I’ve taken a break from the novel to work on a second draft of my play. It feels good to be back in familiar territory. I know already how to structure a full-length play, and what level of granularity to show things in, and what degree of realism is appropriate. With the novel, I am still re-examining and adjusting these things as I go. The play is called The Next Big Thing. Yes, I know that is a terrible title. A title that will get zero hits on my play if someone ever googles that text string. But it is the title right now. And I like it. It is helping me write the thing. Writer hat is on right now. Marketer hat will come later.
It feels good to move through something with confidence. To know my ideas and generally how to express them. To not be afraid of criticism, because I already know the criticism won’t be “This will never work. Give it up.” I guess no one’s told me that about the novel, but I have told myself that. I mean, at a certain point you have to question how many resources you are investing in any endeavor and if this is really the best way to spend your precious time.
Plays, when compared with novels, are fast and easy. You don’t even have to write down anything that someone doesn’t say! Can you imagine your favorite book with everything deleted from it except the dialog? White Teeth by Zadie Smith is actually one of my favorites, in no small part because of the abundance of dialog in it. I’ve got a lot of dialog in my own novel. I like how readily it can capture characters.
The Next Big Thing is about technology, investment, and its impact on society. I realized as I was describing this to my boyfriend last weekend that this is the exact same theme I covered in “The Work of 50 Men” a decade ago. Uh, I guess I’ve found my niche. Maybe I should apply for a Sloan Foundation grant to get this one produced, too.
In the short-term, I’ll be meeting with Fell Swoop Playwrights to workshop the script. Nothing like a room full of playwrights, scones, and coffee, to get your Sunday started off on the right foot!
L.A. Kuemmel 