As I journey towards turning “writer” from a self-proclaimed label to professional title, I’ve decided to give myself a focused challenge. Each day, from now until January 11, 2016, I hereby pledge to focus on my writings: novel, screenplay drafts, stage play rewrites, TV pilot scenes, etc. Documenting my progress each day will help keep me motivated, inspired, and determined to keep moving forward. If so inspired, join me along my journey by documenting your own!
DAY EIGHT: Plays Full of Treasure
I stumbled upon a treasure that I recently thought lost – a full, two-act play that I wrote almost 13 years ago. Not only did I find the original version but the revised one I finished a few years later.
There were very nearly tears clouding my vision as I scrolled through the backup disc, rediscovering stories that I’d written throughout the past twenty years. My spirit soared and my heart flip-flopped. “Which one do I work on first? The play! That’s the one I’d been searching for…the one that keeps popping up at the most inconvenient of moments.”
I’m excited to read through the play (both versions) from a new perspective and determine whether it still deserves the high grade it received during my Intro to Playwriting class in college. I know I need to evaluate it for formatting and structure purposes, but the first task at hand is to examine the story and characters. Do I still care about them? Do they still intrigue me? Would I come back after intermission to see the story to completion?
The answer to all of the above was “Yes” over a decade ago. I wonder if the same will hold true now?
*Have you ever found works of art (painting, music, writing, etc.) that you once thought lost?*
Kelly Deeny 