Studio City, California


Transcribing the new lyrics for Why Did I Say Farewell from the handwritten notes

It's funny how this writing thing works - some days ya got it and other days ya ain't. Yesterday was definitely in the "ain't" category, but it seems to have come in back in earnest today. I did what I said I would - I completely scrapped all the lyrics I wrote yesterday for Why Did I Say Farewell. I even went one further - I didn't even look at them. I didn't look at the journal. I just wrote it completely from scratch, from what was in my head, and it seemed to come very quickly, and with the impact I wanted. Short and to the point. I like it when it happens like that! It's really not something one has any control over - at least, not in my experience.

I was also able to write the whole next scene in no time at all. Granted, it was a short one, and no lyrics. Still, I wasn't quite sure how it would come out, and yet it fell together quite easily. The trick to all this is getting the point of the scene across while being concise - otherwise we'll end up with a 6-hour musical! And we may anyway! And I'm not exactly known for my brevity! So it's always a bit of a challenge, but I think I have the hang of it now after 4 months of writing.

Now, will I get my controversial sequences in? Maud befriended Isabel, a fan who ended up showering her with presents and declaring her undying love. Maud naturally discouraged Isabel's affections but seemed to maintain the friendship, either because she was afraid Isabel would follow through on her suicide threats, or because she took whatever companionship she could get, or both. I decided not to make that a huge part of the storyline, or to even introduce Isabel on-stage, but I still feel Isabel's presence in Maud's life should be covered, even briefly. Naturally, there's any number of ways people might react to it, and I don't want Maud to at all be perceived as a lesbian, nor do I want to portray homosexuality in a negative light. So it's a balancing act - and one y'all may never see! I'll take it out if I have to, but for now I feel it should at least have its two brief mentions, since Isabel was an albatross around Maud's neck for years. Ain't nothin' wrong with homosexuality - but unwanted affections are exactly that, regardless of gender!

Hopefully my writing mojo will maintain through tomorrow!