I understand that I've been away for a while now. All apologies and respect due, I've undertaken an immense project in the personal arena of my life. It's put a lot of my other priorities back just a bit but, ultimately, it should prove to be hugely gratifying. I may write about it later. I may not. If I don't, I don't think anyone will suffer for it.
In the meantime, I want to spend a moment discussing one of my favorite people: Digby Wolfe. Digby was a co-creator for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. He once opened for the Beatles as a standup comic. He wrote for everyone from Bill Cosby to Bob Hope. He had a tense standoff with a well meaning redneck in Texas at the height of the Vietnam War. He was also a professor for many years at UNM. As such, for the better part of eight years, off and on, he was my mentor.
Digby passed away in the last few months. I'm only now at the point where I can be coherent about the joy he brought to my life (and many, many others).
I'm not sure that it's fair to blame Digby for the writer that I turned out to be. But he certainly taught me just about everything I needed to know about crafting stories. The few (and I mean feeewwww) things he didn't teach me, he certainly put me on the road to discovery. The first day of the last course I ever took with him, he asked me to open up shop by sharing a few words about writing with my new classmates. It was the kindest of gestures and to this day, still means the world to me. I covered a few of these points but, really, this is what I wish I had said.
1.Keep a notebook/pen with you or be prepared to dictate/type thoughts and ideas to your phone. Lightning in a bottle is lightning in a bottle. You catch it when its there or regret it later.
2.Be open to inspiration. It’s everywhere. That older couple passive aggressively arguing in the cereal aisle at the grocery store? They were young once and made decisions that brought them to this point and who knows, their story now may be more interesting.
3.Write everyday. Treat your brain like a muscle. It needs the discipline and responds well to routine. One hour is a nice round number, but treat that as a minimum. Even if you're just sitting there staring at a blank screen, you still put the time in.
4.Don’t suffer in silence. When you’re stuck, it helps to talk it out with others- even to just blow off steam. As such, workshops and roundtables are golden opportunities. Never take that for granted.
5.The difference between comedy and tragedy is the speed at which you tell the story. Nothing is sacred. Additionally, there is no such thing as victimless comedy. Somebody always has to pay. If there’s no victim there’s probably no funny.
Thanks a million, Diggers. You were a true original.
