Back In The Saddle Again...

 Tonight, I found myself sitting in a room once used for tennis, listening to orientation trainings, the same trainings I've heard the past half dozen years. I know it's repetitive, and I know it's repetitive for those giving the training. I also know how important it is for insurance and other reasons.

I'm signed up for another go.

It's a great gig.

I sat among forty or so other applicants, almost all of them doing something other than what I'll be doing. My job is very unique...there's only one person on the whole park who does it, and that person is me. 

We sat together. The presenter asked how long we had worked at the park. She started with two years. Almost everyone raised their hand. She uped it to five years, most put their hands down. She said eight years...it was me and another. Ten years--I alone kept my hand raised.

The fun begins next month, each weekend until after Halloween. I work with wonderful people...a truly amazing show. I can't say enough about it. Actually, I can't say anything about it. You must experience it.

Speaking of which, if you're going to Frightmares at Lagoon this fall and you are fortunate enough to see the show Séance, you'll see me. If I don't know you, please introduce yourself. If you do know me, we'll catch up.

Another year...back in the saddle again.

Almost Ten Years To The Day...Joining Another Writing Group

Every once in a while I go back in time and check out what I blogged about in years past. I don't know why but when August 1st hit this year, something was bugging me. I kept thinking it was an anniversary of some event in my past. I think I was confusing 8/1 with 7/1. My mother passed away on July 1st.

That wasn't it.

For fun, I thought I'd look back on my previous blog posts for August 1st and I found something interesting. On 8/1/12 I drove to a South Salt Lake coffee shop (as a non-coffee drinker...) and attended a writing group. The handful of screenwriters gathered and discussed a submission from the group. I don't remember the story we critiqued, but I wrote down who it was that submitted. I also blogged that it was a story set in a Jane Austen setting. I'm posting the same picture I used in my blog on 8/1/12.

Tonight, I'm going to attend my first meeting with a new writing group...well, new to me. I'm a little nervous and anxious, as I was when I first attended the screenwriters group. I suppose it's natural.

It's been years since I was part of a writing group. I participated in one for several years until Covid hit and we moved. I suppose I could have stayed with them because we were attending remotely, meetings held online. Tonight, we'll be meeting remotely as well.

Participating in a writing group is a double-edged sword. A sword can defend you, provide food for you, or cut you, if you're not careful. When you open yourself up by submitting your art, that sword can cut deep. Of course, for the most part, the cutting needed to be done...you just need someone to tell you about it. If you let it, the critique sword can demoralize you, or, it can make your writing so much better.

I'm hoping tonight for the latter.