a poor player

Dunkirk NY – It is going to be a busy day today, as I return to classes for the last three weeks of the semester and prepare for acting juries, the presentation of 14 one-act plays from my directing class, and finals. So I had better get this post done now, or given today’s schedule (which runs until probably 11PM) I might never get another chance to write it.

What have I learned in the 30/30 challenge? I’ll give you a bullet list:

• I actually did it, and it certainly gave me a lot of great perspective on those who choose writing as a career. Having to get something on to the screen every single day is certainly a challenge in and of itself.
• I think maybe I have learned to write a little faster. I tend toward an academic style of writing which is quite deliberate, and I like my posts to read like well-composed and thoughtful essays. Usually that means a lot of deliberation on my part. This exercise has taught me to put things on the screen a little faster and gather my thoughts a little quicker.
• I have a small but dedicated readership. My biggest day was 50 hits, according to WordPress stats. I averaged about maybe 30 or so hits a day. Thanks to those who kept reading throughout this whole project.
• Since Scott Walters and I have formed an academic partnership in the area of revitalizing theatre curricula, we have discovered throughout this process that we share the same viewpoints on what the problems are, but each of us comes at solutions in a slightly different way. Thus we help each other gain perspective. It’s a great collegial relationship, and one which I think will continue to gain traction and steam over the coming years. Thanks Scott!
• As of this writing I have no theatrical projects in the immediate future. This 30/30 exercise makes me wonder how much more writing I can do, and if I should now, at this point in my career, pay more attention to my writing and less attention to actual theatrical production. I have thought on this question before, without making any real decisions, so perhaps the time is coming soon (over this winter break perhaps) to shed the actor/director skin and use the time to get thoughts in order and on paper. That might be quite hard, but it deserves some real thought.
• I had fun! Churning out a post a day was fun. Not every post was brilliant or even interesting, but one thing I did learn is that it was fun to sit down at some point each day and pound something out. I felt some excitement, some nervousness, and some urgency each day no matter what kind of day it was. It was never a chore.
• I think that I am gaining some more confidence in my writing, something I do lack. I’ve always admired writing but never thought I had the skill. I’ve always considered my style too academic for general readership. But perhaps in giving writing a little more focus, I can overcome that perception of myself and develop a style which has an academic underpinning but is not too stiff or formal. I’ll just have to keep at it.

That’s it I guess. I hope I didn’t bore anyone too much. Again, if you stayed with this, thanks for reading. I’ll give you a break for just a bit, but it may be that this habit will now become hard to break!    -twl