Writing, Skyping and Podcasting dreams

I didn’t write over the weekend or yesterday. Today I managed 1967 words. That’s just under 8 pages. Not a record-breaking day but I’m encouraged. I even managed to type a dialogue scene while waiting in the dentist’s office.

I received the fiction pieces for the WorldCon writing workshop. The format is a small circle where three hopefuls (like me) get their pieces critiqued. The workshops are conducted by published authors but the participants are also expected to do a detailed critique of each piece. I haven’t read the other two stories yet. I want to read them closer to the date so they are fresh in my mind for the session.

One interesting thing I did today was install Skype on my computer. It will be good to contact overseas (and long-distance) friends and relatives for free. In the long run, I also want to experiment with different ways of digital recording. I looked at an interesting tutorial about using Skype to record an interview. It recommends using Skype for public access radio or podcasts and explains how to adjust your firewall settings for optimum sound quality.

I would like to eventually podcast my school plays, maybe on schooltube.com, probably using student actors. It will take me some time to figure out the technical requirements but it would be great to put my plays out there. That way, other teachers could use them and I would find another audience.

Believe me, these shows are fun but time-consuming. Take my play ‘Mozart’s Mystic Flute,’ a time travel piece featuring W.A. Mozart, warring sisters, Jimi Hendrix and Barney the dinosaur. By the time you’ve cast the actors, recruited a music director, rehearsed for months, drummed up 18th century costumes, taught your actors the Minuet, and tracked down 50 pocket watches for a visual gag, you’re tired of the whole thing!

The performances themselves are great for the director. I just sit back and watch the show but that’s it. Once it’s over, I don’t produce the same show twice. I like to write a school play every second year, which gives me a backlog of four plays. Most have had a run of only seven shows apiece. It seems a shame not to use them again… just not as stage plays. Where would be the fun in doing the same thing twice?

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