We have been having a really inspiring time in The Next Level Writers Lab. What we discussed in depth last week was the relationship the writer has with her audience. The thing about writing is that it can feel incredibly lonely and isolating. It's usually not fun... until it's finished. Or as the late great David Rakoff put it "Writing is like pulling teeth. From my dick." One of the things that can help to overcome the dread of sitting down to write is developing a relationship and a connection with who you are writing for.
Think about it- a good friend laughs at your jokes, understands weird things about you, like why you put goat cheese on apples, and makes you feel pretty interesting about it all. You want to feel gotten by your audience. So that when you sit in the back of a dark theatre and look at the backs of heads watching your film, or your play, you can think - I knew you before you were sitting here. The advanced lab students are going into two weeks of intensive writing. So I encouraged them to remember who they are writing for. Even though they may feel some loneliness they will also feel a deeper sense of connection if they keep their aim directed toward their target, the people this story is meant for.