Scripto-rama

It's fever dream time.

I'm waiting to hear from my incredibly wonderful literary agent about my just-born novel, Traveling Angels.

I'm working on a new novel (okay, all I have is the first line, but still--)

I also delivered a script of my "High Infidelity" New York Magazine piece to my incredibly wonderful film agent.

AND I'm busy writing a script, an adaptation of an extraordinary novel, EDGES by Leora Skolkin-Smith.

I've written scripts before, but always based on my own novels (though once, I did an original script for the now defunct Nick show DOUG--"Doug Follows a Fad" in which Doug wants to buy a striped shirt to follow the fad, but of course, they're all gone by the time he gets there. But that's a whole other story.) But adapting someone else's work is so much fun, I can't believe I didn't think of doing it before. There's none of the angst at taking apart your own "baby" because you didn't birth this child, someone else did and you get to approach it as something brand new. It's your job now to raise the baby into something full grown and wonderful. Oh Lord, forgive my adoption metaphor. I think having spent years researching and writing my last novel GIRLS IN TROUBLE about open adoption has made me very susceptible to adoption symbolism.

Anyway, in working on this project with Leora and with the director, I am feeling my Jewish roots. My grandfather, a writer, was an orthodox rabbi, but my sister and I were raised as lackadaisical sorts of Jews. We knew the holidays, but not much history. EDGES is all about being Jewish, and suddenly I am immersed in the Israeli War of Independence, the Haganeh, the Arab-Israel conflicts and a very powerful human drama. I didn't create these characters but I hear them talking to me. I hear their voices. I know their stories. I'm working in a fever dream.

See you later, alligators. I'm happily going back to work.

P.S. The clothing swap gave me a brand new uber-cool black leather jacket (a girl's got to look cool, though now that I am increasingly vegan, the leather does give me pause), and a realization that I don't look or dress like most other people. And I have half a glove knit up. My very first pair. I'm afraid of the fingers, but I have made peace with the thumb.