My silent writing retreat is over. I needed a few days to recover before reflecting about what went well and what didn't.
In the end, I think it was productive. I got more done in those three days on my script than I would have in an entire week at home. But it was also intense, exhausting, and difficult. This time, though, there were no tears!
It’s Spring Break—finally! Later this afternoon, I’m heading up to Signal Mountain to do a silent writing intensive. It’s only for three days, but I’m hoping to get a lot of writing done. While I’ve done three-day writing intensives, I’ve never done one in silence.
The thought is frankly terrifying. The only experience I’ve had with an extended period of silence did not go well. I found myself in this situation unexpectedly, and it was like dropping off the face of the earth. There were tears…
This week's blog is a bit of a cheat, since I'm using a writing prompt written by Winter Miller (www.wintermiller.com) from the Playwrights' Center. Check out their website for more cool things: pwcenter.org. But I think my playwriting friends will appreciate this exercise because some of it was inspired by Erik Ehn, who is an amazing playwright and teacher!
I haven't tried it yet, but I'm planning to this weekend. I may actually skip to step #2 where Erik Ehn's listing exercises are used. The lists generated grow into scenes in the subsequent steps.
I would love to hear from anyone who gives this a try. If you're too busy to dedicate 1-2 hours this weekend to this, just start with one step per day, or one step per week. Just DO something. Then, share your experience with me.
… well, it’s not blame so much as credit (depending on the day), but that doesn’t make for an intriguing title, does it?
It was 2003, and I was an MFA student at ODU. As part of my teaching assistantship, I got to help my mentor Dr. Brian Silberman with the university's Litfest. That year, Danny Hoch, the amazing playwright and actor, was one of our guest writers, and it was my job to take him to and from the airport.
Why start a blog? After years of avoiding this question, I have finally come to the conclusion that I need one. In part, as a means of exposure. I'm a playwright living in a small town in Tennessee. This blog is my attempt to connect with the bigger theatre/writing community in places like NYC, but also to create a community with other writers like myself who aren't in one of the theatre capitals of the world.
Are there other playwrights living outside of NYC out there? If so, I'd love to hear from you.
This month's writing prompt is loosely based on something I read about Erik Ehn's silent writing retreats. I read an account that in the midst of silence, he gave one playwright a poem to memorize. I think this exercise was meant to counter the struggle with silence.
Block out some time -- maybe two or three hours. Try to do it one sitting. The goal should be to write a new 10-minute play. But who knows--it could grow into something longer. You need to focus for this, so try doing this without music, internet, social media, or any other sound or distraction, except the poem on which this exercise is based.