Relay: Behind The Scenes
I imagine few people end their summers in the Hamptons without at least a couple of good tales to tell.
My own stories started in 1989 when I was 8 years old and my family began taking summer trips to the South Fork. Back then, my first time parasailing in Montauk began to cultivate in me a thirst for adventure that later led to a hang gliding excursion in North Carolina’s Outer Banks and skydiving on the coast of California. I’ve taken in my share of really awesome music at the Stephen Talkhouse over the years, and this one time a friend and I saw a beached whale, but I’ll admit I passed my 20s without ever experiencing the Boardy Barn.
I live out here now, and I’ve got a new story to tell.
It begins at Guild Hall, where I took in my first show a couple of weeks ago. It was called WordTheatre, and the premise was famous actors performing dramatic readings of award-winning short stories and poetry, produced and directed by oneof the foremost voiceover talents in show business. With some of the stories’ award-winning authors present in the audience, including Richard Bausch, Andre Dubus III, and Peter Orner, I got the sense that the whole production — which was a benefit for the prestigious Pushcart Prize — had accomplished something really profound and authentic. It was spectacular and intimate at the same time. The fangirl in me would have been satisfied with snapping selfies with a few of my favorite actresses after the show. That happened, but the story doesn’t end there.
Somehow, after the show, a friendly conversation with some of the behind-the-scenes folks yielded an invitation to a post-show gathering at the home of Philip Spitzer, the literary agent, who has a house in East Hampton. The authors were to be present, and if there’s one thing I love more than a good movie or theatrical show, it’s a good book. Midnight approached, but my fatigue dissipated and I graciously accepted the invitation.
The thing is, I’m an aspiring author myself. Maybe it was the cabernet sauvignon, but I started fantasizing that somehow I could absorb their language, their mannerisms, their own storytelling techniques, perhaps by way of osmosis if I was lucky or lazy or, more realistically, by observing, listening, and drawing some keen conclusions. Maybe that way, my own literary future could be as illuminated as theirs.
To be an author, it turns out, you don’t just have to be great at writing. You have to do it all the time. You also have to be a patient diplomat with the ability to endure readings where few people show up and take your reviews in stride. You’ve got to save your energy for when you’re writing your future best seller.
Apparently, you’ve got to be adept at practical jokes, too, and be able to deliver a good punch line with a straight face, which they did until nearly 2 o’clock in the morning. Regrettably, though, I was too captivated by them to be able to recall any of the jokes I like to tell, so I was unable to actually contribute to the impromptu comedy show transpiring in Mr. Spitzer’s torch-lit backyard. So I know I have a long way to go.
Earlier in the evening, I’d been introduced as a journalist who had penned a full-length novel that’s on the cusp of being published. And so, in a brief conversation near the end of the evening, one of the authors turned to me and said, “What’s your book about?” I stammered through a description.
“What’s it called?” Great title, he said. Use your own name, not a pen name, he advised. From another: Keep your day job until you’ve become well established, then keep it for a little while longer. Grateful for the words of encouragement, I thanked them and returned home, where I promptly drafted an entire outline for a new story I’d been thinking about lately.
If many stories conclude with a simple “the end” and that’s it, here’s hoping that this story is really only the beginning of something bigger.
Christine Sampson reports on education for The East Hampton Star.