 It's so funny we're going today at six o'clock. We are going to move everything in this real background. Oh my god. This is my. Oh that is so funny. I am actually sitting in front of this stuff but I had my husband make it a virtual background because I'm going to move everything. Oh my god it is still on. Oh how weird. It's unbelievable. It's actually it's my real and virtual background. Oh that's why I was like honey it's so weird your guitar is not there. And it's the virtual back anyway blah blah blah. It looks so real. It is and it is real because it's really there. I wanted to have it real and virtual and I got confused. I'm glad you're feeling well. Thank you. Thank you. And hello everyone good to see you. Hello. People. What am I doing here. It's recording okay well we're going to start okay. Yes okay I'm sorry I oh this is my view is wrong gallery there again. Yeah hey everybody. This is some watch me work I have a real and a virtual background which just defies excitement. I'm so excited. I hope everybody had a a good, you know Thanksgiving process. We've been doing this show for over 14 years and we're still doing it because that's what we do. What we do is we work together and then we talk about your work and your creative process and recently we were embraced by the New Work Development Department and I'm just the queen of the New York Work Development Department and you want to say hi. Hi everyone it's good to see you. My name is I'm a time the director of New Work Development at the public. I started about a year and a half ago thrilled to be with all of you and thrilled to be with us LP. Yay. And so is here to holding it down. Hi everyone I'm Zoe I'm the New York Development Manager and I'm happy to be here. So we're going to do what we always do. We're going to work together for 20 minutes and then after the time or we're going to, you're going to ask me questions about your work and your creative process and while we don't have time to for you to read from your work or perform your dance piece or, or, you know, anything like that. We do have time to talk about process. I know Rebecca thank you. It's so good to see you Rebecca haven't seen a while. Thanks for laughing at all my corny ass jokes. Hey, here we are. Let's go again. All right. That's 20 minutes. Now it's time. If y'all have questions. I'll answer. Yes, please, if you have a question use your raise your hand function, and I'll go and call on your name and then you can please unmute yourself and ask the questions if you could raise your hand and we'll get a Q going. Okay, you're okay. While we're in silence. I'm going to say hi to Isabella. So you, it's you. Send your kids haven't seen you in a long time. Good to see you. Don't be shy. Or be shy. I'll just read my silently to myself. I'm reading Toni Morrison. The origin of others. This isn't a great book. Look how beautiful this book is. There you go. Rebecca, please go ahead and unmute yourself. So I filled out the little question form because I'm a shy person. And now I have to talk so shy person. Since. Okay. So the question was about being relatively shy about meeting strangers who I feel like would be interested in my work and how you, your experience going about that any recommendations. Like I don't have a business card to hand people, or I guess I could make one, but just any thoughts you have about that question. Yeah, I mean, business cards are, you know, not a lot of people use them these days, but they're a great way to just say hi, this is me, you know what I mean. And when you're talking with someone, you know, you give them your card and it's got all your info on it so they don't have to stand there and blah, blah, blah. You know, you don't have to do that. It's got a beautiful photograph of beautiful you on it. It's got some information about you on it. I mean, business cards are great. Vista print. I think, I mean, I don't get paid, but I'm not an endorser, but they make cards. They're affordable. They're really fun. You can put any image on them you want, you know, make them glossy or whatever. They're really, really nice. I would say that's a great step Rebecca to begin meeting strangers because what you're doing is what they call in Germany for glue and which in American English, we say pre gaming. Before gluing in Germany they foregluen before they go out. I mean my husband tells me these things. Before you go to the bar, you drink a little bit of home. So you kind of warm up the engine. So when you get to the bar you're already a little bit, you know, ready to socialize and then also you don't have to spend as much money. I know that's way too much. It's a cultural thing. What you're doing by making your business cards is you're anticipating the meeting, the moments when you're going to meet people. So you're getting your pre gaming you're getting in the right headspace. So now you have your cool business card I love that idea. And where would you meet these people do you think online or events. There's there's two people in particular I'm feeling like would be really interested. One, I'm hoping to meet tomorrow night. Somehow, and the other was so this person is a musician as well, was Rhiannon Gidden, because, frankly, we use the same sources and I have sort of been following her around wherever she is nearby, but have yet to like get to the, you know, stage door afterwards and have her sign my CDs because I buy CDs still, or anything like that. So some of it is some is a business card piece which I was at the independent publishers event in, I guess that when was that July or something. And, and I didn't have a business card and there are all these, you know, magazines and book people there and I thought oh I really should have a business card and then I thought, I really should like deal with my branding issues and I did some of that. I have a new logo for my writing self and a different one for my consulting self. And so, so tomorrow. So tomorrow night. So, yeah, so two things. One will talk about renegades in a minute but the second thing tomorrow night. You're going to meet somebody. Right. Huh. I plan to yes. Fantastic. Okay. Do you know what you're going to wear. Well I'm doing laundry tomorrow mornings. So I'll know by then. Yes. Okay, okay because I believe in costume I mean this is you know you're going to show. You want to think about what you're going to wear you want to think about your costume. Right. Okay, okay. So, you know, as they say the clothes make the woman the clothes make the person. All right. Yes. Okay so we're going off of that so so you know 10 minutes after that we're done here think about what you're going to wear. Okay, what I'm going to wear I it something that looks good you feel good in it and you know makes you feel like you're ready to mingle. That will take care of so much of the, what you would call shyness. You know, I would call it like you, you know what you want and you don't suffer fools. That's what I would call it. Like, you know, you seem to me and I've never met you in person but you seem to me, or I've never met you recently in person but you seem to me, someone who just doesn't got time for no mess. People be like, Oh, please I don't got time for no mess that that. So you might come you might say you're shy to keep yourself out of situations where, in my own experience, I start doing this. I can't help it, because you're talking shit, you know so I try to keep myself out of situations like that. So, okay, so you're dressed in something that you love that looks good on you and you feel comfortable in. You're at this event. And do you how much about the person you're going to meet do you know. I, I know a lot. Great. Yes. Yes. Great. One thing that works for me is I ask someone questions about themselves. Because like, I don't know anything, but because I know a lot about them and I just want them to know that I'm interested. Think of ways that you can help them achieve their goals by publishing your book. You know what I mean. Yes. How can I help you do what you want to do. Put yourself in the frame of mind I always do a service how can I help you achieve your goals. And then I'm going to be someone who's going to be a boon to you. Right. What are you going to do for me. I mean, and this, I had a meeting with some of our son's teachers and apparently we were the only parents in the entire school who opened the meeting with teacher, how can we help you do, you know, do your job in a, in a better way. How could, how could we help you on our end. You know what I mean, not what are you doing for my kid. We never asked that. We were always like, how can we help you. The publishers were in tears. No one talks to them like that. So publishers are also underappreciated heroes. Right. Oh, and how can I how can how can I help you. You know, yeah, yes. And then doesn't start talking about it sounds like themselves, which is okay. But that's okay. They'll start talking about what they like and their tastes and, and not that. And just draw, draw them out. Maybe they're also shy. Or maybe they're also reserved and don't suffer fools and don't like events so much, you know, about make a friend. You know how to make friends. We're friends. We made friends. You know, you're interested. You have a lot to say. You have a lot of great things going for you. And about Rihanna Giddens, just tell yourself that you're going to meet her soon. I'm trying to figure out when she's back in the US, but yes. Don't don't don't worry about the how. Yeah. Her schedule her tribe what you're going to try to figure out her travel schedule. Lord have mercy. Just tell yourself you're going to meet her. Rihanna, you're going to meet other people like her. You know, I mean, yourself you're going to meet her you're going to meet her it's going to be great you guys are going to have a wonderful conversation. Just, just, you know, you, you've written a whole book. Right. You've written a lot of stuff. You got to write this next chapter, and the next chapter is not in between the pages of a book. Right, the next chapter is, you know, on the world stage you just got to write it. I know it sounds like woo woo but no no it's, you know, I really feel very strongly about you know, affirmations and positive thinking or whatever you call it. I'm not sure what you call it, you know, but, but you know, some people call practicing the presence of God. That's a lovely way to say yeah, we practice the presence of God. We are in line with the spirit. Every some of my friend the other day, everything you say is an affirmation to remind me everything you say is an affirmation. And that's not licensed to beat yourself up for saying some negative things sometimes because that's not what this that's about. The idea is to just know that you're constantly speaking the word constantly. Everywhere that comes out of your mouth, the words that are in your head. You know, okay. Yes. And you say, I meet wonderful people. Wonderful awesome people are interested in my book. It's all coming together. Just hypnotize yourself with those things because what's great Rebecca, you've done the work. You see what I mean. It's not like you're sitting around like saying affirmations and like sipping of my tie watching Jerry springery runs or something like that. You know what I'm saying? But you know what I'm saying you're you're not that person, you're the kind of person who does the work who shows up, who puts the time in who does the does the hard work. And now it's time to you know make God your partner. And if God isn't the right three letter word for you, you know, make make, I don't know what another three letter word is but make your partner. How's that. Your partner. You know, doesn't cost you anything. You don't have to subscribe to an elaborate pyramid scheme. You know what I'm saying. I do. It's for you. Like I see it's free. Here it is. That's right. Yes. Make your partner girl. Have a wonderful time tomorrow night. Yeah, I will. I, I, I'm looking forward to it a whole lot. And I just had a flashback to when I was in Cincinnati and Jerry springer was mayor so I'm just a little discombobled at the moment. Hey, it's okay. That is the past we are moving forward. Let's just heart bless him bless him Lord have mercy has moved on to other things. Yeah. Yes, he's moved on to this. He certainly has. That's funny. Thank you. Thank you so much. You're great to see you. Good to see you too. How about Isabella please unmute yourself. So, yeah. Oh, we're in the world are you you muted yourself you be pressed the wrong button come on. You one of those young and you're supposed to know how to use technology. Uh oh, you just moving your head. There you go. Okay, now we're good. I'm at the public theater right now. Goodness. I work three blocks away so I've been coming here to write for a couple hours every day I've been thinking about you. I miss you so much. Oh, it's so good to see you. But it's so good to see you it's so good to hear your voice. I guess. So, you know, post grad, I was like, okay, I'm going to finish that play I worked on in your class, and then I worked on another play. And, and, and brought that to fruition brought that to a reading, and that was beautiful and had other people involved. It was a great experience. And now I'm like, okay, I, I'm, I booked tickets to go out of the country for winter break at the end of December so I'm like all right Isabella you're going to finish that draft. And I woke up at 6am today this is the first day I did it but I was like 6am all right we're writing now. And yeah so I've just been doing a lot of tarot card readings and connecting with God. I always think of you when I get the high priestess card and just hearing your voice like when you're not here and thinking about you has just really guided me just this post grad like, oh, what am I doing where am I going. So, just, you know, staying grounded in that and as I'm working on this play it's really like the first, I think, day that I'm really back to it. And I got a moment of like, okay this is what this first scene needs to bow but I know tomorrow it's like, okay, I'm writing consciously I think like without a plot, you know what I mean. I'm asking like what is my play telling me and I think I know abstractly but as far as just the what we learned in your class like really being inside it and looking around and getting so granular that feels a little overwhelming right now. And so I'm just trying to find a way back in. So maybe I mean that's great, Isabella sounds like again you do you were doing the work which is really really admirable and it's hard. The work can be difficult and especially if you've, you know, we're in school and now you're out of school and so just a different kind of setup. Sometimes you get back into it. Sometimes maybe maybe you do need to step away from it. And if it doesn't marshmallow, think about plot. Plot isn't isn't bad. You know, it's just like plot is just like character character doing its thing. Right, you know, it's just at a person like, I'll find out who killed him. Like, no, no, no, no, no, he's like, yeah, I'm gonna do I'm gonna do that. You say I am you say I am you say I am and that's what he does. Yeah, and he does it. Right. It's just, he's right. So plot is just character doing his thing and that's that's, that's okay to pull back a little bit. If granular is too much pull back a little bit to say, okay, one this happens seem to this happens in three that is that is that helpful or. Yeah, that is helpful. It is helpful. I'm just, I think I hear but right. Yeah. I think I'm just that type of person I'm like, alright, if I do this this and that where am I ultimately going, you know, and I think being outside of school and I'm just letting myself try things have been has been like a testament to that aspect of my personality. But I think I just have to write and kind of keep on going with it. Would it would it would it ruin that would it doesn't make sense right now to create some goals. You know, like, I mean, or does that like no goals. No, I can handle goals, I think. So, you're gonna in when do you leave your vacation. Um, like the 28th of December. Great. So, from now is today what is today. Oh my God I love when this happens. What is today 27. I love like little square little boxes. So, yeah, you have the 27th through the 27th. Yeah, finish another half of your play. Your goal is to cross the finish line. So just finish a draft. That's all. And where are you going, where are you going on your vacation. Um, I'm going to Spain to visit a friend and then I'm going to Paris by myself which I'm really excited for. Congratulations so you're going to cross the finish line on the 27th of December. And then you're going to have a vacation. Yeah, that's your goal. That's that's all that's what you get. That's where you're going you're going to Spain and then Paris. You're going to cross the finish line then you're going to Spain and then Paris. And then you're going to come home. I mean, just like, we can keep it simple. You know, and, and what the next steps after you come back from Spain and Paris, having finished another draft, the next steps will be more discoverable once you come back. You know, you can't see the whole thing right now because you know, you're, you're, you're where you're at, you know, you're where you are so that makes sense. Makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Just divide up the how many things you got. I can't remember how many. I have about, I think like two scenes that I know are in the play. But I mean how many scenes total will you have when you're done. Oh, but I'm done. Yeah. Think about, think about nine to 10 scenes. So divide them up, you know, you know, like, you know, one day you'll take, you'll do, you know, four days you'll spend on one scene that you know, divide it up, get a calendar, print out a, you know, print out one of those calendars. You can print, you know, Apple campaign, you know, blank. So the first X number of days, you're going to work on that scene, then you're going to work on that. And you're going to be really, really just methodical. You're just going to be just, just, you're just going to like you're walking down the street. You just do it. Yeah, you know. You know, but, but give yourself, get yourself an outline first. Okay. Tonight. Just write out. Have to be perfect. Just has to be like good enough. Write yourself an outline. And then just, and then just divide up the, the bits you have to write and then just write them. And then you're done. And then you can go to Spain and Paris. All right, I will do it. I'll start with an outline because I think sometimes my mistake is like I'm writing and then I go right when I should go left, I go left. Right is left really. Yeah, the world is. Yeah, left is all right and right is left and you know, it's okay. You can't you showed up here today. There you go. That was that was that was something in the correct direction. Right. Don't know if it's better left though we have no idea. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Come check in with us before you go to Spain and Paris. I would love that. I'll see you next time. Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you. You yourself. Hey, Kimmy. Hi, SLP. So good to see you and everybody. This is a moment I wanted to take to say thank you. I get so emotional when I talk to you because I'm so grateful to have met you. Just in this space back in Cal arts 100 years ago and after your play, I started a play. I got it in my head to apply to NYU for dramatic rating. And I started a new play and just submitted it yesterday. I got off is the deadline is the first of December and I got a little panicky, but I got it in and and the note that you just gave Rebecca and thank you for your question, Rebecca, but how can I help you achieve your goals. It's just, it's basically what you say every time you come on here and I'm so grateful because I'll be 62 when I go to school and it doesn't even phase me that I'm going to be 62, you know, I'm, I'm so excited. And, and I'm so grateful that you have instilled such wonderful techniques and, and disciplines and ease and simplicity you break everything down and I wouldn't have been able to finish anything like this. It's a, it's a, the plays. I had no idea it was me all over this play. I, it's just so autobiographical it scares me but it's about a woman who a menopausal woman who didn't commit suicide because she found the note to arduous. You know, because, because writing is rewriting and it's just such a pain in the ass and so, you know, you just put off committing suicide and so you can get back to the writing and so it was, it came really easy, despite how hard it was to write. And that is all because of you and this group of amazing writers and artists that come together and ask questions I didn't think of, but that certainly applied to me. And I want to thank everybody, you know, that is a part of this Monday meeting for the people that are up and sponsored to the, to the people that asked the questions and all the writers and all the artists I just want to say how grateful I am for everything that that this group provides. So thank you. Oh, thank you, Kimmy. It's all congratulations on finishing your play and turn it in. Thank you. Best of luck in your application process. Thank you. So proud of you. Thank you. I'm so nervous. You know, because it's a lot different applying for school than it was when I applied 100 years ago, you know, and, you know, and how do you fit 62 years of experience into 750 words and how do you know for your statement of purpose and how do you streamline your resume and it's, it's, it's really been so hard. Those are muscles that I haven't used in a very, very long time. And I'm so excited to be in New York. I'm so excited to write. I'm so excited to, I want to be a professional writer and I just, I can't wait to get started. I just can't wait. And I, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have your encouragement all the time, whether it's to me directly or to somebody else. It never even occurred to me to apply to school because I'm from that, hey, have someone fall back on generation, you know, and, and you just make everything so attainable. Thank you so very, very much for you being you. I adore you. Anyway, thank you so much. I really appreciate you saying that. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Jonathan. You guys hear me. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. I had a, I had a different question, but, but I'm going to use my question for a clarifying question because something you said a little earlier about is just character doing its thing. Now, my question is, is that a descriptive statement, you know, that because you use the edifice example right so you said edifice, you know, he's like I'm going to find out I'm going to find out I'm going to find out. So that's, that's you and that's me reading edifice. Right. But is your statement does that also mean like prescriptively like like if you, or if someone sits down to write. Is it your thought because I've never done this and I, because it doesn't, it's a little bit different for me, but to sit down because I think about that I plan things out pretty precisely ahead of time and but I do know that there are people who will sit down and they'll have an idea. Like you said a couple weeks ago for a character who just really wants something right that character wants that thing and just start there and go. Is that is that is that a recipe you think that's a that's a that's a useful one because to me it's pretty scary to me it's like well, I think someone else like I don't know where where this is going to go but that's something that you know that that you think is worth it is worth giving it a shot. Is that how you do it. Well that's a really great question Jonathan and so I would ask. I don't know anything about you but I would I'm guessing, because it's a human thing and probably a thing of all creatures and beings that we have two ways of looking at something from the inside. Here I am right now, and from the outside I my hand disappeared from the outside who you know, like, like 100 feet away. Yeah, you have the ability for example right now. You're looking at us on this screen right. That is true. You're in yourself. Now if you can imagine. This isn't. It's a site it's a psychological thing you're going to do it's it's perfectly safe you're just going to imagine yourself like looking at yourself from the side. Okay, like you're a little outside yourself right. Got it. Right okay now go back in yourself. Oh cool. This is what we do right you know like, like almost when you look in the mirror, you know you're looking back at yourself you know you can we can do that as creatures and I'm sure all creatures can do it. We're just the only ones who talk about it. Right. So that we know of that I know of. So that's what you're doing you're making character. So when I was doing that edifice thing. I was in edifice, I was being edifice, but also at the same time, I was outside of edifice reading as you said reading edifice. So, what I'm suggesting is, when you say. When the characters do their thing. I want you to be in the character. I want something really bad like edifice. I'm going to, I'm going to find out what happened. I'm going to find out who killed him right I mean I'm this is me my version of edifice Lord have mercy such a beautiful play. I'm going to find out who killed him I'm going to find out what happened I'm going to wish it I married my mother. Okay. That's the guy talking right edifice, but also there's the awareness of edifice which is outside of him. And that's if you're outside like when you're like when you're standing on the earth. I mean there might be flat earthers in this group. Okay if there are just pretend you're somewhere else and plug your ears. But for those of us who realize that the world is round. We're standing on the earth right now. And it doesn't look round. Right. If we went into space that distance again that I'm talking about, you could see how it's curved. Do you understand. Yes, character. I want you to be in your character. Somebody who wants something. And at the same time when you write your plot. Step outside of your character for a minute and see the curve of the earth. And see what they're doing in scene one, what they're doing in scene two, etc. And then jump back in and go okay now in this scene. They want something really bad. Step outside. Look at the curve of the earth again. So has did what they did in scene for get them any closer to what they wanted. You know, yeah, great, great, go to the next thing you just does that make any kind of sense to at all. Yes, no that's really helpful. I wouldn't say say but it's very, it's what we as human as creatures do all the time. We're in ourselves and also we're outside looking at ourselves watching ourselves do things. And that's just employing those two ways of seeing if you will ways of being, if you will. Right. And that can really fuel your story and help you help you stay on the road with your story. It's fun. It's really acting out your characters all around the room which is fun. At least one for me. That's great. Thank you. That's helpful. Sure. Thank you. Great question. Thank you crystal crystal. Hello. Hi, how are you. I'm doing good. A quick update. My play. Black woman and her and her feet. No, that one back to that. Zeppin Violet, the very first play I worked on. Like eight years ago. I have an industry reading for it tomorrow. So please keep me in your thoughts. What time, what time. 730. Congratulations. Okay, we will keep you in our thoughts. You great positive vibes. You so much and I'll be acting in it too. So, Do you know what you're wearing? Yes. Good. Great. Fantastic. Okay, so you're ready. You know what you're wearing. You're going to have a wonderful time. You just know you going into you're going to say all your affirmations. All your positive. Yeah, my friend told me because I was going through literally the stint of like, okay, nobody's gonna like me nobody's gonna like my work nobody's gonna. And she was like, you are traumatizing yourself. Stop traumatizing yourself when you do that you traumatize yourself and you don't need that you you don't need that. When she used the word traumatized it was like, is that too dramatic and I was like, no, I think that's pretty accurate for someone like me. So it made total sense and I've been like, on the flip side, since saying I'm not going back to that mindset. So it's been great. What do you say is an affirmation. Yes, everything you say everything you think is an affirmation, and you're just going to affirm you just you know, wonderful great things are going to happen because it's reading people are going to love the play. It's going to be so much fun you know just say all those kinds of things. Yeah, I'm gonna. You are you're you're saying them right now in your head. Good. Thank you. And thank you for that because I don't know if you remember but like that journey was pretty rough. It was a rough journey but we're at a different stage now and it took eight years but here we are you know. That wasn't my question. My question was actually about the two feet and the lady and the Joe and the nurse and the. I'm still struggling quite a bit with just imagination, imagination of like, and hearing her. I know I've spent most of my time focused on the Joe character. So like, I feel like she's been very neglected. So I just, I don't know how to get into that world where I'm not thinking so much more about him and hearing her. Great. So again, let's let us start with affirmation. I can hear her. She's talking to me. I just have to listen. Say things like that. I don't have to get a perfect first time around. I just have to get it down. Let me just write something. Okay, let me just take a take a take a go have a go at it. She will appreciate any effort that I do anything I write she's going to love. The more I write the more she's going to love it the more she's going to love it the more I'm going to write it's like a positive feedback loop. Okay. She's on your side. She showed up because she wants to be in your play. Hmm. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. She thinks she's haunting you. Yeah. Yeah. It's almost six o'clock. It's almost six o'clock. I have a watch me work tip of the week, which I try to remember to do and I bet. So, um, James Joyce, you know, the writer. Or maybe it was so I think it was James Joyce and Finnegan's right begin again, begin again and I was thinking, you know, being a beginner, just being okay with not knowing everything. You know, what I love about this group that we have is you all are okay with asking questions, you know what I mean. And when you ask a question I ask a question go I don't know how to answer that and then something comes to me. The joy of being a beginner or accepting that even if you've written for a while or a long time or if you've written 20 novels that when you start a novel you're starting all over again and being okay with that. And I think that's where a lot of rich, beautiful things come from, especially your relationship with the spirit that is helping you, helping you get your work done every day. So I'm, you know, just a joy being a beginner begin again. So, are we coming back next week. No sign that Zoe, come on. Yes, I'm here if you're here as look we have I'm way I've been waiting to hear from from you for December. Yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm not as organized as I appear to be if you're if you're good, I'm good. I'm sorry, the fourth of December. I'm sorry, I not did I not respond to your email. I apologize. Yes. We'll figure that out. We'll figure that out during the week. Okay. Okay. Team new work developer. Okay. We'll see you this week. Bye Have a great week. Happy Monday.