Day Thirteen – The Business of Writing

Although that title sounds a bit metaphorical, it is in fact what the writer’s cadre did today. I soldiered on with the first draft of my new screenplay and completed the revision of my television pilot. It still will require more work, but I finally have it structured the correct way. And I managed to trim about five pages off–always a good thing.

In the afternoon, Suzy, the writing director, took us through her business of writing seminar. It’s normally a class for her MFA students, but she kindly distilled it down to about two hours for us. I am not in the process of completing a novel or a nonfiction book, but it was still useful insight into the publishing industry, the challenge of locating an agent, and the benefits and demerits of small presses. Suzy, being a poet herself, also spent some time on the ins and outs of poetry publishing, which was very germane and helpful.

After dinner, Jacob did another reading from his story collection, and as usual, the story was compelling and entertaining. I stand by my 21sst century Rod Serling assessment for Jacob. The more I experience his writing, the more feel like the comparison is apt. It’s intensely annoying that Jacob is also a talented artist, costume and production designer. I can’t even resent him for all of his talents because he is a genuinely kind man.

So that was day thirteen. Below is a photo of what I thought was a great blue heron, but it turns out to be a grey heron. And I discovered there are actually two of them that frequent the pond. Seeing them in the tree, patiently awaiting the opportunity to achieve their goal is arguably a metaphor for success in the creative process. Needless to say, I am always happy to see them.