Always be watching! But for what? Submission opps? Well yes, do that, but today I want to talk about something a little different…

I have two children, they are 5 and 3. They love watching movies and will basically watch anything that’s animated on repeat for hours and hours. I try not to let this happen, but if I’m being honest there are days when a lot of television/movies are consumed.

My daughter, the five year old, loves princess movies. And since she pretty much runs my house we often watch princess movies. Most of the time I’m napping, cleaning, or I put on headphones and write while the movies are one, but sometimes I get sucked in and can’t help but sit and watch with them. Last month we watched the Disney version of “The Little Mermaid.” I hadn’t watched it in in years (since I was a kid), and I was horrified at the terrible message that film gives to children, especially girls. I mean, Ariel basically gives up her life, family, friends, and voice, and alters her body permanently for a man. And what’s worse is that the Prince falls in love with her when she can’t talk, because that’s not really so important. Yuck. Disney’s “The Beauty And THe Beast” is slightly less offensive, at least Belle can read, but that movie has SO many plot holes that it makes me scream for much different reasons.

The rare times when my daughter doesn’t pick, I usually select a Miyazaki film, because I find them to have much better characters, themes, and messages… But one can only watch “Spirited Away” so many times… Last week my son got to select a movie and he picked Disney’s “Winnie The Pooh” (from 2011). I wasn’t expecting much, in fact I think I’ve snored through this more than once. But something that day kept me awake and I sat and watched it… Holy crap! What an amazing script! They had a really strong foundation to go on, seeing as the stories are so full and charming, but we all know that Disney can ruin good stories.

In the movie Pooh has a very strong objective, he wants honey. His secondary and third objectives (to find Christopher Robin and Eeyore’s tail) come in to direct conflict with his main objective (the honey), and this creates some fantastic inner conflict for Pooh. All of the characters are as interesting and developed as the world that the movie creates. I also love how while they have a narrator, Pooh repeatedly breaks the 4th wall (is it even called that in movies?) and speaks directly to him, and Pooh also interacts with the words that the narrator is reading. It’s engaging, and funny, and it doesn’t include corny, terrible songs either! If I have anything to complain about it would have to be the lack of female characters (there is only the one), but since that’s how the it is in the source material I don’t see how they could have fit any more in. And as much as I love seeing more parts for women, that can’t be every story, every time.

My point with all of this is that being story tellers, its good to know when you find a good story. And it’s better to think about why it’s a good story. Also, it’s just as important, I think, to think of this on the other side, what makes stories bad, or uninteresting. Yes I think that doing this specifically while watching plays is especially helpful, after all I’m writing theater not animated children’s movies. But structure, theme, character development, worlds, these things cross over mediums, and recognizing how others use these to tell stories whether it is successful or not, helps us develop the way we tell our stories.

So watch things, and think about them, write about them, and talk about them! In the end it will make you a stronger story teller, and that’s what it’s all about! So happy watching!

Guys. GUYS! There are only 18 days until a theater full of people get to watched the staged reading of Under The Gods’ Golden Cleats! I am beyond pumped for this reading, and I do hope that you make it out!… And get there early with cash, because there are NO advance tickets! Cash at the door, and with being such a big cast, AND with it being so awesome I am pretty sure the house will be packed. So, come for the reading AND come early!

As an added incentive to get you to the theater, remember that you could win your very own Achilles jersey! There will be a raffle after the show, and you, (yes you!) could be the big winner. So mark your calendar, and set your cash aside!

Here’s the link for the facebook event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/166435956886604/

RSVP! And invite all your buddies too.

See you soon!

How’s your weekend? Mine has been pretty great. I went to a vintage clothing fair with one of my closest friends, a birthday party filled with MIT geniuses, got my fridge loaded up from a Costco trip, started a expansion of a play (I’m turning You Will Survive Me from a one-act to a full-length), and now I’m relaxing, sending out submissions and doing laundry. Easy, breezy, beautiful.

And you should send out some scripts too! I sent my one-act Mother Of The Year into MadLab Theatre’s Theatre Roulette (a short play festival), and I sent my full-length heavy hitter Under The Gods’ Golden Cleats to both Red Theater, and The Resident Theatre Company. There are a ton of opportunities with deadlines coming up, get on it! Also, I don’t post all the opps I come across here, but I do post them on my twitter feed and on my facebook page! So, if you want to keep up to date with all the opportunities that I know about follow me on twitter here: http://twitter.com/RachelBublitz, OR like me on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/rachelnbublitz. Or, even better do both!

Happy submitting and happy Sunday!

Yes, the title of this post is from “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss….

“Except when you don’t. Because, sometimes, you won’t.”

It’s true, very true. I love this book, and I love reading it to my kids because there are countless books that paint your adult life just simple as “happily ever after.” How many stories end with, “Then they got married and lived happily ever after”? A lot. And that just isn’t the whole story. Not even a little bit. Troubles pop up from places you least expect them, especially as an adult. Kids have so much time to just sit and watch, I think they see a lot of things coming. But we’re going 100 miles per hour, not looking back, side-ways, or sometimes, in front of us. And so sometimes we get surprised, and sometimes it isn’t the good kind.

Today I woke up to a review of The Fantasy Club on HowlRound by Lily Janiak. And it’s not so favorable. It is safe to say that she did not like the play. I thought of trying to find one good thing to pull, but there isn’t really anything to be found. You should read the review, it’s here:

http://www.howlround.com/our-own-best-judges-young-female-characters-on-stage?utm_source=HowlRound.com%27s+Email+Communications&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9e98523331-DAILY_RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_9ac5709e38-9e98523331-53552705

She compares three resent productions and their female characters, the quality of their characters. And in mine, she finds very little that she considers quality. I think it’s most unfortunate because I agree with her, that it is essential to not only have more female characters on stage, but to make great female characters for the stage. C’est la vie.

BUT! The book continues…

“But on you will go though the weather be foul.”

Because guys, this was my first play. My first play. And it got talked about on a national theater website! One could argue that HowlRound is the national theater website. She didn’t like my play, yes. But that was just my first swing! And I have a lot of swings left in me. So you guys should keep an eye out for my next review, because I’m hoping that this is just the first of many.

“And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!”

In other news, I also didn’t get picked for PlayGround, but some other great playwrights did. I do hope to see you there on Monday, because I will be there so see and hear all the great work of my peers, and so should you!

But yeah, it’s been one of those mornings. Time to go for a run and then get back to writing.

I try and keep busy. I feel that no one is going to make me a widely produced playwright but me, and so if I want it to happen, I’ve got to make it happen. Makes sense, yes? And, on top of writing and keeping up with my homework, I have two little people I’m shepherding through the world. I know a lot of artists have busy lives, and I think for the most part this helps you with your art. You have a ton going on in life, who has time to write/draw/act? No one! You have to want it, you have to need it, and that’s how being busy can help. At least it helps me, because it makes me plan and put time aside that I can work and create in.

All that being said, as much as being busy helps me, taking breaks helps me too. By the time Thursday rolls around in the week, I am fall-on-the-floor tired. So instead of running myself ragged trying to finish all the projects I have in development, I put on a Miyazaki film and doze on the coach while my kids watch. Yes I could be writing, or cleaning, or reading, or rewriting. But more than that, what my life really needs is a break.

One of the things that I love most in this world (other than my family and writing) is sleeping. Sleeping is one of the most luxurious things in my life, and sadly I don’t often get the chance to lavish in it. So when I do, it makes me feel wonderful. It gives my brain a break from working out and fixing problems, and after taking a day or ½ day off I always feel energized and excited to pick my work back up again.

Give into breaks, and take them when you need them. If I don’t I just become increasingly angry at all those around me and that usually doesn’t help anyone. So, nap time? Yes please.

Working on my not-yet-titled all-girl math team play, and it’s a lot of fun. One of the fun parts is that each of the 8 characters has their own monologues to the audience, where everyone else freezes, and they get to say what’s going on in the mind (yes, I know it’s nothing new), but the fun (and challenging) part for me is that I’m writing each of these as a sonnet! So extra challenging, because you probably know how I feel about writing poetry (I am not so good at it). But, it works really well in the script, and gives the actors something other than teen stuff to do. Did I mention it’s a high school play for high schoolers? Because it is. So I have out my trusty rhyming dictionary, which is much harder to use than you’d think, and trudging through. I think this is a good warm up for writing my ten-minute musical next month for PlayGround.

I might need a place and a million actors to read this thing before I turn it in (actually only 9, but I could do it with less than that probably). Any volunteers? It’s light and funny, and pretty short (20-30 minutes). Email me if you’re interested!

THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH, was announced Friday as PlayGround’s first topic in the 2013/2014 Monday Night Reading Series. I wrote my first play Friday afternoon, after a great deal of thought and care…. But then, Friday evening roles around and I scrapped the whole thing after reading this infuriating article (PS, if you’re reading this via FB, click through for links!).

I read that, got mad, and started writing. After a few hours I realized that this new play (now titled The Most Important), was the script I needed to focus on, and focus on it, I did! I have had five generous souls read and give me feedback on the script, gone through a half-dozen drafts (give or take), and then boom! Done. Or as done as I’ll be in the next day. I have until 2pm tomorrow, but since I have class, and since I am extremely paranoid that I might someone forget to send my script in, I sent it in tonight. I really love how the play came together too, and I have to say, regardless if it is selected for next Monday’s reading, I sent in something I feel great about. And what more can you really ask for, right?

So cross your fingers, and cross your toes that The Most Important by Rachel Bublitz is in the line-up this coming Monday!

I will be there on Monday (10/21) for PlayGround’s first reading, if I get in our not, AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO! I very much hope to see you there!

The topic has been announced! The first Monday Night PlayGround will have the theme: THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH. The whole evening (Monday October 21st) is dedicated to the late Barbara Oliver, who founded the Aurora Theater Company and was a long time member/board member of PlayGround. One of her favorite playwrights happened to be Thorton Wilder, and that’s where the topic came from (The Skin Of Our Teeth is a three-act play by Thorton Wilder).

If you want to play (or write!) along at home you have until Tuesday at 2pm to get your scripts done, and there is a ten page max.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some more reading/researching/thinking/writing to get to!

It’s hard for me to number drafts, because I edit pretty quickly, but I’ve started to go by it’s a first draft until you hear other people read the whole thing out loud for the first time. And this weekend I’ll get to hear the first draft of my new one-act You Will Survive Me for the first time! And for the first time, it’s not funny. Serious business this play, I set out to write it to see if I could write straight drama (maybe it’s tragedy?), and we’ll find out soon enough!

You Will Survive Me chronicles two overlapping story lines with two different sets of mothers and daughters. So another exciting aspect of the play is that time and space is experimented with in ways that I haven’t done before.

I look forward to Saturday, AND tomorrow, because tomorrow I’ll start writing my first play for PlayGround! The topic will be announced at 9am. Want to read a draft? Because I’ll probably ask all the people I know to read a draft… If you can and want to, email me!

Lots of things!

I have so many new scripts happening right now. It’s strange because this isn’t the way I normally work. Typically, I write one play until I’m 2 or 3 drafts in, and pleased with it. But now, I have 1st drafts, or half a draft of four plays! They’re all one-acts, but they’re long one-acts ranging from 30 minutes – 70 minutes, and they’re all very, very different. How different? Well, I’ll tell you…

I’m writing a comedic one-act about a mathletes team at a high school, with PG material and language and with eight characters (6 f, 2 m).

I have a first draft of a play that I’m probably calling You Will Survive Me, a one-act that is more on the dramatic side, and deals with abuse, and the relationship between mothers and daughters. It has 4 characters (4 f).

I’m half way through my first draft of Clever Queen which will hopefully be between 30 and 40 pages when I’m done. It’s a children’s play, as in a play for children to watch and/or preform in. Right now the cast has… 5, but that’s probably going to get bigger. (as of now 1 f, 2 m, 2 f/m).

Rosie, Bloody Rosie (working title that will probably change) is my suspense/horror/serial killer play that’ll hopefully be between 60-75 minutes, I have the first two scenes of this nailed down, and a outline of the rest. It has 5 characters (4 f, 1 m).

And those are the four I’m writing right now… My one-act for Geryon is starting to come together in my head, but I want to get further into these plays before I start a draft of that. Exciting! A little overwhelming! But that’s what grad school is about, right? Pushing yourself, so that’s what I’m doing.

Oh yes! And, the first topic for PlayGround will be announced this Friday at 9am! So I’ll be writing a new ten-minute play this weekend. Fun!