I’ve been working on my new play idea since March. I keep calling it draft zero, because I really don’t know what it is about yet.

I have a vague big picture idea. I can sort of see the forest. But I don’t know the story. I don’t know what happens.

I can’t see the trees yet.

I’m writing to discover what the story is. But it is an unsettling process.

Writing is rewriting, they say. I agree with that. And I know from previous experience some ideas only open up after you’ve been working on them for a while.

Sometimes weeks.

Sometimes months.

Sometimes years.

I originally thought of this particular concept years ago. I was taking a writing class and we had to come up with five potential ideas for a script. And this was my last one — a throwaway idea, because I couldn’t think of something “better.” I just wanted to have something for the exercise.

The funny thing was that this idea was the one that everyone in the class liked the best.

It has rumbled around in my brain for years. Now, I’m trying to bring it to life.

Some stories come full-blown. You know who is in it and what is going to happen. You just need to write it down.

Other ideas are slightly less tangible.

But my play Minced was like that. I knew it was about a mother and daughter, but I really didn’t know what the story was. It took writing it to discover the story.

So, I plunk away at draft zero. Writing snippets of scenes. Coaxing characters to appear and tell me what is going to happen.

I have faith in the process. But my faith wavers sometimes. I’ve crossed a threshold though.

In terms of my creativity. Even though I’m uncertain, I’ll keep writing. I’ll give it a few drafts before I’m ready to give it a rest. And I’m only on draft zero…

I want to find out what happens!