Studio City, California
Amazing. I actually managed to get two scenes written – in under 90 minutes! It really is no small wonder considering how frazzled I feel. It was strangely busy today. I know – how dare the office be busy when I want to get some scenes written? I am just piteously behind schedule and the phone won’t stop ringing and I’d be pulling out my hair if it wasn’t already starting to fall out on its own.

It’s just that Act II has been a rather sticky wicket so far as it is, and much harder to write. I was used to most of Act I coming so easily, but Act II is much more complicated from the get-go and trying to consolidate things has made it trickier. Even stuff as simple as having too many scenes take place in the same room in the house! I’m also having to think out technical issues as I go along – wardrobe, props, the screen, physical set changes. So sometimes I have to write in things I wasn’t originally planning to or move other things around to accommodate the reality of the stage.

Due to the consolidation, we now have three songs within Act II’s first three scenes. And then a big gap with no songs at all. Actually, the reason those three scenes were so hard to write was because of the songs. It’s much easier to convey something in exposition and dialogue and stage trickery, at least to me. Because I’m dealing with someone’s life and valiantly trying to stay true to that life, it imposes serious limitations on a song – I have to stay within the history and it forces me to tell the story in rhyme, which isn’t always easy. So I was kind of grateful I didn’t have any more songs today – that’s how I got two scenes written in 90 minutes, which has got to be some kind of record.

Please don’t mind me. I’m just massively grumpy right now. Maud had her “grumble book” and I have my…“grumble blog”. At least I actually got some writing done today! All hail 9LoLMM!