Advice...?

I think its a true marker of adulthood (not necessarily maturity) when younger people ask you for career advice. Here's an email I got from a young writer in Atlanta and my answers to her. See if they can fool you into thinking I know more than I do:

1. What do you think gives someone the potential to become a great writer, and what characteristics make a person happy as a writer? In other words, what makes someone good for writing, and what makes writing good for him/her?

Great question. You are so smart and ready already. A great writer is a great listener. One who can catpure time, space, and personality as it is; not as you craft it to be. Listen to yourself. What inspires you to write? What do you know? What do you WANT to know? That is where you should start, because that is where you'll have the most opinion and perspective.

As far as being happy as a writer... that's tricky. I'm in love when I'm writing. Its hard to be rejected or to know you're not quite at the level you want to be - but the only way to get that respect and success is to keep doing what you want to do. I also fill my life with other aspects of writing like teaching and entreprenuring arts and activism. That way I'm in the flow all the time.

Also - defend your time to write. My dad and I always get nervous because writing feels so selfish and solitary. Its not. Its important. Make sure you have that time to write. ALSO make sure you give yourself time to think, experience, and notice the world. You can't write all day unless you're writing about writing. Expereince things. Look at something new. Talk to someone new. Ask someone their story. Then write. Fill you memory pool so you can pull from it when you write.

2. In a profession where one often relies on personal experience, how much of writing can be influenced by education; how can one be taught creativity?

I think anyone can be taught to EXPERIENCE creativity, not necessarily to be creative. The tough part is to take what you learn in stride with what you already know, what you already ARE. Don't change your voice for some teacher, let your voice define you, let your voice, you style, your type of writing project yourself.

3. What are the steps to becoming a playwright? Could you elaborate on the progression from high school competition to college to union, etc.

Sure. And its hard b/c there are thousands of permutations to choose from as far as "how you become a writer". First: write. You can't submit or progress without writing. Write lots. Write different things, not just plays.

Second: submit your plays to contests. This is THE easiest way to fill your resume, and garner some esteem. Plus a lot of contests include a production.

Third, try to get produced. That's the real point of a play, to get produced. I'm producing my own play next summer in Atlanta because I want to do it the way I want to do it. Directors and companies ask me to produce my work now - which is what you want. Get people at Princeton to produce your work, ask a local theatre company to do a late-night production, or something.

Fourth: a degree. Degrees are good if you want to write and/or teach writing. Its not necearry to be a playwright however (although the opportunites and contacts attached to MFA degreesa re worth it) . The best playwriting schools for Masters degrees are Brown University, Yale, UC San Diego, Smith, Michner Center, and Iowa.

Fifth: make it happen. Learn to DEVELOP your play. This is crucial. A play isn't done when you stop typing. That's the first draft. MAKE SURE you let actors read it for you, out loud, in a group. Then re-wright, then do another reading, then re-wright. That's the real way to right a play.

Sixth: You have to wait to get published and produced in the big theatres. That's hard but very possible, especially for someone like you. Getting published only happens once you've been produced, usually only after you've been produced by a regional or NYC theatre. A writing agent usually comes in to play when you've been published. (You see where this is going). The way to get to all these steps is to start at the 1st things and keep going.

Did I fool you?