News

Aug

Milestones

Whew. Today was a big day. I had an interview this afternoon for a new job. I think it went well. They were super-friendly and totally softball. I’m never sure whether easy questions are good. Does it mean I’m a shoe-in or that they’re uninterested? They seemed impressed by my MA, though, and my familiarity with their work. (And my familiarity with several of their past/present employees, too. Hi, Liz!) It’s in Sales & Marketing for a theatre. I would love to work for a theatre, to feel as though I’m using that degree. While this particular theatre does not focus on my true dramaturgical love (birthing new American plays), it is within walking distance of my apartment. That would be pretty rad. And it would provide me with concrete, marketable job skills outside the secretarial realm. And I would get to interact with fun, artsy people my own age instead of sixty year old priests. There’s even a Starbucks nearby....

Aug

Conflict of Interest

Jessica

For some reason, I can’t read and write at the same time. If I’m on a good (re)writing jag, I’m between books. If I’m really caught up in reading, I’m not writing anything of my own. I remember this being the case back in high school, too. Maybe my brain just can’t handle being in three worlds (including “reality”) at once? While we were packing and moving and settling in, I took a break from editing and read tons. I hit a decent variety in July and August, including some old favorites. I reread Christopher Pike’s Weekend and Last Act and Maeve Binchy’s Firefly Summer. I read some serious nonfiction: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina. I enjoyed my first Neil Gaiman book, American Gods, one of Steve’s favorites. And on the new YA front, I have read (and thoroughly discussed with all my friends, and both my sisters, and several random...

Aug

Revising

Jessica

I’ve never enjoyed the revision process so thoroughly. Over the last week, I’ve spent 3-4 hours each day editing and rewriting. I lose myself in it entirely. Poor Steve pops into the writing room and I stare blankly, barely hearing him. I think he’s learning that it takes me a minute to transition between worlds. It’s exciting. I can see the book getting tighter, clearer and more concise. I find myself giggling over snippets I’d forgotten. It feels–well, I love how the word playwright implies a craft, like wheelwright. Taking the time to find the exact perfect phrase, the magic word that lights up a scene, that feels like craft. It’s slower, more deliberate than the first go-round, when words just pour onto the screen. It’s also quite challenging. Reading through the whole thing, I find inconsistencies. How old are Molly’s little siblings again? And I’m learning my own lazy habits. Poor Molly is far too apt to scowl or heave a sigh of relief...

Milestones

Conflict of Interest

Revising

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