Week One
December 5
In high school I took a journalism workshop at Catholic University in Washington DC. Washington Post writers taught the class so when the charges were dismissed against Daniel Ellsberg for the release of the Pentagon Papers; I was in the center of the action. I wanted to be a journalist. Unfortunately that was about the time that I was told that writing was a waste of time.
For most of the next forty years I went underground.
My retirement adventure to Memphis was part of my plan. Now, it’s BIC writer-butt in chair.
Writing will be first-imagine me punctuating that statement with raspberries. I could emphasize with worse.
Week one was quite successful. I didn’t clean a thing and I generated about 20 pages. The week generated a small impromptu reading, and two conversations about possible productions. It felt great but it takes a long time.
It takes a long time. It’s not as simple as discovering an opportunity and blasting off an email to the artistic director. First did my work fit the parameters, of length, characters and theme? Was it ready to go or did it need some tweaking? Now ready to go? Not yet, a writing resume and bio needs to be included. While it is time consuming it feels like long overdue progress.
I’m up by 6:30 and at my desk by 9am. I’m not even daydreaming until three pages are filled.
I don’t break until 11:30 except to stand up as ordered by my new Apple Watch. It also suggests deep breathing for relaxation. I’m enjoying my new toy, a retirement present. Any reader who feels they have found another reason to judge me, well raspberries to you, again.
I have some lunch and keep going until 2pm and then the gym. I declare Week One a success.