WRITING MY WRITING DOWN

I’m about to go to William Goldman’s funeral, a man who mentored hundreds of screenwriters. Some of them are Tony Kilroy, Brian Koppelman, Aaron Sorkin. I’m a twenty-eight-year old nanny who works six days a week, has a terminal illness (okay that’s a little dramatic, I have a chronic illness that will become terminal in like twenty years) and barely writes anymore. All week I’ve been imagining horror scenes of how this funeral goes. What’s funny is, this is the exact thing I’d write to Bill about.

My hero, William Goldman, died earlier today. Let me tell you a story about how he befriended a sick girl who wanted to be a writer and gave her hope. 

I’m a babysitter for my day job, and I gotta say, I love it. I don’t love it as much as I’d love my dream job, staff writer on a Parks & Rec/ Brooklyn 99/ Gilmore Girls type of show, but it’s definitely better than working the desk at SoulCycle or selling Rodan and Fields or something.

Hello reader. I wanted to share the current letter I’m including in my playwriting applications, for writer’s groups and development opportunities and things. I always wonder what people write in theirs so I thought I’d share mine.

Hello! I am Kathleen Jones, an expert in having a chronic illness and a flourishing career in the arts. I follow these simple rules for managing my health and career. If you just follow these guidelines too, everything in your life will be perfectly balanced and v fulfilling.

I’m participating in Love Drunk 14, an awesome event where the producers send playwrights two cool, interesting, old-timey photos and we’re to write a play about them. I’ve done this before and loved it. This time around, when it was time to get writing, I was sick as a dog with the flu staring down this deadline. I’d taken a clowning class with Theatre 68 and Pigeonholed, where the teacher, Justin Cimino, used a clowningtechnique to help actors create real, vivid characters out of thin air in like fifteen minutes. 

2017 was a year of growth. I can sum it up by saying I did the work I wanted with people I respect, and I love the way it paid off.

My biggest writing accomplishment in 2016 is Pregnant Pause. I am so proud of my work on the script and with how it’s taking off from United Solo. Amie is fantastic in it, and a great partner. What a great way to start my career in New York.

God Dwells in You A poem from my writing auction, for Heather Heather, God likes your smile. God sees your smile and he smiles to himself, he thinks, Dang. That’s some of my best work.    Heather, God dwells in you. Even in your pinky toes.

Hello! As you probably know, Amie Cazel and I just self-produced Pregnant Pause at the United Solo Festival. It was amazing and also eye-opening. I’ve never had a kid, but I imagine it’s maybe slightly like a sliver of what having a kid is like. 

This was supposed to be a poem but turned into some other thing. For Shelley Mitchell, who requested a poem about what it is to write/ create something. One time I asked a boyfriend to change the oil in my car—actually, I think he wanted to do it, he brought it up. 

At our reading on June 11 of Pregnant Pause, we were lucky enough to have a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints represented; even activists on both sides. We had a really generous and lovely conversation (you can read more about the reading here). 

Hello folks! Amie and I have been getting some questions about Pregnant Pause, mostly from concerned citizens on both sides of the debate. Is this some sneaky pro-life thing? say proud pro-choice friends. Are you saying there isn’t a right and wrong when it comes to abortion? say pro-lifers. What’s your stance?

I’ve often wondered if God came to me as He did to Solomon and offered me one virtue in which I could excel, what would I pick? I don’t particularly want to be wise and have all the answers– I already think I do as it is! I would like to say humility, but I’m not humble enough to pick humility as my virtue. 

I’m so excited to be back at United Solo with my newest play called Pregnant Pause. This time I won’t be performing: my great friend Amie Cazel will be acting with Maureen Monterubio directing

1 2 3 4 My good friend Caitlin McWethy and I have been doing plays together since freshman year of college, when she cast me as an uptight male lawyer on trial for sexual harassment (Surprisingly I had it in me, even though I was a skinny 18 year old freshman girl– the casting pool was tight). 

I got married a whopping two and a half weeks ago and officially took my husband’s name, Jones, personally and professionally. I’ve been getting some questions from people about why I decided to ditch Burke and go Jones, so I thought I’d write it out and clarify.

I’m writing you this public little note to say thanks in a big way. This production was a massive gift in a sea of wedding planning, moving, stress, and not very much feeling-like-a-playwright…