Thurs. Oct. 10, 2024: Settling Into Studio Time
photo by Devon EllingtonT hursday, October 10, 2024
Waxing Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde
Cloudy and cool
Good morning! I can’t believe we’re already at the halfway point of the residency. It always takes me a few days to settle in, especially when there’s a reading as part of it.
The inspiration wall has already had additions since I took the photo above.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was in studio by 6 AM.
I wrote a chapter of VICIOUS CRITIC, just under 2K.
I looked over the notes for “Between You and Me” (which is getting a new title, thanks to the Collective). I got an idea, based off a stanza of a colleague’s poem on Tuesday, to write a horror poem. I mean, there are horror magazines that accept poems, so I guess it’s a thing? Being me, and horror not being my wheelhouse, it may wind up being comic horror, but we’ll see where we end up. I also want to write a cleave poem while I’m here, but I haven’t settled on a topic yet. Maybe I’ll do something ekphrastic, from my museum wanderings, which will start soon. If I could write the horror poem as a cleave poem, so that reading it one way is horror and reading the other is comedy, that would be awesome, but I don’t think I have the skill set yet.
I pondered my outline, and re-read the poem a few times, which served both for the reading and for helping me figure out what’s next in the play. I wrote the next two Milly/Ron scenes. For that sequence now, I have pre-party, during the party, and post-party. In this section, I still have to write the scenes before this sequence, where Milly and Ron meet, a quick sorority scene, and the wedding. I’m not sure if I need another Milly scene, or if the one at the end of the sequence I wrote today is enough to launch us into grown-up Amanda’s sequence, which takes place in the 1970’s. I wound up writing the wedding day scene an hour or so later, which is the first time I’ve written Alice, who is Milly’s mother. Elaine, Milly’s best friend and sorority sister, is in that scene, and in the party scene. I have Milly wearing her grandmother Josephine’s wedding dress, which Josephine sewed and beaded. The audience will meet Josephine in the opening of the play.
Right now, I’m writing episodically. Eventually, I will work on act and arc structure beyond the sequences for each generation.
It’s very different for me, to start a play in the middle and write out to both ends. It’s a good challenge. As if opening out the poem into a stage play wasn’t a challenge, too! But that’s why I’m here, in residence – to challenge myself.
My flatmate popped in to lie on the acupressure mat for a few minutes, after her jaunt around the museum. I’m glad I have it. The concrete floors of these industrial buildings do a number on my feet and knees and lower back. Sitting and typing tires my neck after a few hours. Changing from shoes to slippers while I’m in my studio helps a lot; lying on the mat a couple of times a day for 10 or 20 minutes helps a lot. I only wear shoes when I leave the studio to wander around the museum or go back to the apartment. Once I reach the apartment, I take the shoes right off.
The Collective ate lunch together up on the mezzanine level of the museum, where they have tables set out. It was too cold to eat outside! Last year, we were in residence about a week earlier, and there were still a few days warm enough to eat al fresco.
My brain was done for the day, creative-wise by then. I read in the break between lunch and workshopping. Re-reading, actually, THE SILENT WOMAN by Janet Malcolm, a book I’ve always liked. Originally, I planned to listen and comment, but not share anything in the workshop since I had to leave early to pick things up for the reading. But in the morning, I decided to skip the workshop session completely; my attention wouldn’t be 100% there, and my colleagues deserve 100%. Instead of pushing myself and being miserable at not doing anything well, I opted out, made sure they were set up, then hauled my backpack and computer to the apartment before heading home.
I stretched out on the sofa for about an hour. I’d hoped to sleep, but the cats had other ideas. I got a lecture from Tessa, Charlotte sat on me, and Bea skipped sideways and threw toys at me. I don’t think Willa noticed I was back.
I packed up and was dealing with a last-minute exchanges for the reading, plus then dealing with LA. There was one point where I was pretty sure I sent a message with directions on finding my corkscrew in the residency apartment to the wrong person, but the right person got it, so all good.
And the first rehearsal of my show was moved to Oct. 16, which is great, because I can ZOOM in then. And it’s only going to run 2 hours, so I will be in rehearsal from 11 PM – 1 AM once a week for a handful of weeks until we record in November. So everything worked out.
My flatmate caught a discrepancy in the poem I read (this is what happens when you pick sonics over fact checking), and, in reading, I felt the second to last stanza turned a little preachy. So the poem version still needs some work. It’s stronger than the earlier version I read at Word X Word, but not yet as strong as it will become.
Loaded the car, headed to the bookstore. My colleagues came in and we set up.
I was so pleased by the friends and colleagues who turned out to support: from the Capacity Building cohort, from tarot, even from my farmers’ market artist residency. We had a good turnout. The reading went smoothly. There was good conversation after.
Hugh sigh of relief that the work put in paid off for a good reading that made everyone feel good, on and off stage.
Packed up, loaded the car, headed next door to Public for our meal. A trio of friends who attended the reading were a few tables down, so we waved.
All I wanted was a glass of pinot noir and a big bowl of French fries, which I shared (the French fries; I knocked back the wine myself). More good conversation, and they helped me carry what I needed to get back to the residency apartment.
Came in and absolutely left a trail as I stripped off shoes, rings, bags, coat, and so forth, and changed into comfortable clothes. Went back and retrieved the scattered discards and put them away appropriately, and put what needed to go into the fridge into the fridge.
Although somewhere in my travels, the jar of salsa went astray. I wonder where it will turn up?
My flatmate and I sat up chatting until well after midnight. I figured I’d sleep in until 6 this morning (oh, horrors) and get into the studio by 7. I woke up just after 5:30, the usual time, without the alarm, and was in the studio by 6:30. I mean, I was going around in circles more than usual, but I got dressed properly the first time and had breakfast and did the dishes and got out the door intact. If I’m tired later today, I’ll go back to the residency apartment and take a nap. The next few days are MINE. Well, OURS, but you know what I mean.
Studio time this morning, museum wandering if I feel like it (I might wait until tomorrow), lunch with the cohort, workshopping. I’m having dinner at home tonight, hauling back dishes and a stool and some other stuff from the reading that’s still in my car. I have to pick up one of my mom’s prescriptions on the way. But then I’m coming back to the apartment to sleep.
For the workshop, I’m sharing the first scene I wrote of the adaptation of I WILL BE DIFFERENT, the Milly/Ron scene pre-party. I will then let the Collective choose which scene they want tomorrow – the wedding day scene before, or the party scene after. One colleague teased me, “Oh, like choose your own adventure?” So that will be fun. I think I will bring in scenes from the play today and tomorrow, and bring in a poem on Saturday, which is our last workshop day.
We already got our exit instructions. It’s going by too fast!
Got an email this morning that an anthology into which I was accepted two (?) years ago is finally coming out. I will share covers, buy links, etc., when I have them. I really love the story that’s included. It’s wacky comic noir.
Got royalty statements from two anthologies I’m included in that were published quite a few years ago now; they paid for the original pieces and paid out decent but diminishing royalties the first few years. It paid off a few bills along the way, so I was content. The last few years, we’ve gotten statements that claim we’re not owed anything, which is possible, but when we are owed something (there are 12-14 of us in each anthology), there are excuses not to pay out because the amount is “under” a certain figure. However, by now, that figure is long reached over accumulation. I’ve considered invoking the audit clause in the original contracts, because when I compare statements, the numbers aren’t aligning, but the amount is so small, I’m not sure it’s worth it.
I have to catch up on what’s going on with Hurricane Milton. I heard it was a Cat3 when it hit and it’s now moving out into the Atlantic. Not to underestimate how strong a Cat3 is, but at least it didn’t hit as Cat5, which it had been earlier in the day. As people can, they will check in. I’m still waiting to hear back from two people in the Carolinas from Helene. Fingers crossed everyone is okay.
That’s the latest. Madame Zora divines there is a nap in my not-too-distant future.
Have a good one!
