Self Distraction

We had terrific actors reading the script. So now I know what's wrong with it: the writing! I have a good deal of work ahead of me, especially in the middle section titled "Paula." In this section a flamboyant character dominates the action. She is a composite of all the divas I have known, with some of my own (past—I hope) hormonal craziness thrown in.

Paula is an intriguing character. But the play wants to be about the relationship between this character and another. Right now, the other character is recessive and purely supportive. She needs her own, weird edge.

Actually, I adapted this section to novelette form a couple of years ago. The advantage, now, is that I know the characters better than I did when I wrote "Daughters" in 2002. I see why they are together. Fleshing the story out in narrative form also forced me to make the plot stronger and a bit more intricate. Now the challenge is to adapt the plot and the central relationship back to a form that can be performed on stage.

As usual, I started writing a new short story. It's about evil spirits residing in Seattle. I am also trying to finish up a story about a Super Christian caught up in an escalating argument. And if I am going to submit a sample of my horror novel to a publisher I have in mind, it will have to happen in the next couple of weeks before their reading period ends.

So, you see, I have challenged myself with too much work. I realize the two new stories are legitimate, but they are also a distraction from necessary revisions. Beware of self-distraction. Writers are crafty, and we can invent a hundred reasons for wandering off into a different realm, when our attention ought to be on the manuscript at hand.

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