 Before we start, I was like, where have you started? This is for the show. So yesterday, I had a sentence. I said, who are you in place of drums with chopsticks on the underside of the block table? You've seen it, though. Now, yesterday, I turned the bucket over and put the chopsticks in the end and raised his hand. I said, oh, you play this game with me. I'm like, ooh, that's what we were doing this show. I don't know how to read this. So basically, I'm like, I don't know how to read this. Just so you know. So you might think you're just doing some stupid thing. But it's back to your victim. Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful. So it's watching me work. I'm Susan Perks, and we're in the living room here. And I got Sam Prakhan and her purse. And Cindy Lee's liberation arm is here to help us keep time and help us out with our Twitter. And I know. So it's Nancy Drew, Keith Jarrett, and Callie Bruce. And to help us. And we're here. And if you don't know what we're doing, what we do is we work together. And then we talk about working together. And it can be any kind of work, which are often forms of playing. And just the challenges we encounter when we sit down and try to get our work done. So it's actually all about you. It's not about me and my work. It's about you and your creative process, which I'm very interested in. And we all are interested in it. So what we will do is we will work for 45 minutes. Oh, yeah. By the way, it's also a play. This is why this is really interesting. It's also a play. We'll do the action first, which is 45 minutes of working. And Patty will help us keep time. And then we will do the dialogue part. And we will talk about how it works. Did you move out of there? You moved. You're not going back. One more. There's someone keeping the score. One more for this coast. We have to balance it out somehow. But how's the polar vortex to you? Do you like it or not? Not take it personally, yeah. Take it personally. But welcome. And so then we'll do dialogue, the dialogue part of the show. And yeah, so if those of you are online, because I know there are some people online, I mean, people on the street go, I want to go online. But they never tweet us. But if you're online and you want to tweet us a question about your creative process, tweet it, too. You can tweet it at, watch me work, SLP with the hashtag, new play. Watch me work SLP with the hashtag, new play. And that means I tweet us your question about your creative process, and we will give an answer. OK, so let's begin. So nice to meet you. You're out of here? I'm not. No. Now we are going to do the dialogue part. Let's talk to you about your work. Does anybody have any issues? Things that's in my memory. Stacey, the shoes. The shoes. Isn't that nice? It's like I'm getting into a different way. I'm like, well, this is like, I wrote a second play like this, and then I felt myself starting to feel like the characters are very interactive to the audience. And I don't know whether that's just a phase or whether I'm using it for a crush to avoid having to properly do exposition. I like it. I just don't. I like how, like, I like that. And you'll see that people are having this kind of, they all are women. That they're having, like, a moment in the audience. And I don't know whether I should leave myself not or just give it all out to my sister. And it will continue to happen and address it. Because it's really only, like, two shows in the beginning of a movie. Right. Any questions? Everybody here is raising their hands right now. I play, and she's, her characters talk to the audience. That director addressed it, right? Like, Tom, is he doing it in the classroom? Like that? Only even by the war? Only even more than Mr. Glassman, as you're told. Tom? As I was going to tell you. I can never remember the truth. But, and she wonders if it's a crush. She wonders if it's a crush. If she's doing something wrong. This is her third play that she's using this device. It's tricky, you know, sometimes we do things and we say, this, that's my thing, you know? And sometimes we do things and we, for some reason, our teacher is called to it. Did someone else say, why are you doing that? Or did you on your own? It wasn't about this work at all. That certain story telling devices. When I was trying to figure out sweet plays, which I have. You did it. I, I, I, I got it. I got the ring. You did it. I get it. But when I was trying to figure out sweet plays, the way I felt was important to tell the first week that I wrote, you know, I was having all that trouble with it. Right. I kept getting notes that my stylized way of writing made me a crutch for me actually engaging the story telling me. I don't know. I just felt like that was the right way to tell the story. So I wanted to tell it that way. So I'm getting just slightly self-conscious. It's not to the point where it's just madly, but I just, I was aware of it. It's a tough, it's a tough call. But my, my instinct says, if you call your attention to something, then it might be worth attending to it. If someone else had given you the note, you know, then, you know, not sure. It's coming from an outside source. But if you keep doing something in one day, you're like, do you know what? I can't have a problem. Maybe I need to look at this. If you're saying maybe I need to look at this and maybe I need to look at her. You know? And I mean, other than the Blaspheniatry and a few other plays, those plays that start with like, hi everybody, I'm gonna tell you what it is. To me, I'm like, you know, because it does allow for, but a lot of times as a play is brilliant and wonderful and fantastic, you know, then it doesn't, it doesn't matter, you know, really. I mean, Blaspheniatry, you can talk and talk all at once and we're okay because when he stops talking with us and they start interacting with each other, it's brilliant, it's delicious. You know, our Richard III, now it's one of our discontent, did you say that? Right, now it's one of our discontent by a deal with these people, who comes someone in a coffin. You know what I mean? Think that's how it goes. And point, great, right? Great shit, can't get better than that, okay. But a lot of us who use that divide, you know, it's a, it is, and especially if you're bringing your own attention to it. Yeah. But the second piece is done and I think I'm just gonna stop because like the second piece is pretty good, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, well that's good then. And that's a good thing, if you're calling your attention to something, maybe it's something that needs your attention. And that's good, that's really being onto yourself and knowing your own stuff and listening in, which is essential for a life in the arts, you know. I think it's essential, I think it's essential. So people have home careers and they don't listen to anything at all, ever. But we hope to encourage that listening in and Stacey's doing it. You know, it's a gentle nudge. And you take the note and you see where it's gonna take you. You know, that doesn't mean you have to beat yourself up about it or you're gonna feel like shit. Pass that before I got there. Good, good. So just like pat yourself on the back, pat yourself on the back, you know, yay. I called my attention to something and now I'm gonna see. Do you see, is there a way to tell your story, the story of your play without the director dressing? Yeah, it's just, I don't know whether being stylized in a way, I do, because I'm having to tell others because I've been watched through to PBS. Right. I'll just probably tell the story. Right. So the way I tell stories tend to be kind of stylized in a way, but not, it's not, I don't think it's like a trick. Like I try to relate it. I try to use it with intention for it instead of just saying, oh, here, this American can do this. Right. So I try to be aware of whether I'm just using it instead of using the way that she treats me in character. So yeah, there's another way I can tell the story, but the other way I'm telling you is still kind of, I don't know, I'ma just go with the other, I'ma go with the other way, it's the other way. So let me try. Right, see what happens, see what I feel. You can always go back to Kansas, or Austin, which is, you know, you can always go back and do it the other way. You know, I'm not gonna start, you're still gonna get the play written. You can always do it too. That's a good question. Anybody else? Yes, hi. Remind me of your name. I know. I know. I see all over town. Yeah. You have time. Should I do that? Up until the very last part, so you have, you run a play years ago, I won't play it years ago, and it was, the main character was based on her father, who the main character died in the play, and then her father passed away. She's coming back to work on the play similar, realizing that it's actually the quote-unquote mother in the plays. That's her play, it's the mother's character's play. And so you're like, shouldn't you be taking a different point of view? So because it's a different, she thought it was character A's story or play, and now she realizes it's character B's play. I'm just using A and B to keep it easy. Okay. And she wonders now that she realizes it's character B's play, should she focus on the wants and needs and desires of character B? Right. And the answer is, Shakespeare. The answer is yes, and always. The answer is, I say Shakespeare, because, you know, every single character, I feel like every single character's wants and needs are articulated in a good play, in a good play, let's just say, not just Shakespeare. Okay? When I write a play, I think of every single character's wants and needs, and I think top of every, whose play is it? I mean, I don't even understand that question. And should I only focus on his needs, and not his? What is he doing? Is he just the backboard? You know, you can either play tennis with a person, or you can play against the backboard. You know, we don't want our characters, not to say this is what you're doing, but a lot of people do this. They write the character, and then they write the backboard. And the person just, the backboard is just there to return the ball. They don't have any other wants, needs, desires, or anything, they just return the ball, and I think there's a better way of writing. So, what's great about this, is that you discover that character B also has wants and needs and desires, and now you need to focus on those. And while, at the end of the day, it might be character B's player, character A's player, character R's play, each character always should have their wants and needs particularly. Always. And I feel like when one doesn't do that, we get those plays which sound like soapbox plays. And people say, oh, that's the voice of the playwright. You know what I mean? I hope that in my plays, I hope it's all the voice of the playwright. Shakespeare, I think he was everywhere and nowhere. At the same time, he was in all those characters. The guy, let's kill all the lawyers, that was him. Well, that was him. You know, to be or not to be, that was him. And the reason not to be, that was him. He was everywhere. He was everywhere. And that's what's cool. That's what's cool about good writing is the writer is in all places. So it's great. So now, yes, focus on the needs of the mother character. Fantastic. But don't then cross out and dismiss the needs of the father character. His needs should be continually articulate. And so he gets to do both. It's fun. That's great. So the play is gonna be so much better. And maybe not conflict. The needs will conflict and all that kind of stuff. And that's conflict. And that's your plan there. You know, it's really great. And that's another instance of you giving yourself a note. It's really great. You're reading your draft. You're listening in. You're giving yourself a note. And that's a really good note. Sounds really good. Yeah, so good luck with it. Keep coming back so we can, you know, check in and start doing this up here. So it's interesting how it's going to go. Should we have a game plan to work on it? Should we have a game plan for writing it or finishing it? Do you have a deadline? Is there anybody who can answer? Yeah, answer. Okay. Thank you. Did you say that when you wrote the personal account, you thought of the parent design and then you thought of that? Yeah. Yeah, that sounds really helpful. She's really helpful. Good. I sincerely mean it to people but I'd like to start to make a question. He says, Mom, I want you to see me or Karen and I couldn't stop thinking about the all-knowing story. Yeah, I was on the subject. All of a sudden I got this slide. Gee, my parents may have got something to do with it. You know, I know it sounds funny, but where is it? I mean, she's respectable, I'd say. And if I had that name, I'd say, you know, and so I looked at the name. It really is, it's not a nice name. I mean, Pavilion is a nice name. You know, Reagan, Reagan, it's a nice name. It's like a tongue. It sounds like a tongue. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean, that's what it is. So, is anybody having children in their future? You know, choose their names. No, no, no. Even if you don't know, it makes a sound. And it makes the sound. You shouldn't know. Oh, I love this. That's interesting. Goodbye, everybody. So, Morgan Kuhl, who just transplanted himself kind of recently from the West Coast. The dark side, I'd say. So, you're into language, and you're good at writing things with language. What language plays, language, poetry, things. And you're interested in developing the plot muscle, right? Yeah, I mean, and that's, yeah, number one, the first thing we say is when someone says, well, they're good with language, you don't have to want to develop the plot muscle. If you're really good with the plot, you don't have to develop the poetry muscle for lack of a good word for that, phrase for that. But if you want to, then it's like bicep, tricep. I don't know which is which, you know? But it's one, and then the other. And both of them are really useful in moving the R, right? Probably the one you're good at is the bicep, and the one you're not so good at is the tricep. Some people are great at plot, and their language is kind of flat. They want it to be more beautiful. So it's great that you have one skill and you want to be able to develop it. And I would say, do you read a lot of plotty plays? Do you like to read? Okay, okay, what about plays? You can read some plays. You can read some Shakespeare. I know he's coming up a lot, I know. Fuck him, right? But some Shakespeare, right? He's plotty, he's a plotty guy, and he's really good with language too. I know, and it's free. I mean, you can either wait for the summer and line up in the park, or you could go to the library and take out a book. Amazing, and you just have to give them your private license or contact information. And they'll give you books for free, it's amazing. And they haven't cut that back yet. So you could go to the library for free and get some Shakespeare. It's great, King Lear, all the hit. You can read his hits. If you haven't already, if you haven't already, you can read them again. You can take a notebook and write down the plots. First this happens, then this happens, then this happens, then this happens. He does that, and that happens. She does that, and this happens. Do cover the hits. Read ten of them. Free, won't cost you anything sometimes. Okay, then you'll start, oh, okay. Then maybe read some of the famous more contemporary writers, if you want. And just focus on the plot. And if you do that, a couple of months, you'll go, I kind of know, I know some plots. You just have to get them, do you play a musical instrument? Okay, what do you play? You play what? You play the piano. Okay, so you know. You gotta get it on your fingers, right? It's just like, I don't play guitar. I just want to get it under my fingers, under my fingers. So I learn this song, and I learn that song, and I learn this song, and I learn that song. And I just have a list. I just have Jesse, I'll print me out a list. And like all these songs, okay, great. And the work are all these songs. You get them under my fingers. So I'm learning musical structure, you know? So you play the piano, so you know. You're learning musical structure. Same thing with plot. Same thing, it's all a song. Okay, it's easy. It's free. If you want to go to play, that's fine. It's much easier in a way, to be short on money, or whatever it is, whatever it is. That's a really good question. How do I do things for you? Yes, JB says, one minute, 80, and then we're gonna turn off the television. Anybody else? No, no one tweets us anymore. You're going to send out a request list. Maybe you should tweet us all the time. And now, you just watch, and then what is she doing? Talking. But if anybody ever has any questions about your creative process, you can tweet us, and then we'll talk to you about you on the World Wide Web. Just, anybody else, are we done? We're finished? I forget your name. Have you been here before? It's been a long time. You've been, you look familiar. What's your name? Just remember. Aaron. A-A-R-O-M. Hi. Hi. Good to see you. It's been many months. Many months. But you're back, and you're writing. It's a new year, so resolutions and all that. Right on, brother. There you go. There you go, really. Yeah, it's a good, make those resolutions, and keep the plan relatively simple and kind of fun. And I really think the best way to hit goals is to put the time in. Just put the time in. If you don't feel inspired, that's okay. If you feel angry at your writing or your work, that's okay. I sit down with the guitar and just put the time in. You know, I sit down with the writing and just put the time in. So putting the time in is huge. And sooner or later, it's gonna start to come together. But the chances of it coming together if you're not putting the time in are very small. So good for you for just showing up. You just show up. Just keep showing up. That's what we do. Okay, now we'll disappear. Now we'll show up next week. But yeah, coming up is, I go to rehearsals, so I won't be here, but next week I will be here at five, right here. Okay, thank you for coming. Well, I was like, what? Yeah, I thought it was so great. It's gorgeous. Yeah. My slicers are just, it's much better. Slices eat. Yeah. It's so beautiful. I mean, I've seen them, I guess. Six. What is it? Where is it? I haven't seen it.