A HOLE IN MY SCHEDULE

Most of the years I spent working I was a market-survey research consultant. I sold, conducted, and presented the results of market-survey research projects to corporate and other clients. That meant that I often worked with several clients at the same time. Projects never synced up. I might be starting one, finishing another, and have several in their intense periods. I also had to maintain a consistent marketing effort to dredge up more business down the road when these all ended. I might be in the middle of developing several proposals for future work as I was working on current jobs, maybe a healthcare organization, a utility, and a bank. It could be quite hectic, or it could be a big nothing. On those rare occasions when I had no active client work, I might take on some pro bono work or take a little time off. A rare occasion when I had no work pressing was what I called a hole in my schedule. It might last an hour, a day, a week, or maybe longer.

 I don’t have a “job” anymore, but there are a lot of similarities between my playwriting “work” and my consulting work. My play is as far as I can take it until the first table read in several weeks. We called that “pre-testing.” Calls on behalf of Troubles in Henry’s Nose can’t be made on the weekend. (It’s Saturday). On my last book, about the Curtis String Quartet, I can’t do anything until my indexer does her job. On the possible play for Cape Abilities, I have approached them but I haven’t heard back. So right now I have a big-ole hole in my schedule. I’m just happy I don’t have a job so I don’t have to worry about losing it. The events of the past year have shown me over and over how much having to generate income from my work added stress to my life.