When my good friend Elaine Blanchard asks me to do something, I am apt to say “YES!”
Elaine smiles her impish grin and laughs out loud in the face of any obstacle. Her work as a writer, storyteller and community organizer inspire me daily.
Oh, and I also like her because she “gets” me. Our wicked & witty text message repartee brings a smile to my face even now as I recall a few of them.
Each time I see her perform her original work onstage, I am moved to laughter and tears – often in the same moment. Elaine introduced me to the blogroll “The Next Big Thing.” She participated in it and tagged me to join in. Love her blog! You should check it out at www.elaineblanchard.com.
When Elaine suggested I write my next blog entry on The Next Big Thing for me…I thought, “Heck yeah.”
MY NEXT BIG THING
Today I am learning lines for a play I’m performing in – Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies.
I play Sarah, a conflicted photojournalist who has just returned home from covering a war in the Middle East. She thrives on conflict in her professional life, but now must face some personal chaos of her own.
Suffice it to say, there is no singing and tap-dancing in this show.
Still, Margulies’ writing is so sharp & crisp that there is a musical quality to the dialogue. I look forward to leaning into the play’s rhythms accompanied by a cast of really terrific Memphis actors.
My NEXT Next Big Thing is a project in its infancy. For 7 years I have been collecting inspirational material and writing a one-woman play.
I have about 30-minutes of material now – and have performed small snippets of it. I’m always amazed by how encouraging the audiences are about the work, how much they laugh, and that they want to know more about the characters.
Still, I work on it in fits and starts. Mostly fits. Not sure why. It could be that this is the one thing I’d do if I weren’t afraid. It could be that the story, my story, hasn’t evolved enough yet. I still have some living to do.
Below I interview myself. I’ve adapted the questions from Elaine’s Next Big Thing interview to suit my interests.
What is the working title of your performance piece?
Leah Peah. And that’s what my sister calls me – to this day.
Where did the idea come from?
My sister and I left the independent, fundamental Christian church over 30 years ago. We were both kids then. Even now, the subject of growing up in that environment comes up when we get together. We are still sorting through the craziness of that world. Now, we are much more able to see the humor in it.
What genre does it come under?
Memoir, for sure. It could also be classified as comedy, drama, religious studies, women’s studies, romance, and self-help.
When I moved in with my now-husband, I threw all my self-help books away (donated them to library). And boy, there were A LOT of them. Like, hundreds.
I wanted to purge the part of myself that always felt like I was in ‘recovery’ for something or other.
The irony is that my shelves are now chock full of self-help again. I even re-purchased some of the titles I got rid of.
Which actors would you choose to play the characters in the movie version your story?
Gena Rowlands would play my mom in her older years. Julianne Moore would play my sister. Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden or Kyra Sedgwick would play me.
If the stage version were not a one-woman show, I would cast one actor to play all the male characters. How fun would that be for a guy?!
Is your book self published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
It will be self-published. I intend to perform it on stage.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Still in process. So at this point, 7 years.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Wild by Cheryl Strayed.
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Me and You and Everyone We Know by Miranda July
It’s Always Something by Gilda Radner
Who or what inspired you?
All the women I’ve ever known about who have put down the past and created something that interests them.
What else about it might pique someone’s interest?
The chapters I have written so far are called “Jean’s Jeans” and “Walking as a Godly Woman in the Light of Our Lord: The 6-weeks Course on Womanhood at the Baptist Church.”
And now that I’ve interviewed myself, I will pass the pen over to a couple of my favorite inspiring blogger friends.
I met Sharon King (www.midlifemoments.com) at a party. About 5 minutes into our conversation I knew that we had met before. We figured out our connection, and that night I was impressed with Sharon’s sense of humor and her forthright honesty. Her blog is hilarious (“The Balding of the Beaver”). And it’s also honest, moving and at times, raw. Can’t wait to hear about Sharon’s Next Big Thing!
Jessica Sprenkel (www.runmem.wordpress.com) worked as a personal trainer at our local gym. We met there when I asked her to help me learn to like push-ups. She did. And now I do! Along the way we laughed a lot, sweated a lot, and mostly I admired her dedication to running, her wisdom that goes beyond her 20-something years, and her ability to connect with absolutely anyone.