graveyards of chicago
Over the weekend, I was playing around with layouts and experimenting with trim sizes for upcoming chaps and it occurred to me that while the slim 5 x 8 layout doesn't work for most poems unless they are just a few skinny lines, the size would be perfect for drama scripts. Since I was ordering a round of proofs for a couple upcoming titles, I did a rough layout on my very first play, since I plan to eventually self-publish these as well most likely and the result looks great. There a few formatting things to correct that I haven't fixed in the print version (which required a little bit different formatting than the electronic version I posted at the New Play Exchange.) But otherwise its looking good. It feels finished, but then again, drama feels wholly different, subject to changes and revisions that come with performances and live readings and are more of a living document than poems, that usually are the final version in published forms (well, theoretically, I have a few poems that went through minor changes as they passed through journal publication, a chapbook, then a full-length book.) But still this feels much more solid and real.
And it feels like a call for a little celebration, especially since I started this script back in November and it was rough going. things have settled a bit, and I doubt my own dramatic writing style. I nearly quit a dozen times and just went back to my usual writing exploits. But I stuck with it, not always easy in a new genre. It also coincides with starting the Macbeth witches project this morning, which less than a traditional play like the other ones I've been working on, feels more poetry-laden, though it may just be the source material.
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| a sample from INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS |
I'm hoping to write some things that bridge poetry and drama and this feels like a sound start, so onward!
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