A couple months before Edward Albee turned thirty, he decided to write himself a birthday present. He sat down at his kitchen table and typed the first lines of dialogue of the play that would become ZOO STORY.
I've been to the Zoo. I said, I've been to the Zoo. MISTER, I'VE BEEN TO THE ZOO
I take a few lessons from this turning point in this man's life.
1) If there was a shift, it was a shift in his approach to writing plays and a shift in his thinking about himself, not a shift in his relationship with the world. The world didn't change overnight. He did. He took himself seriously. Seriously enough to get out of the way of his characters and let them speak and also seriously enough to doggedly pursue getting the attention of people who might be able to help him get this play up on its feet.
2) One of the first VIPs he sent the play to was Thornton Wilder who, I think, later admitted to being ashamed of his utter inability to see the importance and mastery of the play he'd been sent. His letter to Albee in response serves as a useful reminder that not everyone will understand what it is we're attempting and if we take one person's "meh" for an answer, we may be making a terrible mistake.
3) Edward Albee did not stop sending his play to VIPs for comment in the wake of Wilder's disappointing lack of enthusiasm.
4) Edward Albee did not stop sending his play to VIPs for comment in the wake of even less enthusiasm from William Inge.
5) Edward Albee took a risk and sent the play to a David Diamond, a composer with whom he'd had a rocky and bitter history, someone who would have had every reason (given their history) to have tossed the package into the trash. And Diamond surprised Albee with what anyone who's a true artist hopes will greet their next work: generosity and urgent action.
6) Community was responsible for getting Zoo Story up on its feet (first in German translation, by the way!) as was Edward's dogged pursuit of every potential avenue for the work.
Don't give up on yourself. Take bold risks. Know the value of your work and honor that value with action.
Inaction is an insult to the characters you've birthed on the page. If they're going to breathe air in the world, you're going to have to be there to smack their behinds to set them on their way.
How do you do this? Start by picking up the goddamned phone.
Roland Tec and Tammy Ryan are accepting work sample submissions for the Roland Tec Online Writers Workshop until Saturday October 23. https://www.rolandtec.com/rtoww-22