I think of all those years where my professors assigned their books to me, how big and expensive they were. Cha-ching, cha-ching. They were MANDATORY reading!
If I use my own work as an example, it is because I happen to know what I was thinking, what I was trying to do. But when I am demonstrating craft at its finest, I often recommend and use Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL HOUSE.
I love teaching, love helping students create and find their voice/vision. Today, one of those talented students wrote me a letter of appreciation which I want to share with you. It brought a few tears to my eyes.
Dear Lucy,
I am very appreciative of all the time and
thought you gave to me and the play. I would like you to be able to use
the following with prospective students and mentees should you need it.
I
worked with Lucy Wang entirely over email when writing my first
full-length play. She was remarkably prompt, responding to all my emails
and drafts. She provided helpful exercises as I wrangled with character
and scene development. She was always encouraging and supportive in all
her communications and provided indispensable constructive feedback as
well as structural guidance concerning how the play was progressing as I
wrote it. When I sent her my "final" draft, Lucy was unbelievably
generous, which is not to say that she simply praised my work. In fact,
she combed through the entire text incredibly thoroughly and clarified
many potential weaknesses that were already in my thoughts. She never
attempted to make the work her own; her comments and feedback were
written to spark and inspire my own process and voice. Although she
occasionally used examples from her own work to explain her points or
"homework", she never asked me to read her work as part of the process. I
found Lucy to be extremely helpful and specific without pushing too
much into my creative process. I would recommend working with her
without reservations for anyone who is looking for insightful and
inspiring guidance with writing a play.
Thank you very much,
with much warmth,
yours,
KS
** I removed name and changed initials to preserve student's privacy.**
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