 Do you see Lina? Oh, OK. Do you see Lina? Are we going to be observant on Lina's bed? No. Do you think she's better? We're going to ask, why is this bed where I can use it? We could. Because Lina's brought mom. Do you think she's better? I would not give you a thing. I want more of you. This has to be the original bed. Yeah, I know. I love when they jump back. I love when they jump back. So Lina's brought some boxes. OK, so we need to... Next Wednesday, if I haven't eaten them all. No, you know what? I'll give them to Durham. Yes. And I'll tell them they're a holy crackers. All crackers have a name. Thank you. Oh, they're holy P.A.A. We have different names. To make them more like excitement. I'll tell them they're holy crackers. Holy crackers are holy crackers. He can actually bring them on. Oh, really? I'll have to... I'll have to teach you that. This is what's going to work. And maybe next week I'll bring Durham and we can back him to his work. How to make different, exciting things for concerts. Right on the concerts. The ego. I figured out the loaves and the fishes. I figured out how that works. I'm using a knife. It's possible work. We're here to get some serious work done. As you can tell, Stacy's bridge. She's like ready. And we're going to do this as a play. It's also a writing class. What else is it? It's an opportunity to hang out and get treats. And so what we're going to do is we're going to... It's a play because we do the action first and then we do the dialogue. And it's also a free writing class because the dialogue consists of your questions to me about your work and your creative process. Keyword being your. And we also have people online. And Patty is here to help us out. And Jamie's behind the camera. And Patty says we already have a tweet in for our first question which we will answer during the dialogue part of the show. But Patty, if anybody out there wants to tweet us a question. You can tweet your question to appwatchnewworkslp appwatchnewworkslp hashtag new play. And give a shout out to Hal Brown. Yeah. Because they included us on their mobile everything. So if you're coming to us through that we're happy to see you. Well, it's a one way camera. Anyway, okay so we're going to work we're going to work for 45 minutes is that correct? Okay, so we're going to set our timers for you and then we're going to get started. You know I'm going to be busy. No, no, it's for later. If you don't hear the clackity clack you know what. How do you set your timers? We're working. Here we go. As you're going through the creative process is growing to the point that for good reasons you're having a difficult you're trying to keep up with your work how do you keep your bills paid? You know what I mean? I don't get paid to sit in life which I don't know if I would enjoy that but you know the electricity I've got to pay rent and I'm working several below-aged jobs like I'm not I'm in a living wage anywhere but how do I not work too much to the point that I take time away from my creative that's a great question that's a great question but Karen's asking while in the middle of your creative process as you're working on your creative stuff that you're not getting paid a living wage to do how do you keep the bills keep the rules and have the lights on work to do while having enough time to keep doing your work, correct? a lot of people will go back to their parents or that kind of thing but we're assuming that's not what you want to do that's not what I did after college it's a really great question there are a couple of things I'm sure you've thought of most of them already but maybe there's something about they would have a lot of solutions one is lower your overhead right that's one thing, lower your overhead so I know you Karen I know you don't have this thing but if you have you just must absolutely see all the movies when they come out or buy the latest handbag or whatever the money's going into places let me just say or have five cars in your garage how do I pay these bills lower your overhead, that's one thing also shorten the amount of time it takes for you to get your work done a lot of us think a lot of us think that and this is again not something that Karen has said to me or he thinks I'm sure but a lot of us think I hear this a lot I could be a writer if I had if I had a whole day I've got a novel in me it would come out that's a myth, that's a myth again that's not what Karen is suggesting but if I had all day if I had a whole block of time every day if I had three straight hours to write every day uninterrupted I could get my work done so a short amount of time that you need to get your work done and that kind of goes for everybody if you're a mom just to take care of this kid on a regular basis or a mom is to take care of her kid on a regular basis if you have other obligations like that so that's something so say if you think I can only get my work done if I had an hour for example so you don't have an hour then start telling yourself you can get your work done in 30 minutes become a ninja a ninja a ninja oh my god that is hysterical wait yes for the ninja there we go we're ready yes become a ninja yes okay we're ready very good so also make use of times that you think are just throwaway tellers I know you live in far away somewhere long subway riding I used to get a lot of writing done on the subway most of my writing because I had a day job I used to get a lot of my writing done on the subway I still get some of my writing done on the subway still I have to take the train to go teach a class I get a lot of my writing done on the train so I use that time as time to write I wear earplugs not with the music for the iPhone thing sound cancellation devices and I write on the train okay so if you have any habits that might be taken away from your writing time like you have a television or you go on Netflix or Amazon Prime or you just coast surfing at the web find out what Kim Kardashian is doing after she appeared on the cover of Vogue with Kanye who gives up she ain't gonna help you write maybe she will maybe she'll come over to your house and help you so cut out those unnecessary habits or those less than necessary habits even if you spend an hour you have writing time of an hour and a half and you spend an hour journaling and then you get to your writing project guess what cut down your journaling time so maybe spend 30 minutes journaling and one hour writing okay so start looking at your life your daily life where you can trim some time because I also play music as most of you know and people say when do you find the time you have a kid you have it writing to do and you're learning the banjo and you play guitar yeah I don't watch TV unless I have to because I also write for TV the necessary work I do but I don't just and I realize when I'm surfing the internet and reading about Kim Kardashian because I do know she's on the cover of Vogue with Kanye when I catch my son reading and looking around and I'm like let her go she'll be alright without me so really look at your life and find out where because I think the issue and the problem could actually generate some opportunities for you okay start telling yourself my life is full of opportunities to write and I'm getting a work done you know because I couldn't even have a kid when am I going to when am I going to know I can't write anymore banjo watch me work yes Carol yes add to that times like even folding laundry can be creative times you know your mind can go blank and you don't know where you're going sitting in a dentist's office or in raising kids when you're taking them to this lesson or that lesson so much of my writing got done during waiting time and at night you're totally onto it I know you work really hard you know if I had a day structure like that would work or a day structure that's a joke it doesn't exist but it does actually it does it's in your mind and it starts out with the phrase I have all the time I need to get my work done that's the day structure right there suddenly because I use it all the time I believe I get up at 5.30 I meditate I do no when the day begins I just keep saying I have plenty of time to get my work done that's the day structure it's how you see it how you frame your day how you see your day can make a huge difference oh I know how to remember I have these hot dogs okay your words do you believe that there can be such a thing as a free emerging playwright because like there's been a discussion with some people and they were speaking of emerging parts which I was considering to start with the people that they were describing as emerging in that category were leaps and bounds beyond where I was at so then they threw up this other term of pre-emerging which I kind of identified right then other people were arguing I don't know what I find it interesting I find it interesting that people are arguing about the free emerging no free emerging no free emerging no no no no Laura that person yes I suppose I could be a free emerging playwright but I see you as a writer a playwright categories maybe it's a question for funding sources they need to fund certain categories of things and it's very important for time one to fund enough four or five issues to give money to certain things in their ear marketing and developing programs to certain theaters develop programs and programming around certain labels for the artists I don't see it as helpful I mean it's so funny how my stuff is emerging you know does it help you to identify yourself? no it was more concerned with applying for things because I just feel like I don't know it really kind of threw me for a loop I was considering myself listening for the longest time and I thought maybe I'm not even qualifying as a emerging playwright because I'm not even at that point based on their criteria based on the criteria of the funding source no based on the criteria in this discussion what they were considering as an emerging I think emerging, big career old people established untouchables all that there are touchables on either end you can't touch somebody you've never even heard of I mean yes for applying for grants it's important to know what you are but I would say if you feel like you're an emerging playwright and there's a grant that you want apply for don't let people talk about applying for you know what I mean at the end of the day I believe I've been on some of those committees not a lot of them it's your work that shines and you get recommendation letters from people things like that it's your work reading your plays your letters of recommendation and you don't have to be at a certain level to go to an art colony get a grant whatever they it's your work thank you for asking that question because I actually struggle really badly with that one and I just hell no I'll talk to you after it's horrible it's really kind of intimidating and it's but I apply anyway because who are they to tell me that I can't apply that's always been my motto even though like I don't even go on the site I think it's a hindrance to even go on the site and read what people who have won has accomplished because it will eat you so don't do that we'll talk I'm John hi so I'm an actor not a writer so if you think the question is irrelevant we can skip and go right to the tweet okay my question is sometimes you get cast in something or you're assigned I'm an NYU student and you get assigned a scene and you're just for whatever reason you're having a really hard time connecting with whatever it is that character's doing or whatever's happening so my question is or I guess I'm asking for advice on this can be from personal experiences you've lived more life than I have how can I get myself into a possible place where I can maybe find a new way to connect or open my mind up to something that I'm not quite getting just looking at the page or something like that how can I expand no no no it's the same it's a similar question it's a great question how can I connect with a wonderful source inside when I'm having a difficult time which is kind of what you're asking here specifically Johnson Actors so he's asking as an actor how can I connect with my wonderful thing when I'm having a difficult time and if you think like we talked to Karen about the day stretcher you start by saying to yourself I'm connecting with this part better than every time every time I walk into a rehearsal I'm finding connections with this part because the situation is existing right now for you so that you can learn how to do this you understand? okay the situation right now you've been given a part that you don't feel connected to so you're saying so that you can learn how to get connected when you don't feel connected and that's why it's there for you right now okay and you're going to keep having the experience that you learn how to connect with yourself and something's hard I had a writer in my class I teach at Yale and NYU he was having a very hard time because her play wasn't where she wanted to be and she needed to show it to people have a public meaning of it she was worried and I said it has nothing to do with your play it has to do with the fact that you're worried about showing stuff to people when you're not ready and what are you going to do about that so you could start by saying I feel more connected with my work part right now more than ever I find connections connections to the part coming to me all the time I'm seeing stuff every day just when I think about the part I read the part tonight over and I feel well I find connections in it all the time this is a really great part for me you know really you just start to to really experience like I have a lot of time to get my work done I tell myself that all the time so when I'm looking at my schedule I think I'm going to be crazy I get my work done all the time I have time to learn the banjo and it starts to happen I don't know how that works but I know it works okay so when you say this is a really good part for me I'm going to have fun I'm going to learn a lot by doing this when you look back on this you'll be well you know it'll make you better for the next time when you feel like the part is perfect for me you'll be a better actor you're welcome all the magic happens in prevention yes say a little louder I can't bear to think of my writing okay so I can't revive okay and what's your name? my name is a writer and she says revision is not her favorite thing to do okay so you're going to be in the right place right? no poetry and non-fiction poetry and non-fiction okay so how long at a time do you let it cool after you finish it like a draft finish a draft of a poem let's say how long do you put it aside okay you know what the good news is I know but the good news is that to revise you're going to need a very strong critic at your side right? and you have one no one stay in the sight of it someone stay in the sight of it you need a really strong critic someone who has a really sharp eye and is fearless with the pen okay what it also adds you need a sword to be able to edit well and your critic is swinging the sword and because she's standing really close to you she's like cutting you you need to one be really grateful that you have that strength that critical eye it's a strength it's a great thing and now you need to find a way to work with someone who's so strong right? so say it's a poem imagine one like one page five pages one page great when you reread a poem what do you do? do you sit do you stand, do you sit at your right spot what do you do? you try everything let's see so you've written a poem one page poem and you you typed it up could you try pushing print and printing it out? no really sounds good you're going to print it out then you're going to let it sit for say a week and you're going to bring it out you want to try to do a piece of paper oh look and you're not going to sit down you're going to stand up and you're going to be allowed you're going to be allowed you're looking back and forth perhaps not okay you're going to stand up and you're going to be allowed and just try that with one one poem you're going to stand up and you're going to read it you're going to get it into your body you're going to give it advice when I've read my work oh wow I sometimes act out the parts or if it's a monologue wow just see what it feels like in space you put some life into it it's a really beautiful thing you can probably hear you can start to hear the rewrite as you're reading it aloud instead of sitting there staring at a computer page in a screen or a legal pad I want you to move around just try that and if you really cannot hear anything that you'd like to add or subtract to it then tweet us or come back and think of something else just try that just stand up, print out your work and read it aloud and I'm going to move around like your apartment is bigger than an index card and I think Walt could be like ran around the beach and send his poems around fine you're going to need to do that but you know just walk around with it and do that yes what would you say when you get to contrasting opinions about something you've done both from people you respect so you get let's say one person who really likes a one person who really doesn't how do you choose what to listen to from each person Jeremy is it right or acting acting so like maybe the director will give you a note and you're a producer something like that or if you have two friends that come see the show or you trust both of their opinions and one says I really liked you in this part and the other one says that didn't fit you well what do you so there's a deciding vote you what do you think were you just in a part what do you think I mean before I had heard both opinions I liked it I thought it really fit me well and I did a good job in it and then that contrasting opinion from someone who I really do trust and I trust that person to not know BS and they always tell me exactly what they think it's just started to like I guess make me doubt and what about the person who said they liked it a lot what do you think of them really they don't BS me either I would say you have a deciding vote because that's the only you know what I mean build up a habit of trusting yourself you get the deciding vote and I think was your director's problem pleased yeah and that's got more votes on them I didn't have other person and they just see you differently and they're telling the truth and they're not BSing me and they care about you and they want you to see you differently but I think if you feel good about it you did a lot of hard work and your director's pleased and you probably did a great job I'm sure you did a great job and then it didn't fit you well there's a side view that they don't know maybe you tell me you know and they'll grow and keep your eye on you know and then catalog their feedback in your more time up John what you said you don't feel like you're right right there's not like a magic do you remember when you were a kid more or less yeah I mean young people don't know you can say 8 years old or 7 6 you could be any cowboy an Indian you know a flamethrower a snorkeler you could be anybody you wanted to be but you can remember that and that is where you are good good answer we got so much better okay okay Jay Larry says do you think outline is the writing process once it's made how sacred is the outline wow Jay Larry what a great question from where where is it okay how important is someone you guys know how important is the outline and how sacred is it once you've written I do like outlines because only because I forget what I'm doing half the time so outline is like a roof and I hold on to it and I use my way along but it's not sacred it's not a sacred thing so I have a game plan maybe yeah oh maybe it's the art of war that says the general cast a battle plan but in the battle she is in the moment the general has a battle plan but when she's in the battle she's in the moment and so I got a plan in outline but as I walk through the novel I'm writing over here right now doing play I allow it to get in flex as necessary so I hope hopefully that's helpful yeah we can outline and I want it to be Roman numerals or it can be regular Arabic numerals or it can be letters or it can be index cards it doesn't have to be a Roman numerals kind of document on in stone high four high three which finger is on one we're done I'm just going to give you my questions