Exercises!

I agree with a lot of what everyone has been saying on here--boot camp has definitely been more fun than its name let on. The exercises have also certainly made me think a little bit more outside the box of realism, especially (like Sophie said) when the prompts were very specific. For example, the Mysterious Woman/special umbrella/etc. play that I wrote was very unlike any of the other products that I've churned out, and I feel like this might be because the prompt was so detailed.

That said, I'm still a little disappointed with the way many of my exercises/pieces overall have turned out. I definitely get that the purpose of an exercise is to take us somewhere, and then give us the freedom to go wherever we want to past that point. However, most of the plays that I've written feel very hollow to me. Of course, this could totally be due to the fact that they are, in fact, the first drafts of a very very very novice playwright...but it's been frustrating.

I've really enjoyed the "writing during class" aspect of boot camp. I love that when I come home, I'm finishing something I've already, rather than starting afresh again and again and again. This has made me feel like I'm building something because it does give me the time and opportunity to pause and think about where I'm going, rather than just write for the sake of writing.