Started out with coffee and my LeGuin exercise from "Steering the Craft." I am really, really enjoying these exercises. Today's was all about person (as in first, or omniscient) and tense (as in present, or past). Despite the fact that I am writing plays almost exclusively at the moment, (which isn't as concerned with person and tense as prose writing is), today's exercise pushed me to play with language in a way I haven't before, or at least not in a long time. Not in that way. She's a good teacher!
I'm trying to use the play I'm working on here at Soapstone as the subject of my morning writing exercises whenever possible. It's funny what you can find out about your characters when you're noodling around with something else...
The play I'm working on here is called "The Year I Don't Remember." I have about sixty very messy pages, now that I've formatted them. A lot yet to do, and I'm not even sure it's a viable play yet. When do you know if you're doing something worth doing? Hmm... I suspect that that sort of thinking could drive a person mad. Better just to work hard, and not overthink.
I'm also working on my play about a merry band of scientists, and spent a good bit of today trying to make sure my Norwegian sounded like a Norwegian and clarifying the trajectory of Part One before I go on to the next scene. On the positive side, I think my Russian sounds like a Russian...
I made myself a nice little frittata for dinner (the easiest supper ever for a single person that actually looks like real food when you're done and doesn't come in a can and uses up whatever you have left over in the fridge). Then I cleaned out the bathroom and hallway cupboards. (I did the kitchen the other night.) This is one of the entirely optional service suggestions in my Soapstone packet, and I figured that since it's a bit too wet out to clip branches around the path, I'd clean in here instead. Plus I had excess energy today. For some reason, I'm a bundle of energy today! The cupboards *did* need some attention, and I enjoyed puttering, listening to music on my I-Pod.
I'm almost done reading the first Harry Potter book. I've been doing that in between times, and it's been lovely. I knew from watching the films that I'd like the books, but haven't had time to concentrate on fiction for way too long. I read a lot, but mostly nonfiction (background stuff for my plays), a little poetry, and the occasional Dick Francis novel. Harry Potter is delightful fantasy. So fully imagined! So much fun with words! I loved this sort of book growing up (L'Engle's Time Trilogy, Tolkien's Trilogy of the Ring, Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Alexander's Prydain series, all that), and I love this now. I'm just sorry I didn't borrow the second book from my Dad before I came!
Well. I guess that wasn't a short post after all. (Bundle of energy today, I'm telling you!) It's time to head up to my little loft bed and get some shut-eye. I can't wait to write some more tomorrow.
