On Endings; and the writing or not writing of them

I finding writing the endings of plays hard. Probably the hardest thing. And my last play was no exception.

When I returned to new york 2 years ago I set myself the goal of writing 1 new play a year. And if I wasn't actively working on the year's play I should work on revisions. The revision part was marginally successful. But this last play folks, it killed my goal. I wrote "end of play" on April 7th. That's 4 months late. Yikes.

And why was that? The ending. I couldn't get it right. Shit, its still not right. I need to do some serious buckling down next week and review my play. Its getting a reading later in the summer (details will follow, that's a threat) I sure as hell better work on it some more.

But to return to my point. Endings. So hard.

I'm a person who's naturally fully of questions. Just ask anyone who spends large amounts of time with me. I just keep asking questions. And I'll admit it, my questions are not always great. I ask just as many inane questions as the next guy. But the questions and their explorations make it easy to write beginnings. Ask a question and then start your play right after the asking happens, and then make it clear what the question is during the first 10 pages. Don't ask it again. Just make it clear.

Other than being full of questions and full of it, I'm full of 'tries' and 'give it a go's' and 'fuck ups'. And all those make it so easy to write the middle of the play. Cause the characters just keep trying to answer that question. And then keep missing the mark. I'm good at that. Missing the mark. It’s easy peasy. Cake on a tray.

But endings. I'm not very good. And I think maybe its because not many things in my life have ended. I'm young. I've quit a few things. I've completed a few things. Seen a few people die. But few things have ended in a climatic way. Few things have resolved dramatically. Maybe I need to infuse more drama in my life.

But truthfully I'd rather have a happy life than by able to write a good ending. both take practice. And like I said before, I'm young, it'll come. As Ernest Hemingway said "In order to write about life, first you must live it!"

and finally "a conclusion is simply the place where someone got tired of thinking" Arthur Block