Goodbye and Hello

• Post By: Meghan Maugeri
• Date: July 10, 2016
• Category: Screenwriting, Theater, Uncategorized

For me, writing has seemed like both a long, arduous journey and a brief, exquisite sojourn. There are days when I feel like I’ve been at it forever. And, there are days when I know it really is just the beginning. It has come to a time to make some decisions, though.

 

After some long talks, I concluded that I needed to focus on one form of writing. It wasn’t manageable to have so many projects going at once. (I’ve been working on two novels, a play, and a few scripts.) I needed to pick one or two and focus on perfecting those. We decided that my dramatic writing projects were closest to completion and had the most potential, at least in their current states.

 

Years ago, dramatic writing was the route I wanted to pursue. I actually took my first screenwriting class as an undergraduate. However, I was intimidated by the dismal success rates when it came to the film industry. You have about the same chances of winning the lottery as selling a spec feature screenplay to “Hollywood.” At most, a couple hundred feature screenplays are purchased out of thousands. This includes spec scripts written by writers who are already produced and successful. Meanwhile, playhouses are struggling to stay afloat and producing less and less works by new writers.

 

I am the daughter of a banker and a teacher. I have no connections to the entertainment industry. In such a competitive landscape, could I really stand a chance?

 

Over the last year though, I had some surprising small victories. While I have no produced work to show yet, I had favorable responses to local readings of short scripts and a short play. I’m working as a freelance story consultant and short film writer. This helped me build confidence, something I’ve always struggled with.

 

Focusing has always been a challenge for me. It’s easier to start something new than perfect something old. In an effort to keep focused, I will be participating in the Summer Playwriting Workshop at the Berkeley Rep School of Theater. I’m not sure if it was competitive, but I had to submit my project to be accepted into the program.

 

The workshop culminates in a staged reading of a full length play by each writer at a local theater. I have already completed the play (a sci-fi drama), but I’m looking forward to getting feedback and improving. Depending on how the workshop goes, maybe I will let you know when the reading will take place. Along the way, I plan on hopefully taking time to celebrate small victories, learning from my mistakes, and providing updates on my progress.

 

I ran across a lovely quote again this week from a writing book that seems fitting: “An ending is always a beginning, and a beginning is really an ending.”
In other words, goodbye and hello.