A Fly On The Wall, July 12, 2013

I Must Write

by Jim Murchison

@JimMurchison

So now the Fringe is over and I am back to writing articles that relate to my previous musings. I have seen so much well written new theatre now that it makes me wonder why I haven’t written anything myself in the way of a play, short story or screenplay. I have come to the conclusion that the main reason is I am lazy.

This may sound odd when I wrote 16 articles and reviews over an eight day period, but in fact it’s because I have an imposed deadline and if I hadn’t been drafted into the fold of The Charlebois Post, I would have never been writing at all. My biggest accomplishment as a writer prior to that was an elementary school teacher's comment that Jim has the ability to write brilliantly, when he wants to.

It may end up just being a therapeutic exercise or it may be something that I try to get produced.

Whether or not I have harnessed that promise I had as a tween and transferred that potential as an adult is a question that readers may have varied opinions on, but in any event, I find myself like Chekhov’s Trigorin in the Seagull saying I must write. Unlike Trigorin, I am not compelled by some primal urge in my belly that makes one need to write even though they hate their own writing. With me it has more to do with the need to test myself out and to share an idea. It’s as much for the social transfer of getting opinions of people I respect so that I can hear their opinions and apply the ones that I think have merit. 

I also would like to get some actors together to read when I am done so that I can hear the words. The most important thing though is to tell people my plan so that they can badger me to finish it. It may end up just being a therapeutic exercise or it may be something that I try to get produced. The most important thing for me to do though is tell as many people as possible so that they will badger me to write it and then for me to actually write.  We will see.