It's that time of the year again. Auditions, rehearsals, designs, theatre class, and self. As a theatre teacher, a job I love, my creativity tank runs low on a regular basis. I'm constantly pouring that creative energy into play or musical rehearsals, coming up with designs for said shows, overseeing the creation of said designs of said shows, pushing into the performances and tying up all the loose ends that inevitably happen the week of said shows. On top of that, I'm still teaching and keeping those plates freshly and inspiringly spinning. On top of THAT, I'm a dad and a human.
That's a lot.
I told you in an earlier post about that Mix Tape that likes to play during cycles of depression. Super accusatory. It's favorite word in every song it plays is SHOULD. You should be more engaged socially. You should be putting together a better show. You should be exercising more. You should be writing more.
Well, honestly, should can fuck off.
Specifically, for this post, I'm focusing on the should of writing more. After I published my first book, The Six, one of the top rated questions among curious minds was "how long did it take you to write?" My answer was always in the realm of seven to eight years. "Whoa, really? That long?" Listen, honey, books don't spring forth from one's head like one of Zeus' many bastard children. Especially from the head of someone who already has a full time job and relationships he wishes to maintain and grow. So, yes, seven to eight years.
Why? Because my tank often ran on low during the school year and the summers were my opportunity to concentrate my creative energy on my personal projects. Yeah, it made it tricky at times, going back and reading what I'd written sometimes months before in order to get back into the right flow, but it was okay. In the end, The Six was published and I was damn proud of it.
I make it a practice to sit down and write at the very least once a week. Sometimes when work responsibilities are light, I hop in there and have more time, but it's all okay. The next book is coming along delightfully and I look forward to the day when readers get to see what your favorite characters from The Six, and several you haven't met yet, are up to.
And you, my fabulous reader, when your tank is on low and that Mix Tape starts playing its top song, Should, Should, Should, You Bitch, hit the stop button with your middle finger and crank up some Enya. I don't know what she's singing half the time, but I like her Orinoco Flow, if you know what I'm saying.
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