Is this the life of a writer? 8/10/2005 3:20:03 PM
Life in the suburbs is ideal for a writer. It's quiet, uneventful, few distratcions. Do I need the "tranquility" of the 'burbs, or would a little stimulation be in order? Okay, here's my day: Get up, dress, eat breakfast with the Today show, (wonder if my eighteen year old daughter will rise before 11:00 am),pick up my husband's shoes and toss them into his closet, go to the study and bring my play manuscript up on the computer. Stare at the screen.
And there I sit. Stultified. The ten-minute plays are fun and easy,(pLease take a look at my article, "Got a couple of hours, write a 10-minute play"), but this one-act prison-based drama is driving me nuts. Instead of staying with it and trying to figure out to move the climax (where Tony almost gets shot) from the middle to the last quarter, I go out and sit on my front steps. The new sprinkler system is up and squirting, and it's a veritable water show. Can't believe how entertaining it is, watching the periscope-like heads spit sprays of water -- low, high, all around. It's really great. I think I should get my garden gloves and pull some ivy...but no...don't feel like it.
Back in the house, my daughter is in the kitchen making french toast. That's nice, but I notice she didn't clean up the family room last night like I asked. I think of strangling her, but then remember she'll be leaving for college in a few weeks, and begin to feel inconsolably sad. I give her a hug. I go back to my desk and distract myself by doing some ferocious line-editing.
Should I go on? I'll spare you. I'm sure that tomorrow I'll wrench myself out of inertia and do some real writing. Maybe I'll share some of that with you. Nah! Just kidding.
