I started this blog in January 2011 because I wanted to develop a writing practice. The experience of keeping the blog has been gratifying for me, and I almost met my goal of writing at least once a week. At the end of 2011, while I lost a bit of momentum, I still had a sense that I understood my writing process a bit more because of the blogging, and I also appreciated the ability to share my thoughts and ideas with an audience and get feedback from people on the ideas that I was working out through the writing process.
As I thought about new goals for 2012, I got a little stuck. I knew that I wanted to keep writing, but I also knew that I wanted to expand the practice that I had already developed over the last year. Then I had a cockroach incident at Whole Foods just ahead of New Years, and I wrote a Facebook post about it. I wrote about what happened as a few lines of dialogue, and people totally responded to the story. I’m sure that the response was largely because a roach crawled up my pant leg, but I think that the dialogue presentation also heightened the experience to some extent. It gave me the idea to try writing a play a week for the duration of the year. A short play mind you, but still a play a week.
This idea is not new. Suzan-Lori Parks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Topdog/Underdog, wrote 365 Days/365 Plays, essentially a collection of short plays where she wrote one play a day back in 2005, and those plays premiered throughout the United States in 2006 and 2007. I am no Suzan-Lori Parks, so there’s no way that I can write a play a day. However, a short play a week seems manageable, at least as I approach the top of the coaster hill. And what I like about the idea is that it will force me to practice. Right now, I only write plays when I need to. By engaging in this challenge, I kind of have to follow through. I hate not finishing projects, particularly when other people are paying attention. So this is my very public way of holding myself accountable.
I will post one play a week on this blog for the remainder of 2012. We have just entered the third week of the year, so that means 50 plays in 50 weeks. The blog entries will fall under a new category, “50 Plays.” The plays will be short; I’m thinking 5-10 pages in WORD. This week’s is just over 6 pages. I have no idea what the subject matter might be, as I think I should just go with moves me. If there’s a special thank you or inspiration for one, I’ll make sure to let you know.
If you have thoughts about what you read, make a comment. If you want certain characters to show up again, tell me. I’ll see what I can do. I don’t intend this to be a serial, but who knows. We’re at the beginning. If you like what you read, share it out with your friends. Facebook it, Tweet it, Woof it. Whatever helps spread the word.