a playlist for making tough edits

TIME TO DRILL DOWN, BOYS

~*good Tuesday tidings*~

Here in Chicago, we’re celebrating Paczki Day, a Shrove Tuesday tradition that centers on mega-stuffed Polish pastries. (Re: Shrove Tuesday, it’s like I always say: If I’m shrivin’, WHO’S DRIVIN’????)

I cracked a script this week. By “cracked,” I mean that I realized exactly how to fix a half-hour comedy pilot I’ve been sitting on for two years. That was not the result of intensive work or creative exercises; the solution simply popped into my brain as I was walking the dog.

This is a thing that happens. I’ll get frustrated with a half-finished project and stash it away in a digital drawer, only to stumble on the solution—days, weeks, months, years later—while funneling my dog’s warm shit into a tiny plastic bag.

It’s not that I’m blessed by some sort of supernatural creative force. If that were the case, the ideas would come to me when I need them, not when I’m trudging through mud with my ill-behaved beagle. I’d rather chalk it up to the strange power of the wandering mind, a behavioral science concept that’s gained traction in recent years. Your mind keeps mulling over a creative project long after you’ve given up on it; if you’re lucky, the solution will just… appear. Of course, then you have to do the work. UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH

This month’s BIG ONE! playlist is designed for large structural edits like the ones I’m planning to make to my script. Editing is so hard, oh my god, because it requires a sort of intense focus we don’t need in the drafting stage. With that in mind, I’ve created a playlist to facilitate that focus (and the sort of giddy excitement necessary to sustain it for more than, like, 20 minutes).

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but first, your weekly dose of treats:

Welcome to YEAH BABY YEAH, a weekly roundup of little treats to get you through your creative practice and/or stave off the darkness within.

1. Barebells protein bars: I’m running distance again, and I am so hungry all the time in a way that is genuinely hazardous for those around me. These little fuckers are so good despite being stupid expensive. I think it’s worth it for 20 grams of protein and that sweet, sweet candy bar sensation.

2. Return of the Obra Dinn: For the low, low price of $19.99, you can play this beautiful, dark little puzzle game. I’ve played it on PC, and I’m currently playing it on Switch. It’s spooky and maritime and the perfect antidote to the last dregs of winter.

3. Trazodone for dogs: This is not for ME it is for my DOG!!! If you know me in real life, you know my beagle’s anxiety has really spiked in the last year in a way that makes it very difficult for me to leave my literal home. His vet just upped his Trazodone dosage, and my god, it’s transformative. No shame in medicating your pets, baby.

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okay time for the playlist

These monthly playlists are a paid subscriber benefit—free subscribers, I’ll see you next week!