Creativity Takes Time, Energy and DEADLINES

I finally finished writing 10 short scripts for 2-3 children to perform. The ones that I like the most and I think came out funnier than the others are the ones in which I had DEADLINES. None of the deadlines were imposed by a publisher or editor (too bad, eh?), but by the calendar. For instance, I got one done right before my writer's critique group. I had to have something to take to the meeting, right? I couldn't live with the shame of showing up empty-handed. But I was busy and at the last minute (or hour or so) I

The Terrible Trivium

I think I've been trapped by the Terrible Trivium! I'm always busy but some of the really important things I want to accomplish never quite get done; and some of the really important people in my life don't get visited! If you've read The Phantom Tollbooth, you know what a demon the Terrible Trivium can be. If you haven't read the classic by Norton Juster, then let me share this part from the book so you know what I'm talking about:

A Free Edit Giveaway

Ack! So I've been extremely busy with teaching theatre, directing plays, writing scripts, memorizing scripts, and my son's wedding plans. We were supposed to be on vacation starting in a couple of days. Oh, well. I've thought about how much I need to post something. It didn't get much further than that.

Now there's an opportunity to get a free edit from a person who has been an editor at Harcourt for 10 years and is now an author and I figured I'd share it here (gives me an extra entry, plus it lets you know--good deal all around!)

Go here to enter: http://deareditor.com/2012/08/23/newsflash-a-deareditor-com-free-edit-giveaway/

Good luck!

Put on Your Seatbelt & Other Constant Reminders that Should be Constant

How often did you hear your mother say, "Put on your seatbelt" or "Wash your hands" or a thousand other little reminders to help you turn into a responsible adult? (How many times have I said those things as a mom?) My mother also said, "Lock your door," right after "Put on your seatbelt." Funny, one day I turned to do what she had asked and the door was already locked. I had done it automatically. Nowadays, I don't tell my family to put on their seatbelts because they do it automatically.

A week ago I was thinking that, as a director, maybe I concentrated on projection too much. Maybe I should ease up and concentrate more on the acting as well. No, duh, right? The acting is pretty dang important. Except

The Krispy Kreme Doughnut that Lived

We took a group of teen writers to Powell's Bookstore to attend a young writers event called Book Fan Friday. One of the parents of the teens gave us enough coupons for all of us to get a Krispy Kreme Doughnut! We headed for our treat stop right after the workshop (the workshop was lead by authors Ruth Tenzer Feldman and Michelle R. McCann). I did not know you could watch them making the doughnuts. And I did not know that it could be so intense.

To Be or Not To Be Validated

My world is tough. It's full of critics, the toughest being the one in my head. 
As a writer, I'm in a critique group. The members of the group are supposed to tell me what's wrong with my writing so I can improve the story. When I attend writer conferences, I usually pay to have someone else critique my work. I'm actually paying for someone else to criticize me!
As a performer, the angst is whether the audience is going to like my acting.
As a mime...