Writer's Block

Urgh. Stupid Writer’s Block. It deserves to be capitalized, believe me.

I’m trying to work on a few projects; writing a new play and touching up an old one. I know where I want to go with things, but getting there is proving difficult. At the moment, dialogue feels forced and awkward. Lyrics aren’t coming at all, outside a particular beat pattern I don’t want to use.

I like this new play, so far. It was going great the other day. Now I’m on scene two (the second pair of characters are conspiring together) and I can’t get two lines out without pulling teeth. I can write for women. I’ve done it before, but at the moment: nada.

And I mentioned lyrics… When I was in college, a fraternity brother and I were working together on an inappropriate musical. It was *fun*. I turned out six songs in less than two weeks. Not all of ‘em were gold, granted, but one or two had the goods. A few months ago, Beth asked me (or maybe I just volunteered, can’t recall) to write some funny lyrics to a song in Kiss Me, Kate. She’s used ‘em once or twice at auditions, and the castors seemed to love it.

Last summer I wrote a murder mystery called Dead & Breakfast, a comedy thriller starring movie monsters. At the time I jokingly told myself that all it lacked was musical numbers… lately it hasn’t seemed like a bad idea. Except that today, I can’t put one verse together without deleting it for lack of any kind of quality or flow. Bugger.

Trying too hard? Maybe. It feels like the kind of Block that one could PUSH through to the other side, rather than to drop it and come back. Waiting may end up being my only option. In any case, I need a little break from it.

More to follow. I hope.