Inevitable Dislike

I’m editing a play with the intention of mounting it again in the (hopefully not-too-distant) future. Every time I step away from it it takes me a long time to get back. When I lack focus like this I try to pinpoint the specific obstacles.

For this one, as for many projects, I’m caught up in what I believe people might say about it. Instead of being invested in the experience that I hope my audience will have, I’m distracted by the potential haters.

What gives me comfort during thought spirals like this is the thought that people will dislike everything.

Not everyone will appreciate the work I put out there. I see playwriting as the construction of an experience (rather than simply the telling of a story), and I can choose to focus on the soundness of that construction rather than the potential negative perceptions. I can’t control what people will make of it, but I can control it.

There’s a life lesson there too, probably. People will dislike what you put out into the world. But there will also be many people who fall in love with the person and life you are constructing.