So, yes, of course it’s very frustrating being a writer knocking on doors and part of the annoyance is when you see something you know you could’ve done better. But it’s also very easy to say that and there’s a lot less pressure on your writing when the only things involved are you and a subsequent rejection slip.

This is on my mind now because I’m in rehearsal tomorrow.

It’s the real deal, eight hours solid rehearsal with a professional company. Performance on Thursday.

And there are five plays being done on this showcase day for agents and producers, but four of them are getting half-hour excerpts. I’m being done in full.

It’s obviously because mine is a one-act that only takes about 45 minutes to do where presumably everyone else’s is much longer. I’ve read one of them, Mari’s Wake by Debbie McAndrew but the script just flew by, I have no idea what its running time is. I do know it’s a very good piece, I’m a bit daunted by coming after it in the running order.

But, grief, running orders. Text messages from my director. Printing out rehearsal scripts. The sense that this is my play but as of tomorrow morning – well, actually as of when the director came on board – it’s our play instead.

This is what I want, this is what I’ve worked for. I’m spinning.

Obviously I’m more excited than I can say, plainly I’m also nervous. Part of me thinks I’ll enjoy all this more on Friday when it’s done and gone, but another, much stronger part of me is regretting that I’m not in rehearsal next week for something else, too.

William