Back at it!
The winter holiday was short-lived and here I am back in action for my second full semester of the PPU MFA program. This semester I have three classes (syllabi linked below):
I’m pretty stoked for this semester, as it will culminate in the completion of my first ever full-length stage play (a 60+ min. solo show). After much contemplation, I’ve decided to push ahead with a project that’s been on my mind for a few years, American Pop! - which is a story about the dangers of over-politicization told through vignettes about popcorn. This project will be my singular focus in Writing for Screen & Stage II.
Aside from writing my solo show, I’ll have tons of reading and analysis - one screenplay per week in Engaging the Audience, and one stage play per week in Contemporary American Playwriting. Although we’re only entering the second week of the semester, I’ve already found these reading and analysis exercises valuable to informing my approach to my writing of American Pop!
I suspect my blogging cadence this semester may be somewhat less frantic than before, mostly because I’ll be spending so much time on my solo show. But occasionally I’ll post some updates and progress reports, and I’ll continue to upload monthly podcast episodes about this experience.
Just for starters, I’ll share a few early assignments from my writing class (hyperlinked below):
A “talk it out” exercise in which I vomited on paper a brief summary of the concept for American Pop! as it exists in my head.
A “mind map” assignment, in which I attempted to brainstorm all the possible paths, topics, and issues this project might touch upon in one way, shape, or form.
Finally, here’s a screenshot of my draft log-line from the online platform that hosts all our work for this program (Schoology). Feedback welcome!
