Unless You're Mozart

I think that the thing that I take away most from Peter Shaffer's writing on revising Amadeus is that to revise well is to persist. When you know that you can do better, that that one bit could be better, that there is still that one line that isn't worded quite right, or that scene that doesn't quite make flow. To have the stamina to persist not just until the show opens, but through the years that it is performed, through different directors and assortments of actors. Talk about stamina.
I think that revising is something that could be done infinitely. Forever. As in every time that I sit down to read over something, I change something. Perhaps it is just a couple words, but I can usually find something to change, and this makes me believe, (in addition to the last paragraph of Shaffer's writing) that revision is endless. Which is simultaneously mildly terrifying and kind of exhilarating. Its neat that a piece that you started in college could continue to grow as you garner more life experience. Maybe that play that I wrote that has a proposal in it would change immeasurably after I had been proposed to. And that side of the infinite nature of revision is pretty fascinating.
From reading Shaffer's writings, I think that one of the keys to revision is time. If you step away from the piece for fifteen minutes and then try to revise it, your not going to get as good or comprehensive revisions as if you give yourself a little more space (sometimes years, apparently :) )
Thing number two I learned? Do it more than once. One revision isn't going to catch or fix all the things that need catching or fixing, so don't stop after one go.

Unless you're Mozart...in which case, one draft seems to be all that it takes.

Comedic Shorts

Comedy is hard. Its challenging and authors who can do it well are a little bit mind blowing. You've really got to hit it just right. To much effort and it feels forced, heavy-handed, like you're trying too hard, too little effort and you run the risk of just having it blow right over our heads. There is a certain subtlety in writing comedy, the gift of making us laugh before we have actually realized that you are being funny. I think that this is especially true in a ten minute play comedy that has such a short amount of time to be funny and tell us a story. That's a tall order for such a short play, and I think that its even truer that if you hit it too hard, we're really, really going to feel it. Knowing that, its a totally daunting prospect. It makes you want to take every possible step to make it easier on yourself; shut the door, make some tea, play some motivational music, and put a vase of daisies on your desk to keep you cheerful through the process. Maybe wear some lucky underwear. That must be what these authors had. Lucky shorts.
Duet Between a Dog and Bear: This was the first thing that I've read in a while that actually made me laugh out loud. I was sitting peacefully in the sub lounge and then I was reading, and then it was so perfect. Like the kind of dialogue that I dream of writing. I could instantly see it. Seriously, everything that we have been talking about it class in this one short. Quick banter, setting the scene, simplicity, solid character development, intriguing plot (honestly, who hasn't talked for the animals in their lives before, imagining the conversation that they must be having.) Its totally brilliant. WHAT I LEARNED: That simple can be better. This is a brilliant plot and it feels like something that we've all imagined before, somewhere we have all been. And especially in a ten minute play, the simplicity of the circumstance is appealing, and satisfying in ten minutes. I think that a whole play on the same plot line would beat the bear and the dog to death.
Anything for You: This one was neat. I saw it coming, but still when she finally made the request for her girl - friend to have sex with her, it took me by surprise. It was a turn of events that I had been suspicious of but not totally sure of. This short interested me because it took a weird turn for the serious at the end; no definite conclusion, acknowledged problems, and zero resolution. I ended up feeling kind of bad for the two women at the end (not that that stopped me from really enjoying the piece.) WHAT I LEARNED: That shorts can be a tiny emotional roller coaster. Jumps in mood are possible and really interesting in a short span of time...and to be honest, true. People jump from hot to cold real quick in real life. They jump toward and away from each other in as long as it takes to snap your fingers. Maybe shorts are the truest to real life as we get...?