Novel vs. Play

Nothing against writing plays, mind you, but I think I've discovered precisely why I'm enjoying writing this novel so much. After conceiving of the novel and writing plenty of notes in my journal about it, I began writing on January 2. In the past 18 days I've written about 5,600 words. It's probably not as much output as I was hoping, but I've been enjoying writing. From about 2004 until 2007 I really worked hard to try to be a playwright and have come to the amazing realization that I can't become one because my plays will never be produced, not unless I can produce them myself. I have neither the time nor money for this. I have three jobs and a family with whom I love to spend as much free time as possible.

Writing a play doesn't matter if you don't get produced. The play does not exist if it is not produced. So, in order to become a produced playwright, here are the generally accepted steps:

1. Get a great GPA with your undergrad degree.
2. Write plays so you can send samples of your writing to grad schools.
3. Accept a crippling amount of debt or have access to a lot of money.
4. Go through the application process of getting to a grad school.
5. Go to grad school.
6. Work ass off in grad school, live in poverty, write, write, write, and schmooz like crazy.
7. Graduate. Move to big city. Submit plays. Make sure you can afford to work very little so you have time to write plays and schmooz like crazy.

There are other ways around this, of course. But I would not hesitate to say this is the generally accepted path. See, I've realized if I'm not produced, I'm not a playwright, because a play that is not produced does not exist yet. Some folks might debate this, but I think I'm right.

Here are the steps to becoming a novelist:

1. Write novel.

The novel exists. It's down on paper or on your Kindle. In the e-book era, I can self-publish at no cost. Everything that the novel can be? Is. It exists. A play does not exist until it's in production. Do play readings count? No. If you're someone who thinks you have written plays and you have never been produced, you've never written a play. 

The one thing that has always bothered me about writing a play is that always in the back of my mind, I think, "What will I write on the cover letter? What is a good synopsis? Which ten pages should I choose to submit?" This is harmful thinking. None of this matters unless I have the time to go to grad school and get an MFA in playwriting and spend a lot of time getting to know a lot of people. Or getting attached to a theater company somehow and convincing them to produce my plays. Or starting my own theater company. 

All I'm thinking about now is writing the novel. Maybe this simply means I've "matured" but every time I've tried to go back to an unfinished play, and I've done this a couple of times in the last two months, I can't get started. Because I know it's futile. It's a shame, but it's true. I just don't have the time or resources to be a playwright.

Am I sad about that? A little. I don't feel like I wasted my time trying to write plays because I think any time spent writing makes me a better writer. Even writing this is valuable in its own way. But I'm sticking with text, thank you very much.