The winter of discontent has not only been prevalent in the earth's atmosphere, but has been present among the people of the United States.
A political atmosphere--in turn religious and moral ones as well--has dominated the national airwaves for the first month of 2017. My thoughts about that are documented elsewhere and the option to hop over there is all yours.
Today is about briefly providing an update on the world of writing, acting, and general tomfoolery I'm involved in.
Partially due to a record amount of snow falling and partially due to a desire to simply write more, January was a month I spent concentrating on mostly two things: editing my full-length play The Latitude of Life and making progress on The Blue Gem.
Starting with the play, I'm nearly finished with what is draft five of the play. I've reached a point in which changes I've made have slightly altered the approach to the ending. Coupled with notes from previous readings, this part has hamstrung me to a certain extent and stalled progress for the time being. So close yet so far away.
The Blue Gem, on the other hand, has rode a wave of momentum over the past month. I have added roughly thirty pages to the novel, a follow-up to The Dragon Princess. If I can continue this pace, I would wager a guess I can have a completed first draft by May. Then, the harrowing process of editing will begin.
I have also been working again as a Dramaturg for Alley Repertory Theater. Buyer & Cellar is a play by Jonathan Tolins, opening February 23rd at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City, Idaho. Research is a great tool for plays and also has been helpful in my writing.
I'll have more on this later, but my one-act play One Night Stand will be performed in Florida in April. As far as I can tell, this will be the first performance of a play I first wrote 13 years ago after what was essentially a month long bender while visiting Idaho--and attending two weddings--on vacation from Los Angeles.
Other short stories and random ramblings have been written (or are simply strewn about on random slips of paper and notebooks around my apartment). The update is a brief one, but in effort to avoid being sucked down the rabbit hole that is internet comment boards, I needed to write something. And of course, keeping on track for 2017 goals is another reason.
Thus ends another post of self-promotion. Stay safe, stay kind, and stay creative in February my friends.