W is for West

The Quote of the Day that inspired my A to Z Blogging Challenge theme -
A Word for the Day that takes on many meanings.

Quote of the Day: A writer lives in awe of words for they can be cruel or kind, and they can change their meanings right in front of you. They pick up flavors and odors like butter in a refrigerator. John Steinbeck


Word of the Day: West

West is a word that shows direction, a place or region, The Wild West, the wicked witch of the west. We have the West Coast. It's hard to remember when it should be capitalized and when it's lower. But, most importantly today, it is a name. I'd like to introduce you to playwright Cheryl L. West who wrote the stage adaptation of Lizzie Bright and The Buckminster Boy, a play that I thoroughly enjoyed at the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis in March. You can read my review here. I asked Annie Rees, public relations at the Children's Theatre, if I could ask the playwright a few questions. She set up an email interview. I am honored to have this award-winning playwright here on my blog. (My appologies. The spacing gets a little weird when you cut and paste onto blogger.)

Traci Allen as Lizzie

Photo by Dan Norman, CTC

First, thank you for the fabulous production of Lizzie Bright and the

Buckminster Boy. I was captivated by the story and thrilled with how
well all of you brought it to life on stage. I had listened to the
audiobook before I attended the performance. You did a marvelous job  ofbringing out the main elements of the story and translating them to the

stage. The scene with the whale was amazing.

Thank you. It was an amazing experience to collaborate with CTC.

1. I was wondering how much you consulted with Gary D. Schmidt for the

play adaptation? The only major change I noticed was that Turner's

mother was dead in the play version, but not in the book, sort of a

reversal of what happens to his parents. I think it worked. In fact, it

made the relationship between Turner and his father even more tense and

important.

I didn’t consult with Gary Schmidt at all. He was generous enough to allow

and trust my vision for his work. Always, my goal when adapting is to do it

with integrity and with the original author’s vision still a part of each

decision I make.

2. Do you have a strategy for adapting other work, like novels, into

plays?

First and foremost, adapt something you love. When I first read Gary’s

book, I knew immediately it was a good fit for my sensibilities. The book

was charming, interesting and so compelling. I knew it was going to be a

play that featured the importance and the drama of the sea. Second, it’s

important to know what to include and what doesn’t yield itself to live

dramatization. Some things are better read and some things live

beautifully on stage. A playwright has to know the difference. On my

second or third read of the source material, I like to mark it up with post-its

and highlighters for situations I want to use or specific dialogue.

3. Have you written other plays for a younger audience? Do you usually

write for adults?

I adapted for American Girl and Seattle Children’s Theatre – ADDY, THE

AMERICAN GIRL STORY. It premiered at Seattle Children’s and then did a

21-city tour, which included, I think, a stop at the Ordway. Yes, I’d say

most of my work has been for adults but I wrote and directed plays for my

kids elementary school every year as a way of giving back. They are now in

high school.

4. I thought the pacing was excellent for a children's play. Do you have

tips for playwrights who write for a younger audience?

Be stingy with exposition. Kids like discovery, not lectures. Show don’t

tell. Sprinkle humor throughout. We all love to laugh – parents and

children.

5. Did you have a breakthrough moment, or work, as a playwright?

What/when was that?

I wrote a play called Before It Hits Home back in the early 90’s. It won a few

awards including the Helen Hayes, and the international Susan Smith

Blackburn playwriting award.

6. I have a writer's blog and I try to keep it inspirational. What are

some ways that you keep your enthusiasm up for new work, and how would

you encourage other writers and artists to keep trying despite

rejections and set-backs?

Continue to work on your craft. Read, write and read more. Find a

community of folks who will support you through the ups and downs of

this business. I have always had a few key people who always urged me to

keep going and would be “duly outraged” that others didn’t recognize my

talent in a timely fashion. I love them for that and it was and remains so

helpful during the occasional midnight hours of doubt.

Thank you for your time and talents for this play and in answering my

questions. I am inspired by your success.

You’re very welcome. CL. West

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever made it a point to seek out an artist and ask them about their craft? What would you ask your favorite artist/writer if you could spend a few minutes with them?

W is for Writing Word by Word

Letter of the Day:  W

W is for Writing Word by Word by Beth Hautala. 

Here's what you get when you hang out at coffee shops:
1. Good coffee
2. Inspirational setting
3. Juicy conversation
4. Juicier converations that you "just happen to overhear"
5. Meet-ups with friends
6. Chance meeting with friends who have friends
7. Introductions from one creative spirit to another
8. New friends to share coffee conversations and write guest posts.

Introducing my newest creative friend, Beth! And, yes, I met her at a coffee shop thanks to our mutual friend Joey Halvorson, a fabulous photographer and the person who brought my character Lolly to life.

W is for WritingWordByWord

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working,” Pablo Picasso has been quoted as saying, and I stumbled across his words at a time when I was languishing away, waiting for my muse. Writers do this—most creative folk do, actually, but the reality is that all work, writing included, is only accomplished one simple act at a time. The muse is an elusive thing and hardly dependable.


I’ve always been a tad reticent to call myself a “writer,” though I have no particular reason for my hesitancy. Somehow, it always has seemed necessary to legitimize the title, and I’ve never felt qualified. But the realization that my work would need some consistency, should I ever wish to claim that elusive title, has served as motivation. Slowly but consistently, I began blogging about the writing life nearly a year ago now, and I have found the process surprisingly cathartic and instructive.


The very work of a creative profession (writing, painting, acting, or otherwise) demands that we bare certain elements of ourselves for the world to alternately love or hate. Whether performed on a stage, posted on a blog, or printed in a book—the work finds its purpose in the hearts and lives of the audience for which it was intended. That’s part of the thrill—causing a new train of thought or spurring a new perspective. But change never comes without struggle, and creatives—I among them—tend to be some of the most struggling and “rejected” people on earth. We continually run up against the wall of commercialism, and often our best ideas are sacrificed on that alter so that we can continue living with luxuries—like heat, plumbing, and electricity.


My heart is wrapped up in the creation and development of fiction, and the protagonists in my stories tend to wrestle with discouragement on various levels as much as I do. But if I’m honest, I’ve never written a story where the bravery of said protagonists is not tested, tried, and then revealed. Heroes, heroines, writers, and all of humanity in general need encouragement, the imparting of courage—the illumination of a bravery we already possess.


After working away at a middle grade novel for quite a while (inconsistently of course) the discipline of keeping a blog taught me to write consistently and I finished my book, refined it, and began the process of searching for a literary agent.


Which, in fact, I did this past January. You can read that post here.

And the little website that began as a place for me to cathartically vent my thoughts on writing, and teach myself to write with perseverance, has slowly transformed into a living breathing community of writers. We are teaching another to work at the craft, and encouraging and building one another up. The Writers Guild portion of the site gets an average of six-hundred hits a day and more than two-dozen writers stop in regularly to share work, offer critiques, and participate in forum discussions. We are drawn together by a mutual desire to write word by word, because as Picasso said, inspiration visits the working.


And I, well, I’m testing out that elusive “Writer” title a little more each day.


Beth Hautala runs writingwordbyword.com where she blogs about getting wrapped and tangled up in words, encouraging others to do likewise. Her first novel, WAITING FOR UNICORNS, and other subsequent projects are repped by Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow Literary.


Thanks, Beth, for sharing your inspiring story.

Journaling Prompt:  Who or what has inspired you lately?