Not to kill the magic before I’ve had a chance to use it all up but I’m 9 scenes into a decent stab of a first draft of a new full-length play. I’ve got a loose outline, which is rare for me. Usually I grope in the dark through most of this time. Actually, it’s not so much an outline as it is a Lonely Planet’s Guide to My Latest Play. It gives me some of the sights and the culture of the place as well as the kinds of people I will encounter there. They are telling me things now. There’s a world that is opening up. It’s very exciting.

It’s a play I’ve been meaning to write for several years now. That’s par for the course. I have an idea but don’t get around to it until much later. It percolates. Hopefully that makes it more robust rather than an oily mess with lots of grinds on the bottom.

I write best after 10 p.m. I used to be most creative between 2 and 4 a.m. Probably still am but it’s been awhile since I’ve tried. Actually, earlier this year I worked ’til dawn a few nights and they went rather well.

It’s the deadline that gets you. I decided to submit this piece, warts and all, to the Reverie Productions’ Next Generation Playwriting Contest. The submission deadline is the 15th. I know it’s 50/50 I’ll have it done and even slimmer that I’ll make it to the reading level but it’s worth a shot. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going.