I recently heard an interview with Parks and Rec co-creator Michael Schur (also a writer for The Office, creator of The Good Place, and co-creator of Brooklyn Nine Nine) where he talks about the list of ideas-in-waiting he keeps on set for those moments when a show runs short or a scene needs a quick drop-in joke. He calls this list his “Candy Bag.”
I think this is brilliant, because A) Who doesn’t love Candy? and B) It’s a great way to reframe all those random snippets writers have floating around. It might be a scene or infodump that was cut for space, or a joke that wasn’t working in its current context. Now, instead of feeling bad about deleting scenes or “killing your darlings,” you can simply think of it as adding to your Candy Bag.
So, in the spirit of Parks and Rec, I present to you my own Candy Bag for this blog, culled from three years of various notebooks, journals and sticky notes. (Unexpected added benefit, my desk is now much cleaner!)
Lessons of Failing, Part 1
Which childhood dream are you glad you gave up on?
Read moreThe Home Stretch
I’m in the last tenths of the journey, looking beyond the finish line to new ways keep moving after SOMETHING BETTER.
Read moreThe Journey to Letting Go
One of my fellow 2023 debuts recently posted on IG about how publishing is the process of making “my” book “yours,” and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
Read moreThree Little Words
Here we are at four months away from my debut launch and I was feeling the energy and excitement and nerves around ‘someday’ turning the corner to ‘soon.’ Then three little words shifted my perspective.
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