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We're three weeks away from the official start of the first ever End of Play I hope you're all ready with your ideas and tea brewing, and your pencils poised. Here are some tips to get you going!
- Organize your thoughts: Outlines aren’t for everybody, but we advise you to do some thinking about your play before you put pencil to paper on March 1st. Perhaps jot some thoughts down about potential characters or story arcs. If this is a re-write, maybe pull your play out of the drawer and give it a once over. This will get your ideas flowing so you’ll be brimming with ideas by the time March hits!
- Pick a place to write: It can be very helpful to have a designated writing space. Perhaps a cozy chair by the window, or a desk that faces an inspiring picture in your apartment. Maybe you live in a warm climate and you can sit in your backyard. Maybe you have a favorite coffee shop where you’ve often felt the spark of inspiration. Wherever that special place is, plan on going there to write each day. Sometimes, just being in a place that you have designated as your writing space, can put your mind in a good place for writing.
- Set yourself daily goals: When you signed up for End of Play, you set a goal for yourself. Whether that was to write a new full length play, two one act plays, or revising an old draft, it may be helpful for you to assign yourself daily page goals. This will help you battle the temptation to skip a day and get behind. You could even write it on your calendar, which will give you the great satisfaction of crossing off each day as you crush your daily goals!
- Prioritize: Lots of things can get in the way of your writing. Television, phones, social media, even unavoidable tasks of daily life including family, and your day job can distract you from your writing. Try setting aside the same two hours, an hour or even thirty minutes a day that’s just for your writing. Put it in your calendar and put your phone in another room. Let your friends and family know that you’ve committed yourself to finish your play and that time you set aside is for your writing.
- Tell the world: Post about your goals! Use our #EndofPlay. to tell the world that you intend to finish your play in March. Once it’s out in the world, you can’t take it back, and nothing can stop you from typing those wonderful words, End of Play.
We'll be using a platform called Basecamp to connect you with organizers and to send information your way. It's super simple and you can use it to follow along, actively participate, or not at all. The experience is yours!
Here are the regions (city/state) where we have organizers located:
- Arizona (Phoenix - org. John Perovich)
- Arkansas (Little Rock - org. Anthony Mariani)
- California (Los Angeles - org. Diana Burbano)
- California (San Diego - org. Aleta Barthell, Thelma de Castro)
- California (San Francisco - org. Linda Ayres-Frederick, Patricia Milton)
- Colorado (Denver - org. Lynn Evertowski)
- Georgia (Atlanta - org. Laura King)
- Illinois (Chicago - org. Emilio Williams)
- Indiana (Noblesville / Indianapolis - org. Nicole Amsler)
- Kentucky (Louisville - org. Jane Jones)
- Maine (Bar Harbor - org. Andrea Lepcio)
- Maryland (Columbia - org. Tristeza Duncan)
- Maryland (New Market - org. Damon Norko)
- Massachusetts (Framingham/Boston - org. John Minigan)
- Michigan (Ann Arbor - org. Anita Gonzalez, Catherine Zudak)
- Michigan (Kalamazoo - org. Steve Feffer)
- Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul - org. Laurie Flanigan Hegge)
- Missouri (St. Louis - org. Madelyn Boyne)
- Missouri/Kansas (Gardner - org. Jessie Salsbury, Peter Bakely)
- New Hampshire (Portsmouth - org. Catherine Stewart)
- New Mexico (Santa Fe - org. Talia Pura)
- New York (Long Island - org. Tammy Green, Allison Bryant)
- New York (New York City - org. Beth Blatt, Janelle Lawrence, Matthew Sowell, Sherry Bokser, Yvette Heyliger)
- New York (Hudson Valley – org. Dominic D’Andrea, Sarah Byrons, Sharon Latimer-Mosley)
- New York (Upstate/Buffalo - org. Donna Hoke)
- North Carolina (Greensboro - org. Jennifer Hoppins)
- Oregon (Portland - org. Allison Moon, AR (Anna) Nicholas, Francesca Piantadosi, John McDonald, Merridawn Duckler, Rachael Carnes)
- Pennsylvania (Philadelphia - org. Marjorie Bicknell)
- Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh - org. Mora Harris, TJ Young)
- South Carolina (Columbia - org. Triza Cox)
- Tennessee (Nashville - org. Arabelle Pollick, Paula Kay)
- Texas (Austin/San Antonio - org. Eric Beck, William Razavi)
- Texas (Dallas/Ft. Worth - org. Kathleen Culebro, Terrance Brooks Boykin)
- United Kingdom & International (London - org. Jordan Stovall)
- Utah (Salt Lake City - org. Melissa Leilani Larson)
- Washington (Seattle - org. Kate Danley)
- Wisconsin (Sturgeon Bay - org. Paulette Laufer)