Eating an Elephant

"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back

So, a number of you have asked what has happened to Minty? The wait is over... I'm back. Though some of my hiatus has included a free (almost) trip to a fabulous resort in Northern Minnesota... we'll discuss this Minty Find in a future installment... most of my blog break was devoted to something I've been giving lots of lip service to, but not much reality: writing a play.

As the facebook devotee I am, I came across a website (via a Playwright's Center facebook posting) called "ScriptFrenzy". It is put on by an organization called "The Office of Letters and Light", a Northern California non-profit working for the express purpose of motivation. The idea was simple: beginning April 1st and ending April 30th, you must complete a 100 page script. For years I'd been talking about writing a play. In fact, I have 75 pages of another play written that I've been stalled out on for two years as well as a handful of 10-minute plays that I've entered unsuccessfully into several contests.

As it turns out, the "ScriptFrenzy" was exactly the kick in the pants I needed to get the job done. I did not work on the old play. I began from scratch with a completely new story. With a 3.33-page-a-day approach, I joyfully skipped across the finish-line a winner on April 30th. Of course, the play is not submission ready. I'll be working on further drafts and re-writes, but to have a complete first draft of a full-length play is a goal I've been dreaming of for years.

Though self horn-blowing is not out of my realm of possibility, the real purpose of this blog is to nudge you, dear followers, to set some dead lines for yourself and get done what you've been meaning to do for a long time. Incidentally, The Office of Letters and Light also hosts "Nanowrimo" (or National Novel Writing Month) in November. The goal: a 50,000 word novel written in one month. I did the math- that is approximately 125 pages total or 4.25 pages a day. I'm in if you are. Links are below.


http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/
http://www.nanowrimo.org/