A Show Journal

     My writing partner Dan turned me on to the idea of show journals. There are several different formats out there; there is no right or wrong way to do it. The idea is simply to journal about the creative process. And in this case, we're journaling on the internet, where everyone can read it.
     The beginning: We formed a team. I just said Dan is my writing partner, and that's not entirely true. Dan and I are on a team with great aspirations. We met in Sketch 101 class. We fell out of touch, but then back in touch. We would get together with a few other aspiring sketch writers and drink coffee, read sketches, eat burgers, drink beers, and laugh it up. It was all very nice.
     Right after the beginning: I had a hand full of sketches that were all pretty taboo. I loved them dearly, but there was clearly a pattern developing. At one point someone brought up the idea of a writing a show. We feigned to love the idea but we knew we didn't have the material. Then, about six weeks ago, I said "you know, I'd like to alienate about 12 people for 32-minutes with a show all about abortions." Dan, Sara, and Patrick were all on board. This kind of support feels amazing, by the way.
     I rattled through the abortion sketches I already had and put a few new pitches in my back pocket. Off to the writing board for me. That very same day Dan presented an idea for his show. Sara, Patrick, and I were all on board. Yes, we believe we can write two very different shows at the same time.
     Where we're at now: I'm working on broadening the world of my show. It gets "repeaty" and "samey;" it needs a stronger theme. Choices? Empowerment? Women's rights? Reproductive rights? I'm the head writer for this show, so I need to figure this part out before our next meeting.
     Dan's show has morphed from "Curious, MO" to "Pancake Day." I'm thinking of a few pitches for this show as well. Dan is the head writer for his show, so we'll see if he likes any of these ideas. He sent us the program from the real Pancake Day, and it was amazing and thought churning. First of all, the program was 16 pages long. There's a pitch growing from that fact right now.
     Next steps: We have a meeting after the new year. We've set goals for ourselves and we better damn meet them. Personally, I'm convinced it'll all come together when I get my new Chromebook. So come on Google, get to making more so I can finally be productive.

EDITED TO ADD: 1. Email chains are amazing. 2. I like that Dan consistently starts with the poster and tagline of a show/sketch/idea and then works backwards.