I sat down and wrote a play. The first two lines went something like this:

Mother: Veselka, go plow the field. Veselka: But what if I wake the dragon?

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Sure enough, a dragon—along with a witch, a bear and a prince—cropped up on my pages. I cast myself in all the roles and, buoyed by my beagle’s rapt attention, performed them all in front of a mirror. Then I sat back down and edited the lines to maximize their dramatic impact.

 

And so went the afternoon: Write. Act. Edit. Repeat.

 

I’d found my wheelhouse. Here’s what I’ve been doing with it ever since.