So, this has been a good year for me...in some ways. Or maybe I'm just grasping at silver linings. It started with a month full of trips to the doctor and then a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. Colorectal, to be precise, with tumors also in my liver and lungs. I'm not going to get too much into that here, but one of the ramifications has been that I have spent a year off-stage. Where I was originally going to act in two shows and direct one, I ended up doing nothing. I don't have the stamina for it. The side effects of the chemotherapy leave me too weak, and occasionally just plain too sick to do much of anything.
But, I still need my creative outlet, so writing - which had always had a lower priority compared to other things I was doing, became my sole means of expression and I'll say that giving it that focus has generated excellent results. In 2017, I've had two ten-minute plays produced plus one other given a public reading. I had a workshop production of my full-length play, Endwaters. And I know I can already look forward in 2018 to two short stories being published - one electronic, one print - and a world premiere professional production of my play, Dracula: Prince of Blood. And there are other projects still in draft form, but advancing.
Not all of that came about just because of what happened this year, but it is interesting how it all seemed to start to happen at once. Now, as I look back, I'm thinking about the things I learned (or remembered that I had learned) about writing through the year.
1) Dynamic Doesn't Mean Dynamite
I've read many articles, blogs, how-to tips, etc which exhort writers to be dynamic in their stories, which I used to take as meaning "energetic; vigorous; exciting". No problem - I'll take my story about a man learning to love himself before he can love others and put in a car chase and a big-band dance number and a shark attack!
But earlier this year, I had a realization. There is another definition of dynamic as in "relating to or tending toward change; opposite of static". And that really hit me. Suddenly I had a very clear sense of scenes in my scripts and stories where no one was acting as an agent of change. Things were just happening (or, more often, not happening). It's become something I look for in my own work in the editing process and in others'. It's a matter of asking, how do things change? How are characters trying to bring about (or maybe resist) change?
2) Don't Be So Damned Polite
I think of myself as nice guy, pretty reasonable but then, don't we all? Seriously though, at work my friends often use me to gauge the severity of a problem. As long as I stay cool, which is 95% of the time, they feel like they can stay cool. But if I seem like I'm starting to panic or freak out, then you'd better run for the lifeboats 'cuz we just hit the iceberg.
Being a thought of as generally a "nice guy" has worked well for me in life, but it's not the best in writing. I'm not saying there aren't nice people in literature, but "nice" can sometimes be a slippery slope down into the ravine of "passive" and then from there down into the pit of "boring". A friend of mine reading one of my pieces this year reminded me the best excitement of reading comes from stories which stand on the knife's edge. Move or stay still, you're gonna get cut either way. He quoted a turn of phrase from a Tennyson poem, "Red in tooth and claw." In context of the poem, it refers to Nature, but the tone of it sounds like a war cry for writing. Another standard for me to test my writing against.
3) Scare Yourself
You might think writing for "red in tooth and claw" would be scary enough, but I'm thinking about something slightly different. I'm talking about taking risks even for yourself. I've been working lately on the rough draft of a new play, and I had just finished a scene where two characters start to reveal vulnerability to each other. But I reached a certain point where it felt like the energy of the moment had been spent and something needed to happen. My first thought was to bring in a third character.
"But wait!" I thought. "If I bring a third character into this intimate, vulnerable scene then the two other characters will put their defense back up and the story will be back where it started." The safer choice would be to do something else. To protect these two characters.
But then I thought, "Why am I really hesitating about this?" and ultimately it wasn't because I thought it was best for the story, but because I didn't know how it was going to turn out. It was my fear of the unknown blocking me. Once I realized that, I decided to take a leap of faith. I thought that because the new idea scared me, that's exactly why I should do it. So I brought in the third character, but tried to keep the openness of the moment before. It's just a rough draft and who knows if that scene will make it into the final draft (or even the next draft), but I felt proud to take the risk. To plunge into the unknown precisely because it's unknown.
4) I Love Writing
I do miss being on stage. I love acting, and there's an instant gratification from the audience. Writing, by comparison, feels distant. Removed. But spending a year focused on it like never before has been like falling in love for the first time all over again. Not that it's easy - of course it's not easy. Love or writing. But like Tom Hanks says as Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own (story by Kim Wilson and Kelly Candaele, script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel)- "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard...is what makes it great."
So, thank you 2017 for teaching me. Here I come, 2018!
Friday, December 22, 2017
Saturday, October 15, 2011
October 2011
Happy Halloween!
To the surprise of no one who knows me, October is my favorite month. I love it when the days and nights start to get a little chilly, the leaves turn colors, and of course, it ends with Halloween! The trick-or-treat candy has been bought, but will remain safely in its packaging until October 31st because neither my wife nor I (especially "nor I") have enough willpower to leave it alone if left out in the open. I am especially excited for Little Bear's first Halloween, although the juggling of "cute" Halloween with my preferred "gates of Hell have opened" Halloween is yet to be resolved. Somehow, I just think that it will.
What I'm Reading
Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game, had been sitting by my nightstand for over a year and I finally got down to the business of reading it this past month. Perhaps I built it up too high in my own mind as a classic of science fiction, because I was rather disappointed. I found it to be an adequate book, but certainly not mind-blowing or life-altering in any way. I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book the best, following a child prodigy through "Battle School" to hone his abilities to command Earth's military against a highly-anticipated alien attack. But the last third seemed repetitive to me, and I thought the last two chapters in particular were an avalanche of last-minute ideas that didn't seem to have much to do with the story up to that point, and I thought they were included just to provide fodder for sequels (and in case you think I'm simply being cynical, allow me to point out there are 11 "Ender" novels to date, including prequels, sequels and parallel stories).
I thought that, being such an award-laden book, that I'd be affected much more by Ender's Game than I was, but perhaps the answer lies in the reason why I'm much more of a horror fan than a science fiction fan. Please understand I'm not creating a hierarchy here, but Ender's Game seems to be a story about ideas rather than emotions. This is not to say that the character of Ender Wiggin doesn't have emotional conflicts and turmoil, but I thought such conflicts were always resolved rather quickly and easily. Fear, by contrast, is an emotion and is possibly the most powerful emotion of all. A good horror story wants to haunt you (pardon the pun). I think the after-effects should linger and continue to resonate well after you've put the story down. Bad horror will just shock and revolt you. Good horror is like a chill you can't get rid of, and that's the kind of emotional resonance I like in my stories. And in my humble opinion, Ender's Game didn't deliver.
What I'm Watching
I like to watch a lot of my favorite horror movies at this time of year, with a sprinkling of new ones. Not that I'm watching a lot of TV or movies with Little Bear around, but I managed to get in a viewing of Deathwatch, which is a 2002 horror film from Great Britain. During World War I, a squad of British troops are separated from their unit during a pitched battle and find what they think is an abandoned German trench. The Brits secure the trench (including one German prisoner) and call for reinforcements, but spooky things begin to happen that gradually drives the squad members insane one by one. Finally, only the German prisoner and one British soldier (Jamie Bell, he of Billy Elliot fame) remain to face off against the supernatural power which has consumed the others.
I give it three stars, which means it's middle of the road for me. I'm not feeling motivated to go watch it again any time in the near future, but I would sit and watch it if someone else wanted to, or if I came across it while channel-surfing. It's a decent movie, but I think underachieves its potential. Director Michael J. Bassett doesn't give the suspense a chance to build - the whole film is in a rush to get from one scary image to another and by the end, when it's all supposed to add up to something, it doesn't. Still, the imagery is quite good and the story makes enough sense for a good time. I just felt the movie could've been more, and done more.
Booksignings
I've got three author events coming up in the next couple of weeks in Lanesboro, MN and Decorah, IA. Check out the Facebook fan page for details. Besides signing copies of Beyond Midnight I'll also be presenting a dramatic reading of one of my early stories, "They Hear if You Scream." It's been fun to go back to this story, and I'm pleasantly surprised to discover how much I still like it.
All Hallow's Eve
I don't quite know yet exactly what Halloween will be like at my house. I don't really have a grand concept (or the time) for the lawn decorations this year. But there'll be something spooky roaming around my yard, you can count on it.
That's all the news for now that's fit to print. Until next time, I remain...
Darkly Yours
To the surprise of no one who knows me, October is my favorite month. I love it when the days and nights start to get a little chilly, the leaves turn colors, and of course, it ends with Halloween! The trick-or-treat candy has been bought, but will remain safely in its packaging until October 31st because neither my wife nor I (especially "nor I") have enough willpower to leave it alone if left out in the open. I am especially excited for Little Bear's first Halloween, although the juggling of "cute" Halloween with my preferred "gates of Hell have opened" Halloween is yet to be resolved. Somehow, I just think that it will.
What I'm Reading
Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game, had been sitting by my nightstand for over a year and I finally got down to the business of reading it this past month. Perhaps I built it up too high in my own mind as a classic of science fiction, because I was rather disappointed. I found it to be an adequate book, but certainly not mind-blowing or life-altering in any way. I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book the best, following a child prodigy through "Battle School" to hone his abilities to command Earth's military against a highly-anticipated alien attack. But the last third seemed repetitive to me, and I thought the last two chapters in particular were an avalanche of last-minute ideas that didn't seem to have much to do with the story up to that point, and I thought they were included just to provide fodder for sequels (and in case you think I'm simply being cynical, allow me to point out there are 11 "Ender" novels to date, including prequels, sequels and parallel stories).
I thought that, being such an award-laden book, that I'd be affected much more by Ender's Game than I was, but perhaps the answer lies in the reason why I'm much more of a horror fan than a science fiction fan. Please understand I'm not creating a hierarchy here, but Ender's Game seems to be a story about ideas rather than emotions. This is not to say that the character of Ender Wiggin doesn't have emotional conflicts and turmoil, but I thought such conflicts were always resolved rather quickly and easily. Fear, by contrast, is an emotion and is possibly the most powerful emotion of all. A good horror story wants to haunt you (pardon the pun). I think the after-effects should linger and continue to resonate well after you've put the story down. Bad horror will just shock and revolt you. Good horror is like a chill you can't get rid of, and that's the kind of emotional resonance I like in my stories. And in my humble opinion, Ender's Game didn't deliver.
What I'm Watching
I like to watch a lot of my favorite horror movies at this time of year, with a sprinkling of new ones. Not that I'm watching a lot of TV or movies with Little Bear around, but I managed to get in a viewing of Deathwatch, which is a 2002 horror film from Great Britain. During World War I, a squad of British troops are separated from their unit during a pitched battle and find what they think is an abandoned German trench. The Brits secure the trench (including one German prisoner) and call for reinforcements, but spooky things begin to happen that gradually drives the squad members insane one by one. Finally, only the German prisoner and one British soldier (Jamie Bell, he of Billy Elliot fame) remain to face off against the supernatural power which has consumed the others.
I give it three stars, which means it's middle of the road for me. I'm not feeling motivated to go watch it again any time in the near future, but I would sit and watch it if someone else wanted to, or if I came across it while channel-surfing. It's a decent movie, but I think underachieves its potential. Director Michael J. Bassett doesn't give the suspense a chance to build - the whole film is in a rush to get from one scary image to another and by the end, when it's all supposed to add up to something, it doesn't. Still, the imagery is quite good and the story makes enough sense for a good time. I just felt the movie could've been more, and done more.
Booksignings
I've got three author events coming up in the next couple of weeks in Lanesboro, MN and Decorah, IA. Check out the Facebook fan page for details. Besides signing copies of Beyond Midnight I'll also be presenting a dramatic reading of one of my early stories, "They Hear if You Scream." It's been fun to go back to this story, and I'm pleasantly surprised to discover how much I still like it.
All Hallow's Eve
I don't quite know yet exactly what Halloween will be like at my house. I don't really have a grand concept (or the time) for the lawn decorations this year. But there'll be something spooky roaming around my yard, you can count on it.
That's all the news for now that's fit to print. Until next time, I remain...
Darkly Yours
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
May 2011
“Real” Drama
It usually takes me a while to get caught up on all the Oscar-nominated films, even more so now that they expanded the field to 10 and I have a newborn at home. I just recently got around to 127 Hours starring James Franco. Now, let me say that, in general, I like Danny Boyle’s work and I like James Franco’s. But this movie was a yawner, for two reasons. One is the fact that it’s a story about a man trapped under a rock, and dramatically, there’s only so much you can do with that. Secondly, Boyle pretty much used the standard bag of tricks in trying to tell a story about a man trapped under a rock (hallucinations, flashbacks, direct-address, etc). I soon got bored waiting for (and therefore fast-forwarded to) the part where Ralston cuts his arm off to escape (which was pretty graphic, even for me).
“But,” I hear the multitudes cry, “it’s so powerful because it’s real”. To which I answer, “So what?” Just because something actually happened, doesn’t mean it’s also automatically dramatically interesting. Dramatic storytelling has an arc and a pace to it that “real life” rarely develops, and even more rarely sustains. Did Aron Ralston undergo an extreme experience? Yes. Is that experience automatically interesting? No. At least, not from a storytelling perspective.
It's an issue I worked through when I wrote my Edgar Allan Poe play, A Midnight Dreary. I started my work with a lot of factual research, but realized soon enough that I didn't want to write a documentary. I was after creating a piece of theatre, which meant taking some liberties with the actual "facts" about Edgar Allan Poe in order to get at the "truth" of him. As a result, events were slightly re-arranged, one character actually became a bit of an amalgam of two different people in Poe's life, etc. I think a student going to see my play instead of reading an actual biography of Poe would probably be looking at a B or B - on a test. As a factual study, my script is barely adequate. As a piece of drama, however, it is (with all due modesty) a great night at the theatre.
Did events in Poe's life unfold exactly the way I dramatized them? Almost definitely not. Is such accuracy important in a dramatic presentation? Not at all, and in fact such accuracy is usually an obstacle to drama.
On Bookshelves Now
I’m very excited to announce that Beyond Midnight has found a new retail home! You may now find it on the shelves of Dragonfly Books on Water Street in downtown Decorah, IA. That makes three retail locations in all, joining the Lanesboro Arts Center in Lanesboro, MN and Pearl Street Books in La Crosse, WI. And even if your favorite independent bookstore doesn’t have Beyond Midnight in stock, you can still support local businesses by going in and asking them to order one for you!
Also exciting news - Beyond Midnight is now available in electronic format for all you Kindle/Nook/iPad readers. Only 99 cents at Amazon.com!
Also exciting news - Beyond Midnight is now available in electronic format for all you Kindle/Nook/iPad readers. Only 99 cents at Amazon.com!
2 Things that Confused Me as a Child
1. Road signs that said "No Passing". Cars passed by that sign all the time!
2. Buttons that said "Kiss me, I'm Polish". I'd heard that cleanliness was next to Godliness, is that what we're talking about here?
Until next time, I remain...
Darkly Yours
Saturday, April 16, 2011
April 2011
There's Something About a Cemetery
A couple weeks ago, I did something I haven't done for years - take a walk through a graveyard. For about a year as a child, I lived on a street with a cemetery at the end. It was my favorite place to go for a walk. I think I liked the quiet. That, and the sense of history. I would read the names and the dates as I walked up and down the rows like gathering pieces of a puzzle. Some cemeteries in New England go back almost 400 years, and they're comparatively scattered, disorganized, not in neat and tidy little rows. Older gravestones also seem more individualized than those of today. These stones were truly meant to leave a mark of those who had passed. Family relations, profession. A bit of personality. The storyteller in me always tries to create a sense of who these people were from what they left behind - what information about themselves they (or their family) wanted carved into stone.
I won't have a gravestone when I die. My wife and I wish to be cremated rather than buried and interred. But part of me would like a headstone somewhere, with my name and dates. And something else about me, too, but I don't know what yet. Husband, father. Actor, writer. Or maybe a fun quote like, "It can only get better" or "You think you've got it bad, look at me!". Maybe I'll write something yet, some turn of phrase that, that I'll want immortalized on my stone. Hopefully, I have plenty of time to figure it out.
The State of the Art
Missed my writing deadline for the 10-minute play competition I had my eye on, but I did get a complete first draft finished so that's progress. Little Bear continues to progress to a regular sleep pattern, so I have high hopes for getting back to a writing regimen soon.
By next month, I plan on having some news about my Beyond Midnight collection, so stay tuned!
Until then, I remain...
Darkly Yours
A couple weeks ago, I did something I haven't done for years - take a walk through a graveyard. For about a year as a child, I lived on a street with a cemetery at the end. It was my favorite place to go for a walk. I think I liked the quiet. That, and the sense of history. I would read the names and the dates as I walked up and down the rows like gathering pieces of a puzzle. Some cemeteries in New England go back almost 400 years, and they're comparatively scattered, disorganized, not in neat and tidy little rows. Older gravestones also seem more individualized than those of today. These stones were truly meant to leave a mark of those who had passed. Family relations, profession. A bit of personality. The storyteller in me always tries to create a sense of who these people were from what they left behind - what information about themselves they (or their family) wanted carved into stone.
I won't have a gravestone when I die. My wife and I wish to be cremated rather than buried and interred. But part of me would like a headstone somewhere, with my name and dates. And something else about me, too, but I don't know what yet. Husband, father. Actor, writer. Or maybe a fun quote like, "It can only get better" or "You think you've got it bad, look at me!". Maybe I'll write something yet, some turn of phrase that, that I'll want immortalized on my stone. Hopefully, I have plenty of time to figure it out.
The State of the Art
Missed my writing deadline for the 10-minute play competition I had my eye on, but I did get a complete first draft finished so that's progress. Little Bear continues to progress to a regular sleep pattern, so I have high hopes for getting back to a writing regimen soon.
By next month, I plan on having some news about my Beyond Midnight collection, so stay tuned!
Until then, I remain...
Darkly Yours
Monday, March 14, 2011
March 2011
Me and Henrik Ibsen
For the past month, I've been directing Commonweal Theatre's production of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. Most theatrefolk have, at best, a passing association with Ibsen's work. They've probably read a few of his plays, maybe even acted in or seen one or two. I happen to work for a theatre company that specializes in producing Ibsen and, to date, have acted in 8 Ibsen productions and now directed one. I've come to value his ability as a writer to incorporate vivid backstory in all his scripts. In an Ibsen play, the past casts a long shadow over his characters and the story often involves events from years ago finally catching up to those who'd thought they'd escaped. If you've seen a bad Ibsen production, I'd wager that it was the result of a director and cast who didn't investigate this backstory thoroughly enough.
Now I've certainly been accused before of being too subtle in some of my stories (and not unfairly I might add) but I do think that a healthy amount of subtext in a story makes for a more enjoyable read. I think it's also part of the difference between a story that's just "a thing that happened" and a genuinely dramatic tale. The example that Ibsen sets for writers, however, is that backstory can't simply be random, trivial information about a character. It needs to have a direct impact on the events in present time.
Random Movie Review
For my birthday a couple months ago, my brother gave me blu-ray editions of two of my favorite movies: Carrie and The Thing. Since I plan to include movie reviews in this blog, I thought it would be good to start with movies that I really like before I get into movies I don't like.
What sets Carrie (1976, Brian De Palma, dir.) head and shoulders above most horror movies for me is its honesty. It's not the most intense or nail-biting movie you'll ever see, but Stephen King's story and De Palma's direction ring profoundly true. Carrie White's travails resonate with anyone (as in most of us) who have at one time felt like the outcast. She's perpetually on the outside of her high school clique simply because of her family life, but she discovers an amazing power that, while frightening at first, is also the beginning of developing her own identity separate from that of her smothering mother. Headed into the night of the most famous prom in literature, Carrie isn't trying to "fit in" as much as assert her own distinctiveness. That this attempt ends in violence and death is not because Carrie is "evil", but rather because the small-minded bullies of the town have unwittingly unleashed a force of nature that cannot be controlled or reasoned with.
A John Carpenter film is usually a guilty pleasure for me. Technically, I generally find them flawed but somehow they're also just so much fun that somehow I don't care about the flaws. However, The Thing (1982) is unreservedly a great horror movie. Some think of it simply as a gore-fest, but they miss the fact that most of the chills come from Carpenter's manipulation of suspense, a quality usually lacking in most horror films that are in too big of a hurry to get to the blood-and-guts. The sense of isolation is palpable (it doesn't get much lonelier than the Antarctic) and the growing paranoia and suspicion amongst the characters is what makes this film a treat to watch.
The State of the Art
With the Ibsen behind me, a few weeks before my next theatre project starts, and Little Bear starting to sleep longer through the night, I think I might actually be able to end my writing hiatus. I have an idea for a short play that I want to submit for a Minnesota contest, and I also have a full-length play that I started last fall. Got about twenty pages so far on that one, and would love to hammer out the rest of the first draft by Memorial Day. It'll suck, but that's what first drafts are for. Let's see, at least, how far I can get by my April post.
Until then, I remain...
Darkly Yours
For the past month, I've been directing Commonweal Theatre's production of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. Most theatrefolk have, at best, a passing association with Ibsen's work. They've probably read a few of his plays, maybe even acted in or seen one or two. I happen to work for a theatre company that specializes in producing Ibsen and, to date, have acted in 8 Ibsen productions and now directed one. I've come to value his ability as a writer to incorporate vivid backstory in all his scripts. In an Ibsen play, the past casts a long shadow over his characters and the story often involves events from years ago finally catching up to those who'd thought they'd escaped. If you've seen a bad Ibsen production, I'd wager that it was the result of a director and cast who didn't investigate this backstory thoroughly enough.
Now I've certainly been accused before of being too subtle in some of my stories (and not unfairly I might add) but I do think that a healthy amount of subtext in a story makes for a more enjoyable read. I think it's also part of the difference between a story that's just "a thing that happened" and a genuinely dramatic tale. The example that Ibsen sets for writers, however, is that backstory can't simply be random, trivial information about a character. It needs to have a direct impact on the events in present time.
Random Movie Review
For my birthday a couple months ago, my brother gave me blu-ray editions of two of my favorite movies: Carrie and The Thing. Since I plan to include movie reviews in this blog, I thought it would be good to start with movies that I really like before I get into movies I don't like.
What sets Carrie (1976, Brian De Palma, dir.) head and shoulders above most horror movies for me is its honesty. It's not the most intense or nail-biting movie you'll ever see, but Stephen King's story and De Palma's direction ring profoundly true. Carrie White's travails resonate with anyone (as in most of us) who have at one time felt like the outcast. She's perpetually on the outside of her high school clique simply because of her family life, but she discovers an amazing power that, while frightening at first, is also the beginning of developing her own identity separate from that of her smothering mother. Headed into the night of the most famous prom in literature, Carrie isn't trying to "fit in" as much as assert her own distinctiveness. That this attempt ends in violence and death is not because Carrie is "evil", but rather because the small-minded bullies of the town have unwittingly unleashed a force of nature that cannot be controlled or reasoned with.
A John Carpenter film is usually a guilty pleasure for me. Technically, I generally find them flawed but somehow they're also just so much fun that somehow I don't care about the flaws. However, The Thing (1982) is unreservedly a great horror movie. Some think of it simply as a gore-fest, but they miss the fact that most of the chills come from Carpenter's manipulation of suspense, a quality usually lacking in most horror films that are in too big of a hurry to get to the blood-and-guts. The sense of isolation is palpable (it doesn't get much lonelier than the Antarctic) and the growing paranoia and suspicion amongst the characters is what makes this film a treat to watch.
The State of the Art
With the Ibsen behind me, a few weeks before my next theatre project starts, and Little Bear starting to sleep longer through the night, I think I might actually be able to end my writing hiatus. I have an idea for a short play that I want to submit for a Minnesota contest, and I also have a full-length play that I started last fall. Got about twenty pages so far on that one, and would love to hammer out the rest of the first draft by Memorial Day. It'll suck, but that's what first drafts are for. Let's see, at least, how far I can get by my April post.
Until then, I remain...
Darkly Yours
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Behind Schedule
You don't know this, but I'm two months behind in getting this blog up and running. I was going to launch in December, but that just didn't happen. Blame it on the snow. (whatever) Then, I was going to start in January. You know, new year = new project. But another new project trumped that timing (love you, Little Bear!). So now it's February. Happy Blog Launch!
Having Little Bear arrive has certainly put a damper on all kinds of activities, especially writing. I was fortunate enough in my "day job" to be able to take two weeks off from work for paternity leave while my wife and I adjusted to our new household reality. Six weeks later, I realize that the only true adjustment is to accept that you can't "adjust". It's Little Bear's world now, and I'm just living in it. And while part of me sighs every time a day goes by without being able to sit and write, or go for a workout, or watch a movie on TV, I still wouldn't have things any other way. I love being a dad.
So, the writing takes a back-seat for a while, but there's another big creative project in front of me. I'm directing Ibsen's An Enemy of the People for the Commonweal Theatre. It's rather nostalgic for me, because Enemy was the first play in acted in for the Commonweal. Last time, the script we used was Arthur Miller's adaptation. This one will come from Jeffrey Hatcher, which I'm very excited about. Rehearsals start the 16th, before which I hope to get in my traditional viewing of Waiting for Guffman (see above for challenges in watching DVDs). This show will also tour selected sites in MN - WI - IA in April, so check out commonwealtheatre.org/ibsentour to see if the show is coming to you!
Shout-Outs
I want to send shout-outs to some friends for their recent published works. La Crosse author J.J. Wilder and his collection of short stories Freaks, Geeks, and Scary Things available at Blurb.com. A.M. Stickel, editor of Black Petals, has written a short novel called Alat that you can download from BookLocker.com. It's a fantasy world where innocence can be fatal and the only virtuous path lies in succumbing to corruption. And also, Nick Ozment, editor of my own Beyond Midnight, has written Knight Terrors: The (Mis)adventures of Smoke the Dragon.
Lastly, a plug for myself. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy of Beyond Midnight. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend! And then go post a review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com. Midwest Book Review gave this collection of horror and dark fantasy 5 stars and wrote: "An excellent read...not to be missed by short fiction fans".
Until then, I remain...
Darkly Yours
Having Little Bear arrive has certainly put a damper on all kinds of activities, especially writing. I was fortunate enough in my "day job" to be able to take two weeks off from work for paternity leave while my wife and I adjusted to our new household reality. Six weeks later, I realize that the only true adjustment is to accept that you can't "adjust". It's Little Bear's world now, and I'm just living in it. And while part of me sighs every time a day goes by without being able to sit and write, or go for a workout, or watch a movie on TV, I still wouldn't have things any other way. I love being a dad.
So, the writing takes a back-seat for a while, but there's another big creative project in front of me. I'm directing Ibsen's An Enemy of the People for the Commonweal Theatre. It's rather nostalgic for me, because Enemy was the first play in acted in for the Commonweal. Last time, the script we used was Arthur Miller's adaptation. This one will come from Jeffrey Hatcher, which I'm very excited about. Rehearsals start the 16th, before which I hope to get in my traditional viewing of Waiting for Guffman (see above for challenges in watching DVDs). This show will also tour selected sites in MN - WI - IA in April, so check out commonwealtheatre.org/ibsentour to see if the show is coming to you!
Shout-Outs
I want to send shout-outs to some friends for their recent published works. La Crosse author J.J. Wilder and his collection of short stories Freaks, Geeks, and Scary Things available at Blurb.com. A.M. Stickel, editor of Black Petals, has written a short novel called Alat that you can download from BookLocker.com. It's a fantasy world where innocence can be fatal and the only virtuous path lies in succumbing to corruption. And also, Nick Ozment, editor of my own Beyond Midnight, has written Knight Terrors: The (Mis)adventures of Smoke the Dragon.
Lastly, a plug for myself. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy of Beyond Midnight. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend! And then go post a review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com. Midwest Book Review gave this collection of horror and dark fantasy 5 stars and wrote: "An excellent read...not to be missed by short fiction fans".
Until then, I remain...
Darkly Yours
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