I’ve stated on numerous occasions that inspiration strikes in the most unlikely of moments. I’ll revise that statement slightly: Inspiration strikes in the quietest and simplest of moments. The past two days are examples of such a claim.
Day 80: DADDY LONG LEGS
Heartwarming, lovely, charming, elegantly told, and beautifully presented – that’s how I’d describe the Off-Broadway production of ‘Daddy Long Legs‘. I was all ready to watch my favorite TV shows Thursday evening when I recalled that a new musical (currently on stage in NYC) was being live streamed over the internet. “I can’t pass this up,” I declared. “I’ll watch it for a little bit and if I don’t like it, I’ll just turn it off.” Not ten minutes in, I had a smile so broad that my cheeks hurt. I sat the entire time, glued to my laptop and clapping as though I was in that theater. If I enjoyed it so much from a distance, I can’t wait to experience it in its home at the Davenport Theater.
While I draft a more in-depth review for my entertainment blog, visit the musical’s website to read more about this delightful piece of theatre.
Day 81: A Web of Lines
I connected with ‘Daddy Long Legs’ for many reasons, but mainly because written communication played a central character in the play. It combined two of my great loves: musical theatre and writing. I woke the next day excited to continue working on my novel(s). The words didn’t flow as effortlessly as I implored them to, but I jotted down story ideas that helped clarify the characters’ motivations. I wrote, and rewrote, climatic scene descriptions and asked myself some hard questions:
- Do I love the story?
- Can I summarize the novel in one page, one paragraph, one line?
- Why did I write it in the first place?
- What are my protagonist’s wants, needs, and obstacles to overcome?
- Am I as passionate about it as I hope readers will be?
After months of hiding it away, I’m dusting the cobwebs off my manuscript and addressing the answers to all of the aforementioned questions.
Kelly Deeny 