I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.

In which I answer what I anticipate will be your questions.  

*sigh* Another new blog? OK. What’s this one about?

Well, I’m glad you asked.  Here’s the down and dirty version:  last summer, I did an internship with Andrew Karre, the Acquisitions Editor at Flux, wherein I assisted with the reading of manuscripts, working with authors, etc.  Recently, Andrew came to me with the idea that he wanted to do a book about the Teen Fringe, a small offshoot of Minnesota’s Fringe Festival (the largest non-juried Fringe Festival in the country).  He saw a lot of possibilities in creating a book of the scripts written by teens.  As he saw it, it would include lots of content: scripts, essays from the participants, photos, etc. Me, with my theatre background, thought this sounded like a fantastic idea and told him so.  He said, “Would you be interested in writing and editing it?”  I think it took me all of half a second to say, “Yes, please.”

Come again?

Yes. I’ve just been commissioned to write a book about the 2007 Teen Fringe Festival in Minnesota.

It was…that easy?

Of course not.  I actually didn’t say “yes” that quickly (the above was for comic effect….how did it work?).  I am, after all, working full time and a full time student who is preparing to start work on his thesis in the fall of 2007….about the same time as the Fringe.  I hemmed and hawed quite a bit. Would it be possible to juggle the work I would need to do on the Fringe book (which, believe it or not, would be considerable) and the work I’d need to do on my thesis (again, considerable)?  The answer is: I don’t know.  I do know that I’m taking a lighter course load in the spring so I’ve got extra time to work on all the preliminary stuff. I also know that I’m in for a hell of a fall. And I know I’d be a freaking idiot to pass up the opportunity to author a book so, yes, I agreed to this. And, to be fair, the contract has not been signed and there are small chances things might blow up (the Fringe people are very excited about this but it still needs Board approval and the Flux Acquisitions Committee still needs to sign off) but I anticipate the details to be finalized shortly.  

 You might be jumping the gun then?  This could all go south.

Yup. This might be the most quickly aborted blog in the history of blogging.  If the project goes away in the next month or so, due to any number of unpredictable circumstances, so does the blog. However, if the project goes ahead, as I feel it will, I’ll be charting my progress here.  I’ll be telling stories about my own teen theatre experiences, I’ll be ruminating on things like the structure of the book, my plans for it, and how I anticipate pulling it all together. I’ll admit: it’s largely for me to chart my own thought process.  But, if you’re interested in what I’m doing, you’re welcome to come along for the ride.

So…OK, start over. You’re writing a book. And it’s not fiction?

No. Well, yes, I’m writing a novel too but that’s for my thesis and no one has offered to make it into a book yet.  The Fringe book will be an account of how the Teen Fringe of 2007 comes together.  I’ll talk to the writers/directors/actors who are making it happen. My initial thought is that the book will read much like you might view a documentary:  it weaves in and out of each play, highlighting key moments that tell the “story” of the creation of each show.  We’ll glimpse the lives of the players involved, come to understand who they are in the context of the theater and in their lives beyond the proscenium arch.  The appendix of the book will be the scripts of the chosen plays, sort of like the icing on the cake at the end.  Now, what sort of documentary will this be? Spellbound (which I actually find to be a flawed film but still fascinating in its depiction of the kids involved) or American Movie (which, if you haven’t seen, is a must for artists…just as Waiting for Guffman is a must for community theatre participants)?  I dunno. There’s a lot I won’t be sure about until I come to understand the people involved.  Ask me again next summer what kind of documentary I’m doing.

Let me get this straight. You have zero qualifications to write a nonfiction book (you’re studying fiction, for crying out loud) and you’re just being handed a publication credit? That’s so unfair.

First, I wouldn’t say I have zero qualifications. I have a strong theatre background. I did a lot of theatre as a teen, including competitive one acts. I judged competitive one acts after high school. I’ve worked with community theatres and childrens theatres. And I *am* a writer. OK, it’s not fiction, but I think I can handle this. And, no, no it’s not fair that there are writers out there struggling to have their own books recognized and here I am, getting a chance to write a book just because I was in the right place at the right time. If it makes you feel better, I might never sell a novel. Ever. And that would make me sad.  Otherwise, try to be happy for me. I get to write a book!

When’s it coming out?

The timeline is roughly this:  The plays for Teen Fringe will be announced Feb. 12, 2007. The Festival runs for two weeks in August 2007. I need to have the completed manuscript finished by January 2008. Publication would happen in July/August 2008 in time for the launch of the next Fringe. 

Why WordPress? Why not Blogger? You do everything on Blogger.

Yeah, well, I’m just trying WordPress. We’ll see how it pleases me. I may switch to Blogger if WordPress incurs my wrath.

Are you really going to try to maintain a fourth blog?

Look! Pretty! Shiny!

Assume Crash Positions?

See, here’s the way I see it:  if you’re ever on a plane and they tell you to assume crash positions, there are three possible outcomes*: 1)  the plane does not crash and even though you got into the proper position, it was for nothing but at least you’re safe; 2) the plane crashes but because you took the precaution of getting into the proper position, you survive relatively unscathed; 3) the plane crashes in a horrible, fiery manner and no matter what you do, you die screaming.  So, in two of these scenarios, you live.  And like the song says, two outta three ain’t bad.  This is uncharted territory for me. It’s exciting and scary but it’s not a case of either or:  either I’ll craft a great book or I’ll crash and burn. No, it’s not that simple.  I have two options that mean survival and I’m shooting for one of those. Yes, crashing and burning could happen but I’ve got a 66% chance of survival and that’s something to be grateful for, right? 

That’s the big news.  I’ll post updates as events warrant. I’m going to shoot for at least one weekly update (biweekly maybe, in the beginning, until things get hopping in February?).  If you read my other blog, you’ll know what you’re in for with this one: lots of neuroses.  Andrew is showing a lot of faith by handing me this project and that’s just a little daunting. I don’t like to let people down.  But I’m very, very stoked about this and can’t wait to get started.  So 66% doesn’t seem that tough, does it? Wish me luck, tuck your head between your knees, and let’s go!

 *=Actually there’s a fourth outcome: the plane does not crash (or it crashes and you survive) but you die minutes later from a heart attack brought about by the stress of thinking you were going to die.  But I’m trying to stay optimistic here, people. Work with me.