The power of change...

So it's time to power through. Time to change my ways. It seems that while people do honor the fact that there are an infinite number of writing processes, it can't be denied that getting out a first draft without thinking and over thinking it too much can be of great value when trying to successfully complete a project. If you read the comment from my friend Cam at the end of my last entry, you'll see the wonderful quote/cliche that he posted. "Writing is rewriting". Simple as that. So I'm ready for it. I'm going to step up to the plate and get out a first draft if it kills me. And not in my typical, rewrite as I go fashion either. From here on in I'm going to leave everything as it is and just get to the end before I make any drastic decisions about anything. Like changing one of my main characters from a woman to a man. Or suddenly deciding that it would be nice to change my setting from a present day apartment building full of crazy, unstable characters to a stable full of hot ranch hands somewhere in Montana. These are things that I can revise once I have a better idea of the bigger picture. For now... let it be.

This may sound like it's going to be a relatively easy thing to do, but trust me it's not. It's not only the fact that i've tried to do this before and suddenly found myself poring over old scenes and changing intricate details that alter the entire show, but i've been writing the way that I write now for a very long time and to suddenly be able to abandon my habits and trust that an entirely new and somewhat uncomfortable process will work out in the end is going to be difficult. But isn't that the most interesting part of it all? My entire play is about a group of characters so attached to the way their lives are that they can't see that it's really the inevitability of change and growth and evolution that keeps us happy and fresh and new. Once we let go and allow the tides of change to work through us, we almost always find that we're in a better place than we were before. It's resisting change that is really the source of all our suffering. So if this is the lesson that I want my characters to learn... maybe it would help for me to learn it first? Maybe I should embrace what's happening, stop resisting, and try out an entirely new process. Who knows... maybe I'll actually end up with a finished play in the end and everyone can stop listening to all my bitching and whining and can instead watch me torture myself as I try to actually make it all come together on a stage!

So let me ask you... is there anything in your life that you're resisting simply because it makes you a bit uncomfortable? Or because you're just a little bit too comfortable with the way things are now? I urge you to join me and embrace the discomfort of trying something new. Embrace change and know that in the end, it can only lead you to more growth and experience... even if it's hurt like hell first.
For those of you who will join me in my pursuit for growth, renewal, and evolution I salute you and wish you luck. God knows we're going to need it!

Here goes nothing...