I got on Facebook a few days ago to see that Terry Pratchett, one of my favorite authors, had died.* It’s hard to mourn for someone who wrote about the Grim Reaper with such humor. My feed was filled with messages, pictures, and --fittingly-- quotes from DEATH, one of Sir Terry’s most beloved characters, and I wanted to post something myself** to acknowledge the influence that books like Soul Music, Small Gods, Thud!, Night Watch, and Thief of Time had on me, both as a person and as a writer. “But,” said this little voice in my head, “is that really the most important thing you could be talking about?”

There are also multiple posts in my feed today about combating racism, something I also feel strongly about. So why am I more inclined to say something about one famous guy dying than I am about that?*** Well, for one thing, posting about Terry Pratchett is easier. It's innocuous. It doesn’t expose me to criticism or praise or the need to reconsider my opinions or deepen my understanding. It’s like pretty much every other thing I post on social media: trivial.****

I’ve been on a roll recently when it comes to playwriting. In less than three months, I’ve written and submitted three short plays to festivals around Seattle, some of which will have staged readings or performances in the next little while. More on that later (maybe tomorrow).

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about writing in the last couple months, it's the value of deadlines. For example, I promised myself I would finish this post by tonight, and so here it is, finished. I had to submit my script by March 1, so when March 1 rolls around, no matter how much I might still want to work on it, it's finished. It may not be what I planned it to be, but there it is. 

And really, would another day have made it that much better? Or another week? Another month? In most cases, probably not. More likely, in all that extra time I'd just get more and more frustrated that it's not perfect until I finally give up and never finish it at all.

So just do it. That’s my thought for the day. Good night.