That’s probably a misnomer in the title. I’ve found that editing and revision involve way more thinking that actual writing. I’m working on a laptop and brought a USB keyboard with me to make extensive typing easier. I could probably have left it home since the major writing is usually adding to dialog, changing a word or two, or moving dialog from one place to another. I’d rather type lots, as thinking can be taxing and I don’t have the stamina I used to.
The joys of moving text? There’s one section of dialog that I wanted to move to a location where it may have more impact and be more memorable. It’s had three new homes so far. I’ve looked at it again and concluded that, with a sentence or two added, it was probably best in the place it was. Oh, well. That’s just part of what makes it fun.
I have been making progress, though, faster than I thought I would. Many of the major issues have been dealt with to some extent or another. Some need a bit more consideration and haven’t been ticked off my list yet. What I really need though, it to have several people read it out loud and run through it. It’s a lot easier to have the dialog in the open, rather than having it imagined through the little voices in my head (you’ll notice that it’s only when I’m writing that the little voices get mentioned). That, however, won’t happen until after the playwriting competition is long over and is the second next step.
The next step is to find someone to read the second part in the Playwriting Cabaret in two weeks. You do a five or so minute excerpt from your piece from the competition and is a lot of fun. I don’t think I’ll have trouble. After all, how many actors in town will turn down the following question: how would you like to be a female, promiscuous Baptist minister? I mean, there’s no way anyone could misinterpret a request like that one…
Doug Rutherford 