Saw Shakespeare, am tired

[pjthompson]

I'm so tired. Today I hope to curl up with Sandra McDonald's The Stars Blue Yonder, her finale to the trilogy begun with The Outback Stars. I have loved this series with much loveness and so far (about halfway through) I'm loving this book.

Last night we went to see Shakespeare in the park: As You Like It, Point Fermin in San Pedro, right on the ocean with dramatic cliffs stage right. We had a picnic of ham and onion quiche, spinach and mushroom quiche, salad with mandarin oranges and almonds, and an exquisite mix of exquisite cookies from a Pasadena bakery.

And champagne! Yes, champagne. The other picnickers were envious, one woman even walking by to say, "Champagne? I like your style." We didn't tell her that the three of us were celebrating survival (all of us have had a brush with it lately) and enduring friendship (probably one of the most precious commodities in the world).

The cast was young and exuberant and the play was great fun, but the proximity to the ocean means the park is colder than a well digger's... That's okay, we came equipped with several layers of clothing and warm blankets. Still, it was colder than last year and we had to bundle up earlier. Still fun.

I hope Shakespeare by the Sea (the group who put the play on) can continue next year. They have staged free performances in parks all across the Southland from June to August for twelve years now—bare bones but very creative productions. The downturn has hit them hard, as it has every arts organization. They ended the year $30,000 in debt. Last year, they ended $17,000 but managed to scratch it up somewhere and enough to put on this season. I'm not sure they'll be able to overcome this deficit, but I sincerely hope they do. It would be a shame to lose this.

I will hoist another glass of champagne to their survival, if they make it.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Loved Stars Blue Yonder, and I also hope that I hallucinated your giving up after very short months, re writing for pub. I mean, people should do what they want, it's just that your ideas are so superb, and I like what you've put up, and can't believe that somewhere someone isn't going to bite. But it does take a long time.

[pjthompson]

Thank you very much. It means a lot to have you say that. Giving up writing for publication doesn't mean I've stopped sending things out. It just means I had to stop obsessing about that particular thing, to let myself know that if it didn't happen, that wasn't the end of the world. The fear of "failure," as defined by those who think only publication means success (myself included), had begun to dominate the process, so much so that I was starting to hate the thought of writing. That would have been the real failure. I've been sending stuff out for a very long time, come close a number of times, and have gotten enough feedback to know I'm a decent writer. This isn't an "I suck" thing. It's a way of getting back the joy. If I sell something--great! But I'm just not going to put myself through the wringer over this anymore.

I may blog about this some day, but I haven't had the energy.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. I hear that. And there are alternatives . . . me with no contracts, actively looking at those alternatives.

[pjthompson]

That's one good thing about the internet: it lets us know of alternative methods...provides them even. For me, audience has always been more important than money (although the money would be exceptionally nice). I'm considering my options, too.

Good luck with yours!

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a pretty great night. Makes me envy your proximity to the coastline...

[pjthompson]

Most of the coastline around these parts has bluffs and it can be quite beautiful and dramatic. Point Fermin is beautiful when you're not freezing your dingdongs off.