Week 10, Day 5 — Writing Cap On

Okay, I think it's happened:  the long overdue creative U-turn I've been waiting for.

I'm excited about a project!

A while back I wrote to people involved in an event that took place in the early 1950's asking if they could help me with my research, explaining my relationship to one of the people involved and laying out my motives.  I've also made a few trips that I've hinted at on here to various regional archives and records offices across the country to glean background information, though so far I've kept schtum on what I've been working on as I've never quite been sure it would amount to anything.

Today I got a fantastic response from one of the gentlemen who is now in his late 70's.  He has sent me 95 pages of notes, news clippings, inquest reports and diary entries spanning over a decade after the event took place.  His cover letter ended with this sentence:-

"I've never spoke about this to family, friends or the papers. I kent your Papa. He'd be proud of you for doing this."

I'm so pleased to get this kind of support, and obviously feel quite moved at the personal response.  I had to resist the temptation to tear right into the materials this morning as I have a busy day, but couldn't resist a sneak peek at the first diary entry.  Reading it, I felt a huge wave of responsibility wash over me.  It has suddenly turned in to a real, tangible, mammoth project to work on, and has the potential to be much bigger than me and my humble ambition—I just hope I can do justice when the time comes to pull my writing cap on.

At this stage in The Artist's Way I feel my confidence growing.  Just a few months ago I was still a bit of a wallflower, and would have faced the thought of tackling a project of this scale with uncertainty and doubt.  Now, the first questions that hit me are who am I going to pitch this to and how will I fund it if I go it alone.  It's not will I get this project off the ground, it's how am I going to make it happen.

As part of this week's tasks Julia asks us to consider our artistic droughts.  While I've been pottering away with my morning pages and scribbling in my notebook, I've felt like I haven't worked on anything substantial for months, other than the last minute edits to my solo show.  She says droughts do end.  With this much source material and insight at my disposal and with a wealth of support behind me, I feel like mine might finally be breaking.

Who am I going to pitch this to?
How will I fund it if I decide to go it alone?
How am I going to make it happen?

K