Quote of the Day: The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life. Oscar Wilde

Today is another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. You can also visit the founder Alex J. Cavanaugh for more info and links.

September 4 question – Since it’s back to school time, let’s talk English class. What’s a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?

I don’t think any rule “messed me up” as a writer. I’m speaking here as a former English teacher! One of my favorite writers/writing instructors said, “You need to know the rules in order to break them.” That makes sense to me. The sentences that start with conjunctions, the incomplete ones, sentences that are only one word, all of those can pack a punch at the right moment. But, if your whole document is filled with fragments and grammatical inconsistencies, you will pull your reader out of the story.

I will address one “rule” that I learned that turned up in my writing early on when I was taking a class from the above mentioned writer/teacher. He pointed out in the exposition part of my stories that I used the “topic sentence.” That’s something you use when writing essays. I quickly adjusted to writing fiction and getting into the descriptions without the “topic sentence,” but I thought it was funny because when you’re writing papers in college, they drill that rule into you! My strength is dialogue. Hence, the move to writing plays.

Speaking of plays, we had auditions for my play “It’s Murder, Dontcha Know” at Central Lakes College in Brainerd, MN. We’re casting it early so we can have a few read-throughs this fall, and I can fine-tune the script. We had a wonderful turnout of local actors. It was so exciting to see who came out to audition for this new play! We are still in need of a male actor to play the sheriff. (Always a challenge in community theater to find enough male actors.) I have a lead on someone who is interested, but had Covid during auditions week. Performances will be in February 2025. I have an excellent director, Guy Kelm, on board who believes in this project and loves the characters as much as I do. I couldn’t be happier. So, onward and upward. And, yes, it does cause a little insecurity, because this is a first for me and I don’t know all the ins and outs. I’m going to trust that the right people come on board to help me navigate it all, and ones who will enthusiastically bring this script to life!

Director Guy Kelm and Playwright Mary Aalgaard at Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN, auditions for “It’s Murder, Dontcha Know,” August 2024.

Also, it’s my Birthday on Friday. So, Happy Birthday to me as I celebrate all these steps forward and joy in the creative process. I hope you all have a good start to the new school year and/or any projects you’re working on.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: What projects are you working on right now? Ever dive head-first into something new? Enjoy!

Graphic by Blue Cottage Agency