Producer's Notebook Second Entry Page 5

Erik Sherman

Complex ideas elegantly expressed

Producer’s Notebook

Speaking of editing, so far I’ve seen one play after another where the editor part of me wanted to kick in seeing language that was awkward and would work badly coming out of someone’s mouth. Obviously I did nothing, because that’s the way things run in theater, but I think playwrights are missing a significant chance to hone their craft. In other types of writing, you get better by getting well-edited. A good editor helps you find the awkward spots, the poor structure, the clichés, the incomprehensible sentences or sections. That happens in fiction as well as non-fiction—and again, if done well, it doesn’t mean that the writer’s voice or even intent goes out the window. Instead of being precious about your words, considering finding someone willing to make significant editing suggestions, and then consider taking a good many of them.

However, with all the time wasted, one of the first plays I read was so pointed, theatrical, and well-written as to offer pleasure in its very existence. Such experiences are why people produce more than once.

The producer is always— always—the first to get frustrated and the last.

Second Entry