After a truly humiliating reading on Saturday, I spent 48 hours renouncing playwriting. The draft is really, really bad. Now, I knew I was writing a bad draft. I acknowledged it openly. But THIS bad? Jesus wept.
So, after the career renunciation phase (what happened to denial?), I moved to “Okay, what did I learn?” Because at this advanced age, I know to do that. First of all, I was brave. Or foolhardy, but let’s sweep that under the rug and hope no one notices. Second, I did a ton of research. That will help me with rewrites should I choose to move on with the project.
Third, I learned a lot about my process. I should not start to write something until it has marinated in my mind for six months to a year. I need that time spent staring out the window. I also do not fare well isolated in lockdown in the middle of a pandemic. That doesn’t inspire me. So these learnings may be applied moving forward.
The humiliation, though. It smarts.