Why I Love Writing Plays #27: WORK

I’m a strong believer that if one wants something, then that person should earn it. Put in the work, clock in the hours, remember all the times isolated when it’s JUST you and your work, and KNOW that it will be worth it. And always keep growing, get better, and challenge yourself as an artist. If it something is difficult, it’ll be worth it because you need to work to make it happen. Know that there’ll be setbacks, self-doubt, failures, and sometimes fear, but keep on pushing. “Throughout the reading, I got teary-eyed,” said my director. That’s one example of being “worth it.” Any earnest emotion that I can hopefully pull out of a person is a direct reflection of the work I put in. There’s nothing more prized!

Pictured: a yellow legal pad with a character sketch written in blue ink with an eye glass case on top next to a laptop with the title page for my play, DEVOTED. In the background are two cups: one with coffee and the other is fresh squeezed orange juice and the scene of a busy coffee shop in the Lower East Side, NYC.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #5: INDEX CARDS

I know I’m using index cards differently than how they should traditionally be used in screenwriting circles, but I’m not a screenwriter. I think at first I started to try and do it like that: have each card represent a Beat from Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat (Opening Image…) and have all 15 cards laid out in 3 rows of 5. Visually, it absolutely helped me to SEE the entire play. But for my latest play DARYO’S ALL-AMERICAN DINER, I took a reverse engineering approach and used each card to write out an idea, theme, event, action, or scene using a sharpie with as little words as neccessary. After those 100-ish cards are done, then I can lay them out and put them in order still with the main objective of them is to PRACTICALLY SEE the story. Sure I could do this on a computer, but this process makes me feel the story too as I WRITE each card, it kinda makes me feel I’m already writing the story first before typing the script in Final Draft.

Pictured: self-isolated writing retreat with cards laid your for JULIE AND THE STARMAKER. Second Draft… and still need to work on Draft Three!

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Why I Love Writing Plays #14: HUSTLE

Pictured: The staged reading cast of WELGA with fists raised as performed at Z Below in SF produced by SFSU, Greenhouse Festival.

Normally, this is my least favorite thing about writing plays, but with a change of attitude, I’ve come to appreciate my courage in doing what I need to do to make my name as a playwright. So call it what you will, hustle / network / ~~submit~~ / post, the main objective of being a playwright is to get other theatremakers to put on my play in some capacity. So being able to believe in my work enough to tell others about it is a part of the gig. The belief of “oh, I’ll just write my plays and when someone finds them, they’ll hype them up for me and I’ll get work that way” doesn’t really fly all the time.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #18: IMAGINATION

A fallen angel trying to convince her boss to stay on earth to finish a mission, an axe chopping off the foot of a certain wicked witch, and a wind pointing a princess towards her freedom. These are a few of the things I love about being a playwright: creating worlds for the most unimaginable actions can happen. Sure, writing plays is mostly about the dialogue, but it’s so freeing to be able to write something with the hopes of having a director and designers to take those written directions and create practical magic on stage.

Pictured: A photo of Ramon Abad and his merry band of puppet and theatremakers for the show, PICKLES! at Bindlestiff Studio.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #25: REPRESENTATION

A photo of a female actor wearing a barber's apron and a male actor sitting in a barber's chair in a short play titled, REMEMBERING THEM, about the power an old barber shop chair to bring back the memories of the manongs who sat in it.

I proudly wear the Filipino American Playwright Identity because I grew up not seeing a lot of people who looked like me or shared my same background represented anywhere else. I went to a conference while in college called, Know History, Know Self… No History, No Self. And in one of the workshops, the attendees talked about representation in media. Back then, I didn’t see many fil-ams on tv as opposed to now. And I think from that workshop, I made it my vow to write more parts for Fil-Am actors to represent the lives of our stories.

Pictured: a short play titled, REMEMBERING THEM, about the power an old barber shop chair to bring back the memories of the manongs who sat in it.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #36: MENTORSHIP

Pictured: A blurry selfie with another great playwright, Marissa Martinez, after her successful play reading, your twenties.

I suck at teaching. It’s because I’m more of a do-er… so I can give advice on what to do… errr what not to do as a playwright. And actually that doesn’t sound right as well. Writing is an art and should be discovered by doing as an artist. By exploring, working, failing, and just being yourself in the medium you choose.

It’s pretty cool now to feel myself as more of a mentor in that I have been writing for about 20 years. I lost track… 1994-5 ish… And I suck at math, so you do the years. But experience-wise, I’ve been fortunate. I took so many steps (and missed some too) in my journey that it’d feel wrong not to help other artists whom want to be writers for the stage. Whether it be to give advise on how productions work or just to tell another artist that it’s GOOD and NORMAL to be nervous before a public stage reading for their play. I’m really lucky to be able to feel like that kind of person for another.

Pictured: A blurry selfie with another great playwright, Marissa Martinez, after her successful play reading, your twenties.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #37: SURPRISES

It’s taken me a while to think of another reason than the other 36, of why I Love Writing Plays, but being away from writing anything creative has reminded me of one: being surprised!

There’s absolutely nothing like being in “the flow” of writing when a character takes over my fingers and starts to say things I never even thought they would say or go. Or if I’ve already outlined everything that’s going to happen, a character does something to change the direction of the scene or entire play. Luckily, I’ve been writing long enough to embrace those surprises! Being a control freak, those instances could be maddening, and in real life, those times would drive me up the wall, but in the creative safe space between the margins of a Final Draft page riding on a floating cursor, those surprise journeys makes writing the story really enjoyable.

Also, those are the times when I feel like I’m more than the person I am. I don’t know what I did to have those “superpowers” of storytelling, but I’m truly grateful for those moments.

Pictured: a photo of a scene from my play, JULIE AND THE STARMAKER, written for The Kwento Times Full-Length Play Reading Festival at Bindlestiff Studio.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #7: TRAVEL

It’s the closest thing I’ll ever feel to being on tour, but I’ll take it as a writer! I really don’t have many opportunities to go to other places, much less get produced in other parts of the country (or internationally, I wish!) but when that fortune comes, there’s nothing better than to see first hand how a play gets consumed by an audience in another city! A privileged trip worth taking if able.

Pictured: Getting some writing done outside a flight gate at La Guardia, NYC waiting for a ride back to the Bay Area.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #20: COMPENSATION

A photo of three envelopes containing playwright compensation with return addresses of theatre companies.

I was debating whether to post this or not and I think that’s a problem! Sometimes, I think of writing as just a hobby. You know, do something you love because it’s something you love doing… like breathing. But as I move further into existence, I’ve come to believe that what I do has VALUE. Of course, it’s awesome to know that my work is appreciated by audiences, but it also means a lot when theatre companies acknowledge the time, effort, craft, and the education I put into writing a play that I get recognized in a tangible and sustainable way. Having the self-respect as an artist in receiving compensation of fair value needs to be recognized and accepted.

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Why I Love Writing Plays #21: NOTES

The coversheet for JULIE AND THE STARMAKER with various notes and questions written in red ink with a red pen resting on it.

As most performing artists can attest, notes are an essential element of the development process and I love them! When given with the intention of building up the work (and artist), notes are the hallmark of true collaboration. And in the same spirit of collab, notes should also be questioned at times, especially between artists. And one of the good things about theatre is that several notes can be given and worked on before locking in what truly works for everyone.

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