Category Archives: Writing a Play

Writing and the Art of Fermentation (Part 2)

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It took me a while to realize that I’d developed a system for sustaining my writing over long periods of time.  There was nothing intentional about it.  It only became evident in hindsight.  Here’s how my writing process seems to work:

  1.  I get an idea for a writing project and start to think about it.  A lot of it’s just that.  Thinking.  Sometimes I also take notes.  If I can sustain my attraction to the idea for a few days or weeks, I’ll get serious and really get to work on it.
  2. Once started, I can almost guarantee that eventually I’ll run into an internal (or external) roadblock.  For me, that usually means that I don’t know how to proceed or that I’ve lost confidence in the validity of the project.
  3. Brick WallRather than bash my head against a wall, I’ve found that it’s better for me to simply stop working on the project that has me frustrated and set it aside to quietly “ferment” while I tackle something else.
  4. Since I have amassed a good quantity and variety of work in various stages of completion, this is when I take up a writing project that I had previously set aside.  In 9 cases out of 10, the magic of fermentation has done its work and what had seemed an insurmountable problem has been reduced to a manageable scale.
  5. The whole thing is a cycle.  While I’m working on one writing project, others are fermenting.  It seems so obvious, doesn’t it?  But when you’re stuck (or at least when I’m stuck) it’s not always easy to remember that you don’t have to sit there in misery.  You can move on and come back later.

Fermenting.  It’s not just for yogurt!.

 

 

 

Writing and the Art of Fermentation (Part I)

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Over the past ten years, I’ve written five full-length plays, four short plays, one full-length historic reenactment, one full-length film treatment, two books of short fiction and one published memoir. Spelled out, it seems a respectable list, but on those days when writing is the last thing I’m able to manage, I grow critical for not getting to “it.”

winemust

But if I’m willing to take a deep breath and step away from self blame, I begin to see that what looks to me like inactivity often serves a function; the function of “fermentation.”  Just as with making sauerkraut or yogurt or wine, fermentation is an essential component of my creative process.

My fermentation has two stages.  The first one often comes on early.  Once an idea for a story or play begins to take shape, I’ll outline what I think the plot could be, what form it should take (short story, play, etc.) who the characters are, the location . . . the essentials.  If research is required, I’ll start that, too.  If the shape of the writing project is clear and I’m satisfied, then I can work steadily at it for days or weeks at a time.  It’s one of my favorite aspects of the writing process.

But often, after that initial burst of enthusiasm and creativity, I’ll run into what feels like a brick wall.  Nothing makes sense . . . what had recently felt exciting now feels uninspired and flaccid.  Rather than toss the project, this is the time for me to launch the first period of fermentation.

(To be continued)

 

Some Very Good Writing!

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I just watched the National Theatre Live’s production of Helen Mirren, starring in The Audience by Peter Morgan at the Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol.

The Audience

In the course of her (so far!) 61 year reign, Queen Elizabeth II meets with each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace.  These meetings are completely private and the contents are not shared with anyone, even spouses.  What Peter Morgan has done is to imagine what might have been said in these private meetings between Queen and Prime Minister in order to create a funny, insightful and often touching portrait of some of England’s leaders.

Mirren is excellent, but so too is Haydn Gwynne as Margaret Thatcher, Nathanial Parker as Gordon Brown.

What could have been two and one-half hours of tedious, one-on-one political conversation instead flew by, thanks to Morgan’s witty and perceptive dialogue; brilliant staging and costumes, and a dramatic structure that seamlessly shifts forward and back in the chronology of her reign.

During the intermission, Peter Morgan was interviewed on camera.  He admitted that since the meetings were all secret, he couldn’t be sure of their content.  However, he did know what was going on just before and after each of the weekly encounters so although he couldn’t claim accuracy, he could claim truthfulness.

Take a minute to watch the Audience Trailer.  You’ll see why each of us in our party of 5 left the theater wishing the show hadn’t ended!