Hyde Park Pack Michigan Adventure™
Tips, tricks, inspiration, and encouragement for storytellers of all stripes
Greetings from somewhere on Interstate 75 North—
By the time you read this on Friday morning or afternoon, I will be zipping up I-75, cruise control set, audiobook playing, Rebecca next to me divvying up snacks, and Gaia and Odin behind me snuggled in their luxurious back seat bed.
The four of us comprise the Hyde Park Pack, and we are going on a two-week Michigan Adventure™.
It’s 19 hours, not including gas/food/puppy-peepee stops, so we’re breaking it into two days. By Saturday dinner, we’ll be landed.
My beloved Rebecca grew up in Harbor Beach, Michigan, right on Lake Huron way up in the thumb. She’ll be helping her sister resurrect the Summer Rec program, teaching kids all about kayaking and archery and other skills that are not only fun, but should come in handy when the zombie apocalypse hits.
We’ll also take time to visit with family, enjoy the lake breezes, and walk the pups through all the new smells.
I’ll be working from “home” while Rebecca is paddling and twanging bullseyes. One of my ongoing “if I only had the dang time” projects is putting together a pitch deck and pilot script based on my Troupe Series of thrillers.
Writing for TV is outside my comfort zone. And since it’s also working on spec (as in not getting paid unless it gets picked up), this project often—well, always—gets pushed to the side in favor of students, clients, and contracts.
Last week I talked about imposterism, and I know that’s part of my resistance here, too. I’ve never written a pilot. Those storytellers whose names splash across my television screen… they’ve got something figured out that I don’t, right?
Maybe. But every single one of them at some point wrote their first ever TV pilot. Maybe it got made. Maybe it didn’t. Or maybe it got made but then the show didn’t get picked up.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
There’s something about the first draft. I tell my students to write the first draft fast and messy, from the gut and the heart. Leave the head out of it until at least draft two.
Easier said than done.
I also know that first drafts don’t exist until they’re on paper. That brilliant draft in your head? Not until it’s OUT does it exist.
But only when it’s OUT do you see how much work you still have left to do.
I love this quote by Jordan Peele, writer/director of Get Out and Nope…
When I'm writing the first draft, I'm constantly reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.
Imposterism insists that you build castles now. That you get precious with your shovel. That a pile of sand in a box is worthless.
Imposterism doesn’t want you to get your hands dirty.
But a first draft is meant to be filthy. Raw. Uncensored. Not in a profane way, but in an honest way. A vulnerable way. An impulsive, intuitive, just get the thing OUT way.
Spare a thought for me these next couple weeks. I’m about to shovel hard. I’ll get blisters on my hands. I’ll get sweaty and grimy. But maybe—just maybe—as I zip back south on 75 with my beloved Hyde Park Pack, I’ll have added a box of sand to our luggage.
100 Plays
Don’t forget to check out the most recent episode of 100 PLAYS!
In this episode, I talk about the how a story can change someone’s life, the honesty of young playwrights, and the best stage direction I’ve ever read.
You can listen on the Substack App, and all episodes are also available on Apple or Spotify.
Or, if you want to put a face with a voice, you can watch the video version of this podcast over on YouTube.
And if you’re enjoying or finding value in the 100 PLAYS podcast, please leave a review. They truly help! Just click the purple button below to open Apple Podcasts and scroll down to Ratings and Reviews.
The Page&Stage Podcast
The next episode of the PAGE&STAGE PODCAST will land in your inboxes on Monday.
OK, well, it’s not a new episode. Just look at that throwback design!
Because of the Hyde Park Pack’s Michigan Adventure™ I’m not able to get the new episode all polished up in time.
So I’m pulling an awesome interview from the Season 1 archive, and will get back to the regular schedule in two weeks.
The reason I’m pulling Matt’s episode is because he also just popped up on another podcast! He’s still out there sharing his family’s incredible story. I encourage you to check it out, and to also check out his book: THROUGH THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Or you can use this week “off” to catch up on other Page&Stage Podcast episodes.
You can listen on the Substack App, and all episodes are also available on Apple or Spotify.
And if you want to put faces with voices, the video version will be available over on YouTube.
Before I sign off, two quick reminders—
REMINDER 1: you can comment on this newsletter. I do my absolute best to respond to every comment, so if something I’ve offered above tickles that question-comment-complaint nerve in your reader-brain, I’d love to hear about it.
REMINDER 2: I take requests! If there’s a storytelling topic or issue you’d like me to address—writing, acting, directing, speaking, whatever—email me directly at jason@jasoncannon.art. If I don’t have a ready answer, I’ll make it my mission to go find one.
Thanks as always for reading, and have a great weekend—
Jason “Cruise Controller” Cannon