdone; all the words need to be over-pronounced.

The reason for this type of practice? Normally, most of us slur our sentences. Listen to people talking and you'll notice that "and" is usually pronounced "an." Agreeing with someone becomes, "yeah" instead of "yes." In everyday conversation, people are likely to understand you, but when you're in front of a group delivering a speech or performing a play, the words may not be as clear and no one from the audience is going to raise their hand and ask you to repeat. No, we're not going to over-enunciate when in front of an audience but we're going to enunciate rather than slur our words.

Variation on the game:
Use a different sentence--
"I am going camping and in my backpack, I will place..."
"I'm in a rocket and out the window I can see..."
etc., etc.

Haavuh Ffunn!

Wiped Out!

2010-06-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

I must put more energy than I realize into shows. We performed a 40-minute murder mystery for about 100 people today and by the time we got done and got home, I was DONE. I went to bed at 7 p.m. (I don't go to bed at 7 p.m.! I go to bed at 1 a.m. and such...which is approximately what time it is now--I did have a two hour nap though.) I had plans: after the show I was going to rehearse for the next show, take care of a few things that are coming up, maybe cross stitch some, sew some, write some. I mean really, the show was in the middle of the day. I'd be fine. I wasn't. I couldn't even read in bed for very long! (what is this world coming to) So either I'm getting sick or I shower our audience lavishly with energy. I think that's a good thing...except for needing to go to bed at 7 p.m.

So Boxed In!

2010-05-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm a mime and so what do people always ask me--Can you do the box?
As if that weren't bad enough, I wrote myself into a box. As in, I wrote a new script called "Boxes." It's for the show I'll direct during the summer with a cast of 3rd and 4th graders.

When was I supposed to have this script complete? Around February--I guess I missed that deadline.

When did I start forming the outline in my head? July, 2009

And why didn't I work on it little by little so I could finish seven months later? Well, heck, I don't know. I was busy with my theater business and my church stuff and the family and household chores and writing a novel during the month of November and then there were the holidays and lots and lots of other stuff to do. I'm so boxed in!

I'll just have to sing the song "Imagination" to myself...it's in the new script, put to music by my musically talented and not so boxed in friend.

Gadzooks! Those Cell Phones are Taking Over

2010-05-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers? There's probably been numerous remakes of it, each one gorier, I'm sure. I saw it as a teen (long ago if you must know). Well, I think cell phones have become intelligent and are secretly working on controlling all humans around the world. I mean, why else would people use them non-stop at the most impolite times? Here's evidence--

Exhibit A: At a recent performance of Tortoise and the Hare we were doing, a father in the front row answers his cell phone TWICE during the 25-minute production.

Exhibit B: Some time ago, we went to a movie and just as the movie began a cell phone rang and the woman HAD to answer it. She was forced to, you could tell. Her conversation was a loud whisper (I heard it one aisle over and three rows back): "I can't talk right now...I'm at the movie...I can't talk right now...No, I can't talk right now." Finally someone further away from us yelled, "Hang up the phone." Apparently this is not an unusual occurrence and has expanded in devious ways; a young friend said he recently had to tell a teen at a movie to turn off the cell that was using the ringtone that only teens can hear.

Exhibit C: Only a week ago, I was at a writer's conference and a phone went off in the middle of an intimate 15 person workshop. The Mind-Controlled individual was overpowered and she answered the phone as she was exiting. Bang, goes the door in her hastiness to get out of the room...and whoosh it goes again as she re-enters to grab paper and pencil at her table... and bang goes the door again as she left for the second time in less than 30 seconds.

And more exhibits in brief:
D: An acquaintance has on his bluetooth at a children's show. (I shamed him into getting it out of his ear--he was with his girls, for Pete's sake, on a daddy-daughters excursion).
E: Another acquaintance was watching our murder mystery and had the bluetooth in. Luckily, it didn't go off during the show because she would have answered if it was one of her grown kids.
F: At a church, phones will sometimes go off and even get answered. (If only God used text messaging, right?)
G: A person we called answered the phone to say, "I can't talk right now. The doctor just came in."
H: When performing improv mime at a high school prom, I saw numerous young men playing with their cell phones as their beautiful dates sat next to them. (I shamed one young man into putting the cell phone away. Ah, mimes can get away with so much!)
I: When taking information for a singing telegram, the wife tells me that the husband always runs into things when he's using the cell phone while driving. (Eek!)

The evidence of cell phone take over is astounding. Humans of the world RESIST! If you're right in the middle of a [doctor's appointment, play, movie, class, argument with your spouse], don't answer the cell! You can do this! If we have any hope of being back in control of our own lives, we must resist the power of the cell...

Oh! My cell phone is going off and it's not even 9 a.m. I shall resist! I shall walk away and go eat breakfast. (But what if it's someone important?)

She was the Beanstalk

2010-04-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, we had a Performance/Workshop combo. After two performances of Jack and the Beanstalk for the students at a primary school (K-3), we led workshops for five 1st grade classes. It was a blast--the teachers were enthusiastic, the kids were enthusiastic and we had fun taking the little guys through 25 minutes of theater activities. In each class, the kids wanted to point out their friends who had played different parts in the shows: "She was the Beanstalk," "I was the Magic Harp," "He was the Baker." Such little things mean a lot!

On a side note: Do you realize what time many schools start? This school started at 8 IN THE MORNING! Our first show was at 8:30 A.M. The drive was 42 minutes (every minute counts when you want sleep). We needed to arrive by 8 to set up. Do the Math--we had to leave our house by 7 something (I can't do the math). Gadzooks! What an hour to be up, dressed, breakfasted and functional.

Script Frenzy

2010-03-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

That's actually the name of the sibling of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) that happened in November. So, for April, one writes fast and furiously to create a script (stage, screen play, TV program) or scripts that total 100 pages.

I went and signed up for it! Why, oh, why would I do that to myself right before taxes are due? Glutton for punishment? Masochist? (I just looked that up and definition 4 says: "the tendency to invite and enjoy misery of any kind, especially in order to be pitied by others or admired for forbearance." If I'm earning your pity, send chocolate; if your admiration, send money.) Or perhaps I just have some scripts that need writing this year and I might as well see the virtual word ticker count up.

Chris was very complimentary though: "100 pages? But you write our 45 page shows in only a couple of days. You'll be done in a week." With that thought, I could easily start April 16th and do just fine. But do keep in mind these scripts would be rough drafts and definitely not heading for Broadway or Off Off (off off off) Broadway.

Maybe it will be a Script Mosey for me.

I Taught Him What??

2010-03-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

What an interesting influence theater has on young children.

One of my young nephews came to see Captain Bobella of the Beast, a pirate story in which the cruel Captain Bobella doesn't want smiling or singing or anything of that nature on board her ship. As the play is introduced, the audience is told to say "Aye, aye" whenever the captain tells them to do something. During the play, I chose my nephew to be one of the "lookouts" and of course he had to say, "Aye, aye." He already saw the "swabbers" begin swabbing the deck with an "Aye, aye" so he was going with the flow. That was Feb. 20th.

Today--his mother informed me--he missed the toilet and she told him to get right back in there and clean up. As he kneels down to clean up, he calls out, "Aye, aye, Captain!"

Finished a Play--Kinda

2010-03-03T00:47:00.000-08:00

Every time I write a play, it seems to morph constantly. I finished writing "The Empress's New Clothes" to be performed in a couple of weeks and despite my having an outline, picturing it in my hand as I'm writing (I'm a director, too, so this is good), going back through the entire thing a couple of times to check for errors and to change the length as needed, I make it all nice and pretty to print out in booklet form and I find lots of mistakes. The very moment the script is read aloud, there are changes. It's read aloud a couple more times and there are changes. I start to memorize and there are changes. And when the play actually gets performed there will be more changes. A word doesn't sound quite right. A sentence sounds stupid. The rhythm is off. Something is misspelled. And change it does! That's why I hold my scripts dear--as in the physical script that's mine. I mark them all up as the changes take place. Then when someone orders a script, I go back through with my script and make the corrections on the computer. It's really too bad that I've MISPLACED ONE OF MY SCRIPTS! And I don't think it was around the house. It's out there somewhere. *sigh*

Most Embarrassing Moment

2010-02-26T23:39:00.001-08:00

I was working with some journalism kids today and they were practicing their interviewing questions on me. One of the questions was "what was your most embarrassing moment?"

If it's the "most embarrassing moment," it means that it was pretty embarrassing...

I'm not telling.

Good Audience Behavior

2010-02-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

When one performs in a variety of places for a variety of ages, one notices the little things that get neglected, such as remembering to have manners during a show. This is called Good Audience Behavior. Good Audience Behavior boils down to one thing: Do not become a distraction to the performers or the people around you. Sadly, more and more productions must give a Good Audience Behavior speech before the curtain rises. Lest "Do not become a distraction..." is not quite understood, here are further guidelines:
1) Turn off your cell phone. Or leave it in the car. Do not look at it when it vibrates to see who it is. Do NOT excuse yourself "quietly" to the foyer or other area just to answer the phone. If you are waiting for a very important call, don't attend the performance. People used to survive for several hours at a time without being near a phone (or checking Facebook). We can do it again. And if you forget to turn off the cell and it rings, turn it off--just push the volume button to make it go quiet and once the call gets sent to voice mail, you can turn off your phone; do not answer it.
2) Sit quietly. Talking to the person next to you, even if you're whispering, is a distraction.
3) If you are not interested in the show--maybe you were roped into coming or maybe it's boring--tough it out. Do not start talking or playing with your cell phone or Nintendo DS. Other people want to be there--don't be distracting.
4) If you must exit or walk by (perhaps it's an outdoor performance), do NOT walk between the audience and the performers. Cling to the edges of the group and go behind the audience, even if it means walking a bit further, even if it means getting off the sidewalk.

If you take your child to a play, you need to be in charge:
1) Sit next to your child. If you have a group of children with you, sit where you can easily reach any of them and have the most rambunctious child sit right next to you. Shushing a child over the tops of three or four children is distracting to everyone around you.
2) Keep your child seated. They should not be running around just because the show is in a gym or in the library. Especially, do not let them play on the stage or the stage area before, during or after a performance. If you know your child may have a problem sitting still, sit in the back, near an exit.
3) Kids get excited during a play but allowing them to get "into it" by yelling things out is a distraction. If the play is an audience-participation play, listen to the instructions. There may be times to yell things out and times NOT to.

If you're in charge of a large group of kids:
1) Don't leave the area just because the kids seem focused on the play. This is not the time for a meeting in the next room.
2) Staff members should be spread throughout the audience, not in one spot.
3) Don't talk to other staff members even in the back of the room; you can be heard. It's distracting.
4) Your most active children should be next to an adult and probably not in the front row.
5) The children will get excited. If they do not see you watching them, their noise/wiggly level will increase. If you don't stop them quickly, the level will get to be monstrous. The performers should not have to stop performing just to shush the children.
6) So sorry, but don't watch the show, watch the kids.

AND EVERYONE:
1) Laugh out loud when the play is funny. Enjoy it. It gives the performers more energy.
2) Applaud at the conclusion of the show. I don't care what the age of the performers--two, teen, senior, and everything in between--applaud. It is DIFFICULT work getting in front of a group of strangers and performing! With shows such as America's Got Talent, we've become a bit too critical, thinking everyone has to be Broadway, Hollywood or Vegas material to be appreciated. Not so. Applaud because of the efforts of the performers. Applaud because you saw a live performance. Applaud because you love the playwright. Applaud because the performance was pretty dang good for being a high school (or whatever) production. If you absolutely hated the performance and you didn't leave at intermission, that would be your fault--applaud politely.

Lots of information here but again it boils down to one thing...wait a minute, two things:
1) Don't become a distraction.
2) Enjoy it!

Expect the Unexpected When You Do Mime

2010-02-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

Just a silly little memory: I was off to do a mime show and my husband glances up from whatever he was reading and comments, "My wife is a painted lady."

The Fine Art of Eating One Food at a Time and the Problems It Causes

2010-02-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

I love eating a meal, a good meal, such as served at lunch or dinner. You'll notice it was served, not made by me. If I make a "meal" it usually consists of one item--spaghetti, chili, soup, that kind of thing, not a variety of delectable vegetables and meats on a plate. But when I have a plate of food in front of me, I eat all of one item at a time because I "save the best for last"--which always changes depending what I'm in the mood for. Even as a child, I ate one item at a time before moving to the next food.

The problems associated with such eating may not be obvious. As a child, I ran the risk of a sibling or parent leaning over my plate and spearing a delicious morsel I was saving and eating it because they thought I didn't want it. My oldest sister once downed my glass of cold milk that I was saving for the very end that night; I was going to swallow the cool refreshment as the last lingering flavor on my taste buds.

I haven't been too worried about my mono-eating as an adult. I knew how to wield a fork if I had to. But the funniest problem I had by eating this way was at a luncheon board meeting I attended. Two of the people on the board were also the ones catering the luncheon. Oh my goodness, my plate had SALMON on it--I love salmon, broiled or baked with butter and spices. Oh, yeah, that was going to be THE last thing I savored that day. So, I went through my salad and had just started in on the veggies, when the serious-about-the-business-and-oh-so-attentive caterer asked me if the salmon was okay. I assured him I was saving it for last. I went through my veggies, took a sip of water and again the caterer, now rather worried for his reputation I suppose, told me if the salmon wasn't good, he would be happy to bring me something else. His hand was even inching towards my plate to take it away! (My fork was in the ready position). In spite of the meeting already in progress, I whispered to him in the most urgent way I could--my salmon was on the line after all--that I am 1) a mono-eater; 2) I ALWAYS save the best for last; 3) I LOVE salmon; and 4) DON'T TOUCH MY SALMON. All in a whisper, you understand. Perhaps brandishing the fork got my message across...okay, I didn't really brandish the fork but I leaned forward to protect my plate and gobbled up the salmon before anyone could reach over and take it.

Deadlines

2010-02-01T13:07:00.001-08:00

Deadlines get me nervous. I feel myself start to panic when deadlines draw near. I'm not an absolute procrastinator but there are times I put off doing one thing to be able to complete something else, such as, perhaps I'd like to clean the house that day so there's no longer a foul odor, or maybe I want to have three meals in the day where I actually sit down to eat them. Point being, I try to pace myself in all the tasks that I know have deadlines coming up. It just never works. At the end of last summer, I was already thinking of a new children's play to write for summer 2010. One would think I've had a leisurely six months to plod along writing, right? Well, I got the outline ready...the rest of the play ought to be due about NOW! Is it done? No. But I hate plodding! If I have a job to do, I just like completing the whole thing in one fell swoop when possible. I even eat that way--one food at a time; I complete the mashed potatoes then I move on to the green beans (another day, I'll have to tell you an amusing story about that habit). I hate eating--or completing projects--piecemeal. That's why when I go to sew an outfit, I need to be able to finish it within the day or it drives me crazy. (I've never come across a sewing project that lasts a day, which could account for me being crazy. Dang it.) Same thing happens when writing a play, reading a book, de-cluttering the house. That could be why I'm often up late, too. Perhaps between deadlines and life, I could learn patience (Ha!).

Is posting on a blog procrastinating?

(Next time on Simply Marian, we'll explore the fine art of eating one food at a time and the problems it causes.)

Spelling Theater or Theatre

2010-01-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, a daughter of a friend was in a spelling bee. The friend used to own a theatre--Miss Mella's Drama Theatre--that everyone in the family helped out with. Her daughter got the word "theater" and she spelled it the way she'd seen it...and was told WRONG! She had spelled it t-h-e-a-t-r-e. My heck, I spell it that way all the time. I guess it's the British way. Don't spell it like that in a spelling bee in the United States.

Who On Earth Said "The Show Must Go On"?

2010-01-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hacking cough, barely a voice, children's show yesterday...and sicker in bed today. The show went fine (I think). The kids enjoyed it. We got through it. We got paid. Whether a mom or a performer, the attitude of "the show must go on" is prevalent and I need to evaluate that statement for its truthfulness for each situation. Did I really have to run those errands on Thursday and Friday, instead of resting? Of course the answer is "no," the errands could have waited. Did I have to perform on Saturday? Well, no. My daughter knows the show and it probably would have been easier on the audience's ears to hear her singing, rather than me. I had the kind of voice that makes you want to clear your own when you hear it. Had I been thinking, she could have prepared for the show since Thursday. And she's good enough to have picked it up in three days. But, noooo, I was thinking "the show must go on...and I have to be the one to do it." Silly me. Alternatives, I must be creative and think alternatives. Now, back to bed for me.

A New Year & Which Direction?

2010-01-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man. It's January first and it's time to evaluate and check my life's compass, do some course corrections, decide the focus. I'm scared. Evaluating where I've been, what I've accomplished and which direction I want to head now seems like such a monumental chore because there are so many aspects--physical, spiritual, creative (can that be "creatial"?), financial, mental. You know, I was just thinking that the evaluation part itself could take a month to ponder...and then I was thinking how much time it would take to figure out the exact direction I want to go...and then I was thinking half the year could be over by the time I figure all that out. Through writing these few sentences, I have decided to KISS (Keep It Short and Simple). For the amount of time I could spend struggling over the perfect goals for the year, I could probably get some done just by getting to work. So basically my goals will be about writing, working, spiritualing, house-maintaining, and healthifying. And this year I think I'll evaluate and make course corrections on a monthly basis. Next Jan. 1st may not feel so overwhelming to look back and see what I've done, the direction I've been. Simple is good for me!

An Incredible Month of...not Writing

2009-12-26T21:59:00.000-08:00

We had shows; we worked on lines and prepped for that.
We had Santa gigs and ran around for those.
I had writer's group for a couple of times during December. I'm on my way to winning the rejection letter contest again.
And we have Christmas! So I baked cookies, fudge, banana bread, cardamom bread...and more cookies, more banana bread, more cardamom bread!
We wrapped gifts, opened gifts, played with gifts, traveled a bit, watched movies. It's been a busy and wonderful December.

(So this is a rather bland entry. But that's what we did and it's been over 20 days since I last posted so this is to get me started again. Almost time for the reality to set in...but not yet. :) )

An Incredible Month of Writing

2009-12-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

Participating in National Novel Writing Month was great. I had the excuse I needed, one that everyone honored, to be able to spend a couple of hours a day just writing. I managed to chunk out the rough draft of a 50k word novel. Actually, I managed to get the 50, 000 words written which was the goal but the novel didn't get completed but that's okay. I'll just complete it this month...except this is the end of the first week after NaNoWriMo and I've added only 1,400 words more to the novel and before I was doing 2500 words 5 days per week. That's sad. I wonder if I can get myself to wake up early just to be able to write. I did it for the month of November. Surely, I can do it again.

Their Eyes Light Up for Santa

2009-11-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

Chris has already played Santa twice this month (I know, crazy, right? It's not even after Thanksgiving) and it's fun to look around at the children's faces as they watch him go by or when he stops to talk to them. One little boy brought Santa a gift...which left his sister crying because it was hers. But it's okay, Santa was able to return the gift without hurting the little boy's feelings.

Actually, I'm not talking about the children's eyes. As I stand in the background watching who sits on Santa's lap to get a picture, it's the adults--and the teens--that amaze me. There are many who want a picture with Santa, too. One massage therapist and her whole staff got a picture with Santa. They loved it! There were the two sisters (teen and young adult). And there was a grandma, too.

There are some adults who still believe in the magic of Christmas.

Now I've Got to DO Something

2009-11-11T12:01:00.001-08:00

After eight days of writing 2500 words a day, I'm ready to launch off the chair and DO something. I've already gotten in my word count for the day. I managed to get some work done for Cwerks; there's two more things that really ought to be done. But now it's time to stand up and move. I could cook something with Styx blaring from the stereo. I could declutter an area--I love the feel of tossing things. I wonder if the rug could use another steam cleaning. Or clean the garage, now that's dirty, physical labor. Yay, choices. I'll start Styx and then decide... but right now, I'm outta here!

Uh-oh

2009-11-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday morning, I was on target with my writing. Today, there's a lot of little things I'm doing--and they have to be done, no more procrastinating. It may mean a late night writing session to keep me on target with today's word count. So far, I'm up to 15, 074 out of 50k. I'm thrilled to be that far along.

A Month of Furiously Writing-Day 2

2009-11-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

So far I'm just ahead of schedule. I'm up to 5334 words. Yay!

National Novel Writing Month

2009-11-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

This month is NaNoWriMo and I'm taking the challenge. (www.nanowrimo.org)

I figured out that I need 2500 words/day for 5 days a week for 4 weeks to make my goal of 50, 000 words. Yesterday, I managed to write just over 2500 words. It came to just over 9 pages. And now it's time to get back in there and go, Go, GO!

And here's my opening (please understand I'm writing furiously; names and awkward sentences are subject to change):

"It took a lot of effort on Glorferrel's part to make sure no one knew she was a coward. Being a girl only made it that much more difficult. So she hit him again."

How 'bout that? It starts with violence...maybe that's not so good. Oh, well. Much is bound to happen by the end of November.

Just looking for...

2009-10-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

It happened again! The first time we performed Jack and the Beanstalk, a little girl came up after the show wanting to look behind the curtain to find the stove Jack hid in. Yesterday, a boy came up wanting to see who played the giant. Chris (dh) plays both Jack and the giant. What is that term? Suspension of disbelief? Children are so willing to play along. And they seem to have so much more fun.

Adventure in Adding Colors

2009-10-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's hard enough for me to sketch--I'll erase areas a million times before I leave a sketch alone. Adding colors takes all the courage I can muster and then some. I'm always worried I'm going to ruin something. But I did it! I added color to a few drawings:

The scans don't look as good as the originals (I don't think) and the giraffe picture is not fully colored but there they are.
Phew, I'm worn out. My courage is drained for the night.

The Dog Gets Involved

2009-10-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of performing at a private residence for the owners and a few of their friends. They have animals...and it was hard to stay in character and not watch the critters. One of the cats started playing with a straw hat when we set it out. It's the cheap Hawaii-type hat so the cat was chewing on the straw that sticks out. Then the poor young Doberman was whining to be let out of the bedroom when there was a party going on. The obedient dog was told to lie down on the floor. Several of my husband's lines are "Oh, come on, Maggie. It'll be fun." trying to convince his assistant (me) to lead the group in a song or entertain everyone with a hula. That well trained Doberman came when Chris called. What else does "come" mean, right? So halfway through the show, Maggie is ripping into Jake (played by my husband) and the dog is starting to get a little hyper, so I'm toning it down slightly. Then Jake is supposed to collapse because someone poisoned the pineapple (This is one of our murder mysteries, titled "Pigs, Pineapple and Poison." Jake's character is so obnoxious, some audiences cheer when he keels over). Luckily, Chris had the presence of mind to collapse, not on the floor as per usual, but on a chair, realizing that on the floor, the dog might consider him fair game. Then as Maggie, I'm supposed to scream. I toned that down, too.

We did make it through the play without coming out of character until the end then laughed with everyone else about the animals. We managed to survive feline attacks and trying to be rescued by a Doberman.

(We happen to like animals. Even as I type this, Big Oh is curled up between my arms, snoozing. If there are typos, blame Big Oh.)

Writing & writing & writing

2009-10-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

A month or more ago, I wrote myself another schedule* which I do on a regular basis, refining the list to fit the time available. On this schedule, I included my writing time. All the writing conferences I've been to has included at least one speaker saying, "You have to put your butt in the chair and just write." Although I've also heard "you must write everyday" that hasn't quite worked out. With my new schedule, I have "writing and submitting" on my Tuesday, Thursday time slot. It's been working out pretty good actually. I won the Rejected Letter Contest for this term in my critique group. On MWF, I work on editing my completed theater book. So I'm kind of writing everyday, except sometimes my schedule goes unheeded out of other pressing needs--money-earning work, class preparations, etc.. Well, thinking about it, I realized I've been writing a lot, and not just for story telling; special letters (not just flash emails) is also writing. I've managed to write:

Four Elvy (character's name) stories.
Weekly letters to my missionary son for the past 10 months or so.
Non-fiction article about my cats.
Non-fiction article about reverence.
Outline for a new script for children to perform.
Blogging (okay, I noticed that I've missed a few weeks of adding a new entry; I've been writing stories).

How exciting! I'm actually writing. (Sometimes I have to point little wins out to myself because I often see where I'd like to be compared to where I am and think I'm making no progress.)

*Scheduling: I happen to like lists and schedules. It keeps me focused. Given the time, I may spend hours dinking around and not getting anything done. Then comes the busy schedule all of a sudden (such as money-earning work or needing to fix the roof) and I have no time to enjoy creative pursuits--writing, drawing, sewing, crafts, playing Catan--or no time to actually get the house clean or de-cluttered. So many wonderful things to do in this life. A schedule helps me remember what I really want to do.

The Believeable Hen

2009-09-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

We have a hen that lays golden eggs in our play Jack and the Beanstalk. The hen is played by an audience member. Our most recent chicken was played by a young girl and it didn't dawn on me until after the show the little touch of realism that the girl added. She came up on stage when the Giant's Wife (me) called her up. Then she sat down on her knees next to the Giant (my husband). When the Giant and Wife left the room, the hen was standing next to the table where Jack (husband) found her and took her home. The little girl followed Jack to the beanstalk and climbed down it with him. Jack's Mom (me, again) entered and saw Jack and the chicken, who was now back on her knees, sitting on the stage. I wondered for just a moment why she kept sitting on the stage. We've had children be animals before and they either drop to all fours (we usually have 4 + legged animals) or they remain standing. My question was answered when Jack said"Lay." The hen handed him a golden egg. She was a LAYING HEN! Of course! The little girl was just doing what hens do when they lay eggs. I mean, really, what hen do you know that lays an egg standing up?

Roses

2009-09-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm still practicing drawing and adding color. I don't know when I'll call myself an artist; it may be a long while. In the meantime, I ended up with a drawing I liked! I took a picture with my camera to upload this so it looks a bit...interesting. I didn't actually color in a light source; it's just the flash bouncing off the white paper. But I was pleased with the way the original came out. (Yay!)

In Between

2009-09-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

September is an in-between month. Summer gigs are done and Fall/Winter classes and performances are not quite rolling. But In Between doesn't mean not busy. It's time for more marketing, more planning, more business goal setting, and putting it all into action. It's also time to sign the corporate tax return, clean the file cabinets and make sure the Santa suit is clean. I love theater but the theater business has to be worked as a business. *Sigh*

Junior Theatre

2009-09-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have the opportunity to create a junior theater. Oh, I hope the sponsoring organization will see it as a valuable piece to what they do, and are willing to put in the initial money to make it an ongoing activity!

Leaping Over Did-I's

2009-08-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

I managed to submit two stories to two publishers this week.

Submitting articles is difficult. As I'm sealing the envelope the "Did-I's" whisper in my ear*: Did I write the cover letter right...was it too [insert word here: silly, stupid, dull, wordy, short]? Did I correct all grammatical errors in the manuscript and in the cover letter? Did I send it to the exact right editor at the exact right publishing house at the exact right time? Did I take enough time to research publishers? Did I [insert lots more questions here]?

I sometimes have to leap over the Did-I's so I'll actually submit manuscripts. Not that I want to slop through the process but I could be writing and revising forever without making efforts towards actually submitting. I've heard it said this way: The paralysis of analysis, meaning we analyze something so much, we don't DO anything. We freeze up. So this week, I unfroze and leaped. Which is kind of funny because I had printed out the manuscripts last week but kept them on my desk, paralyzed by the Did-I's and Should-I's (Should-I's go along with the Did-I's: Should I send it to this one or that one? Should I be funny but professional in my cover letter? Should I have my writer's group critique it one more time?) Well, at least I did leap even if it was a week later.

*Did-I's are similar to Shel Silverstein's "The What-ifs" - both can be a real nuisance.

Kids Who Try

2009-08-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to work with kids who try.

I finished teaching a four-day class on July 30th. There were only 7 kids in the group. One would think that would be easy. There was ONE kid in there who made the whole class a drain on my energy. I try to work with kids who aren't "getting it" or who seem to be holding back. If they seem to have a bad attitude, I first assume that it may stem from being fearful or uncomfortable with what we're doing, so I try to help. I want to help them be successful. But if a bad attitude continues with no effort on the child's part, I can't help--no effort on my part will make a difference, not until the child tries.

Monday, I started teaching another group of kids for the four-day run. What a delight! They all TRY. There is one student who is rather shy but she still tries. It may be beyond her comfort zone but she still tries. Sometimes the activity is difficult for her but she still tries. Another student in there is older than the rest. The class for her age got canceled so she opted to go with the younger kids. She still tries. Sometimes she likes to cop an attitude but when I have her get up and moving she still tries. And because they all try, they're actually doing well in the class and we're having fun.

I would rather have kids who try than kids who have the ability but don't put out any effort.

My husband teaches Spanish at a community college. His students are older but they're like my little guys--some try and some just don't. Hm. I wonder which ones are pleasant to be around.

A New Script is Hatching

2009-07-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

After directing 30 kids in Three-3-III (a script I wrote), I made a note to self for next year's play which was "KISS" = "Keep It Short & Simple" (or "Keep It Simple, Stupid" according to some, but I can't go around calling myself "stupid" all the time; I might start to believe it. Anyway...). I was thinking I had made things short and simple with Three-3-III. I need shorter and simpler (would that be KISSER?) So I started writing the new script in my head, getting some characters, figuring out a storyline--I even wrote one song, too bad I didn't record it when I had the tune in my head. I'll try to remember it later...I'm lying. I'll never remember so I'll make up a new tune...as soon as I find the piece of paper with the words on it. Maybe I should just wait until the deadline nears, then I'm sure to write and record everything that needs writing and recording.

Well, then. I guess I'll say the script is in incubation instead.

(it's July 31 for another few minutes. I thought I'd write while it was still July--so I got in two posts. Yay.)

Balloon Twisting-the Attention Getter

2009-07-31T22:36:00.000-07:00

I taught a few clowning skills to a group of 7-10 year olds this week and one of those skills was balloon twisting. We practiced almost every day. The kids twisted swords first (something that can be very simple), followed by simple animals. They made hats. They tried making curly-cues and 2-balloon hats and animals. We twisted--and popped--a lot of balloons. Today they had a little performance for family and friends. People were so impressed that the kids were making balloon animals, swords, and hats--and these were the adults.

Balloon twisting is rather fun. Today, I took my twisting supplies and a book of more difficult twists with me to a friend's house to practice while the kids (including teens) celebrated one girl's birthday. Kids can hear the pump a mile away. I made a hat for the birthday girl, and suddenly a 10 year old boy wanted something too. He was so excited. But he wasn't the only one. A big kid (translation: teenage boy) wondered if I could make him a sword (not unusual). Another girl wanted a hat. I made a couple of fishing poles with fish attached. I didn't get a chance to practice the more difficult twists in my book. I'll have to do that in my living room with the doors locked, the curtains drawn and a "do not disturb" sign on the front door!

What an Exhausting Week!

2009-07-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

CET (Children's Educational Theatre) where I work for 5 weeks in the summer just ended Saturday. The mornings were classes, the afternoons were rehearsals (I did a cameo in the musical) and evenings were performances of the different shows that CET produces in those five weeks. Friday night was strike of the musical, Saturday morning was evaluation and further clean up, Saturday night was the fine arts concert and strike after that. Gadzooks! That's a lot of shows and a lot of clean up. FYI: the 30 children I directed did great. They even had the presence of mind to ignore (or catch) the tri-walled pillars on wheels that started moving when the wind came up (the performance was outdoors).

Now onto this busy week of teaching clowning skills at the children's museum and theater skills for Educational Enrichment.

There has got to be a time to collapse, I just can't find space for it on the calendar.

Letting Off Steam

2009-07-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
(I'm directing a show with 30 children, ages 8-10. It opens in less than a week. I'm just a bit exhausted.)

A Picture Book Story!

2009-07-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

I've heard for several years now the picture book market is soft. So I really haven't written a lot of PB stories, though that's my favorite. After a brief discussion with a couple of writer friends, I realized we were writing stories and articles that seemed more likely to get published, not because we were enjoying what we were writing.That seems counterproductive. Why write if you're not loving it? And if you're not loving what you're writing it will show through.

So I wrote a picture book story today, 388 words. It was so much fun!

Snowball Fight in Mime

2009-07-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

Snowball fights can be rough, even in mime, especially if you're the instructor of 25 kids. Snowballs in mime NEVER miss their target which is usually the face. Snowballs in mime can NEVER be dodged. If you are the instructor, do not walk across the room during the snowball fight and act as if you're above the mayhem, even if you're just trying to move something off the floor so no snowballer will slip on it. You've actually become The Moving Target and most of the children will want to hit you with a snowball. Do not react by dropping them to the floor and rubbing mime snow in their faces; that's as good as a thrown gauntlet to a knight--they will now want to see if they can take you down. Do not allow your teenaged Teacher's Assistant to yell out, "Get [Your Name inserted here]!" And never, NEVER allow them to take you down--be brave, be tough, even though they outnumber you. Instead, change the approach. Yell, "Let's make snow angels," and drop to the floor. Then they will all lie down on the floor and the snow flinging stops. The one advantage to a mime snowball fight is you don't get cold...quite the opposite, so open a window and turn on the fan before you start.

Movie we were in--Uncle Bingo

2009-06-30T16:16:00.001-07:00

Ahahahahahha!
A couple years back, Chris, Ian, Hannah and I were in an independent
film--no pay but it was interesting. Chuck Magee of Wounded Rat Productions
recently posted a trailer on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e7j50yTGtg

On the running time, I'm at about :07, Ian (the mime) is about 1:48 and
2:07, Chris is at about 2:03-2:04. Hannah isn't in the trailer.
Next week we get to go watch the whole movie (just a private screening for
the cast).
What a riot!

Marian

The Other Members of My Writer's Group

2009-06-28T18:47:00.001-07:00

It is a delight to critique (critique, not criticize--in the hopes that the work being critiqued will improve and have a better chance of getting published) the work of my writer group friends. I am thrilled when one of them either finishes a major project or actually gets published. Three out of four of us have been published and gotten money for it. I have a hard time counting mine (except I loved the check part) because the two manuscripts I sent out were short and one of them, although paid for, hasn't yet been seen in print.

G has finished numerous middle grade and YA novels. And every other month, he has a great idea for another one--no, no, he doesn't just have the idea, he writes the first few chapters. He hasn't been published yet but I'm anxious to have him be "discovered." I wish an editor would hurry up and do that. I have to have his book before I can get an autograph.

C writes interesting travel articles. Yes, compared to the dry, uninteresting travel articles. Every time he brings in one for us to critique--that would be every time we have "group"--I want to go where he's writing about. Now and then the travel article doesn't have enough personality so he rewrites it and brings it back as unique as he is. He has been featured in an email newsletter for MONTHS now. I wonder if it's been a year yet.

A illustrates and writes. It's marvelous. I do have A's autograph on a magazine cover she did and on a "comic book" she created for a non-profit. But the chapters she brings in for a couple of different novels she's working on make great reading. The characters are so distinct and fun to read about.

And then there's me... I really shouldn't be so selfish. I'm learning so much by critiquing their work but I'm not bringing enough in for them to practice critiquing mine. A presenter at a writer's conference said that you should join a writer's group to critique work rather than have work critiqued because you learn more that way. I better exhibit a bit more self-discipline and make myself write gobs of material for the sake of the group. I suppose that means getting up early or not watching as many movies...or perhaps I could just think and type faster. Ooo. I'll do that!

The Best Vacation

2009-06-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted from teaching mime classes, auditioning kids and beginning a new rehearsal period. It's times like these that I think of the best vacation we ever had.

Our plan was to spend Christmas break with my husband's folks. We told everyone. But about three days before we were to leave, one or more of the kids got sick, so we couldn't go. We neglected to let anyone know that we weren't going. We spent two weeks at home with few phone calls and visitors. It was quiet and slow and wonderful.

Auditions are Tough

2009-06-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

I not a good auditioner. I know I can do a marvelous job for a director once cast but it's getting the part in the first place that I have a hard time with.

More difficult still is being the director doing the casting. Especially if it's kids auditioning. There's always something slightly unique about each kid's audition. It would be such a delight to work with each kid in a spectacular role. But there aren't enough spectacular parts to go around. As a director, I can only hope the kids who are cast will make the best of their parts whether or not it's ones they wanted.

Directors tend to quote Alexander Pope, "Act well your part; there all the honor lies," or Stanislavsky's "There are no small parts, only small actors," in trying to encourage actors--especially kids and youth--to feel good about a small part they ended up with. But disappointment is disappointment and it doesn't go away with a good quote. I always do the best I can for any role I'm cast in but I might be disappointed for a day or so if I didn't get the part I hoped for. So I feel disappointed and then it goes away and I enjoy the rest of the process. That's life in general, isn't it?

Three-3-III

2009-06-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

That's the title of my new script which will be performed on July 21 and 22. I had fun creating it. There are three storylines from tales of three: The Three Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and the Three Bears. I couldn't resist so the cast and characters are in multiples of three. There are 6 sign carriers, 3 reporters, 3 wolves with the three pigs, along with three sellers of building material (straw, stick, brick), 2 trolls with the billy goats, and three girls--Goldilocks, Curlilocks and Purplelocks. The songs in it are called Three is a Magical Number, Haggle-Haggle-Bargain, New Story New Story (lyrics by me; music by a talented friend), Three is a Magical Number Reprise. Yay! That goal was reached. (It helped that there was a deadline for writing it and I am being paid royalties for it).

The Week that Went By

2009-06-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

My daughter went to church girls' camp. My husband went as a leader. I had the house to myself from Tuesday afternoon to Saturday morning. One would think that would be a great opportunity for serious writing concentration. Nope. The week went by busier than usual...yes, busier. Or at least it felt that way. I have come to the conclusion there is no perfect time to concentrate on anything. I just have to make the time to do what I want to do; or use the time I do have whether or not it's a good time to concentrate. I'll have to keep a time journal for a few days and evaluate my spenditure of that precious commodity.

"But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them..." Jim Croce "Time in a Bottle" (I wish it was "Thyme in a Bottle;" I have some growing in my garden)

Happy Birthday to the Girl in the First Row

2009-06-13T23:06:00.000-07:00

Today we performed "Paul Bunyan" for a small group. The family in the first row come to these shows on a regular basis. Today it was the young lady's birthday. She was selected as Babe the Blue Ox. I hope she had a great birthday with us, and for the rest of the day!

The Files

2009-06-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Usually I have a LOT going on (you know, life). Yesterday was different for some reason. I hit the afternoon and sat at my desk thinking "what's next on my list?" I didn't have anything with a drop-dead deadline, but I had to do something. So, I pulled up my files of writing projects. Just my current list of projects is long, not to mention my to-be-written file full of ideas. Those are just the ones on my computer. There's a file folder on my desk that is positively FAT with writing ideas. Everything was almost overwhelming to look at. In my Stories file in my computer, I have one file for each of my projects (to hold all the different versions and outlines). A while back, I numbered the top four books I wanted to work on. I choose to work on Project #3. I looked at the date of the last time I worked on it...OVER A YEAR AGO! I had to read all 50 pages to figure out where I was. That's just embarrassing. Maybe it's time to be more disciplined and get up at 5 a.m. so I can have a couple of hours of uninterrupted time for writing. (HAHAHAHA. I knew I couldn't say that with a straight face!)

Rejection Letters on the Horizon

2009-06-08T17:05:00.001-07:00

After researching children magazine publishers for an hour or two, I submitted two of my stories to two different magazines. So that means in about three months I should be getting rejection letters in the mail...or a wonderful surprise.

Now it may seem I'm being pessimistic about my chances of getting a story published. No, I don't think so. I believe my stories are pretty good, many times they're better than things I've read. But the chances of my story hitting the exact right editor at the exact right time are slim. There are numerous people submitting stories. But because my stories are well-written, because I act professional (I type up my pages on plain paper, double-spaced; I don't pour perfume on them or send a box of chocolates with them just to be noticed, for example), and because I keep on editing my work and submitting it, I believe that eventually I will be published multiple times. What a paradox, eh, believing my chances are slim but believing I'm still going to be published? Well, I just have to keep submitting (and writing and editing and researching to whom to submit).

My optimism shows in the fact that I am still submitting.

Theater Activity #2: Answer with a Question

2009-06-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

This is a fun concentration game for two...maybe a killer concentration game (but if you get good at it, it's fun to watch friends get flustered):

A asks B a question.B answers with a question. And on it goes. No hesitating, no repeating a question over and over (e.g. "why?" "why?"), no changing the subject, no statements, or partial statements (e.g. "No. Did you?").

Sample:
A: Do you play soccer?
B: Do I look like a soccer player?
A: What does a soccer player look like?
B: I don't know.Why? [BUZZ-statement]

B's turn to go first:
B: Is your hair naturally brown?
A: Can't you see my hair is red?
B: Why do you think your hair is red?
A: Are your eyes blue? [BUZZ-change of subject]

Now they're both concentrating hard:
A: What's your favorite food?
B: Are you familiar with Thai food?
A: Is that your favorite food?
B: Do you think it's my favorite food?
A: Why would you mention it if it weren't?
B: Did you know there are 10 Thai restaurants in town?
A: Are there any in my area?
B: Where do you live?
A: Haven't you been to my house?
B: Who would know better than you?
And if they go a little faster, it gets harder.

So practice awhile, then challenge me to a game...
Do you think you can beat me? :)

Ow.

2009-05-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

Two posts ago, I was thinking how good it is NOT to be attached to the computer and do outdoor work and house work. I've changed my mind. We had another Saturday free and I decided it was time to attack the blackberries again. It was hot outside. I used the electric hedge trimmer. I needed an army of goats. I managed to inflict minor damage to the blackberry bush and I burned the dried out stems. Which made the hot day hotter.

Then I headed indoors & made myself re-caulk the tub like I've been telling myself to do for ages. "It'll just be a quick clean up and a quick caulking--no big deal" I told myself. I lied. That took a few hours of scrubbing the tub and applying the caulk.

Basically, my arms were rattled by the hedge trimmer, my hands were clinched while raking the blackberry stems, my back was constantly bending and unbending as I picked up those stems and caulked the tub. All this, on top of a 3 mile hike yesterday.

I hurt. I want to go back to sitting in front of the computer most of the day.

Scare Yourself

2009-05-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

***I once took a 2-week intensive course at the Goldston and Johnson School for Mimes in Ohio. Class time was 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Everyday. Ouch.
***I remember the first time I volunteered to do street mime. I acted brave because I thought everyone else was brave but me.
***My first writer's conference was a three day retreat and I signed up for a critique and open mic. I was trembling.
***I volunteered to write a musical even though I didn't have musical training.
***I knocked out walls to create bookshelves. The first hole was the hardest to make.

I scare myself with what I think I can do. Both characters of Nemo and Marlin, from Finding Nemo, live in my brain. The Marlin side is always telling me, "you think you can do these things and you just can't." The Nemo side is always saying, "but I can do this." (Then there's the Dory part of my brain, but we won't go there.) BUT...

Sometimes you have to scare yourself to find out what you can really do.

Put Your Hands Down and Walk Away From the Computer

2009-05-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

There is something wonderful about having a Saturday free and using it to cook, clean and weed. We made bread, baked chicken, lasagna, and apple pie-lets. We took out the garbage, ran the dishwasher three times, mowed the lawn, weeded around the herbs, mowed some of the field, torched the burn pile, mailed letters, got gas, and set up the card table in the field near the burn pile so we could play a game while we watched the embers die. We poured water on the ashes, took care of the dogs for the night, got cleaned up, ate lasagna, and watched a movie. We went to bed tired and sore...and very satisfied with our accomplishments.

It was a relief from write something, edit something, submit something; network, market and prep something for performances or teaching. Create a flier. Create dialogue. Memorize. Brainstorm for something to write.

I hope the brief break from the usual will help the creative juices to flow freely. I hope I sharpened the saw and filled the well. (Oh,dear. Those were cliches. The creative juices may not be flowing as freely as I thought. I'll just have to take another break tomorrow.)

Rejection Letter

2009-05-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

I got another rejection letter for a story I submitted. I just might win my writer's group rejection letter contest this time around.

Being a Mime Wasn't On My To-Do List

2009-05-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

I didn't learn mime until I was 15. I loved it. Actually practiced it at home. Even then it wasn't what I was planning as a career.

To sum up: When I was little, I wasn't thinking of being a writer, actor or mime. I wasn't planning on being a cop, firefighter, astronaut or secretary either. I wasn't even planning how many children I wanted. I played!...and did my chores and homework.

How on earth do little children plan their grown-up careers? Most seniors in high-school haven't a clue. All those actors and writers (and mimes?) who claim that they knew that's what they wanted to be when they were five--that's hard to believe. Well, I can imagine the actors saying that because they were probably already acting at that age (those pushy stage moms...joking). Perhaps I can even imagine the writers at five, setting their stuffed animals around their beds and reading them a freshly crayoned story. Good grief! I'm years behind all those driven 5-year-olds.

I do have to be grateful for living in a country that didn't decide for me, though. I love choices! And opportunities! And changing my mind!

And playing.

High School Roles (or, I Never Thought of Being an Actor, Either)

2009-05-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

In high school, I was in three plays. I was Helen (chorus) in Bye-Bye, Birdie; I played the Mother in Mother of Jack the Ripper; I was wife of Creon (no lines) in Anouilh's Antigone. I think that was it. I got involved in theater towards the end of my junior year. I was busy taking classes that were "recommended for the college-bound student." When I hit my senior year, I didn't have any more "college-bound" requirements. That's when I took creative writing, choir and drama classes.

Just like with writing, I wasn't thinking of being an actress at age 9. I was busy playing. I did a lot of make-believe games but that's not the same as wanting to be an actress. One recurring storyline for our make-believe was Charger the Bull. He was a pet of whatever-the-girl's-name was; they had adventures. Another recurring storyline was the boyfriend make-believe. I would try to claim Elvis Presley, Bobbie Sherman (Here Come the Brides), Little Joe (from Bonanza), or Manolito Montoya (The High Chaparral) before my cousins did. Does this date me or what?!

The First Role I Ever Played

2009-05-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Hayfever the Talking Scarecrow. 3rd grade.