Pintele Update 9: Challenges Schmallenges

The photo is from 1980-something, and it was taken in the Bloomfield, Connecticut living room of Sarah and Joe Brody, my great aunt and uncle. In the photo, Uncle Joe is in rehearsal for his upcoming performance in the Passover seder: a characteristic gesture, eyes closed, Haggadah open. I’m looking over his shoulder, and in my head I’m working on Part Three of Pintele, though I don’t know that yet.

Part Three (“A Very Brody Passover”) is on my mind right now, because (he paused, taking a deep breath) I think (maybe I shouldn’t say this, he thought) Parts One and Two are (no, don’t say it, you fool, you fool!) finished. (Which in this context would mean “ready to share with a small preview audience for one last round of feedback.”)

Each of these episodes has its own set of challenges, but none of what remains will be as challenging as Part One. There’s so much going on in that first chapter, and like the opening number of a musical, it’s planting things that will be important later. And it has to strike exactly the right tone to get things off to a good start.

I’ll tell you how complicated Part One is: after finally figuring it out (I hope), it was a great relief to move on to Part Two, which is so much simpler, easier, and less complicated — and Part Two is about the question of whether god exists! (Don’t worry, no spoilers here.)

Looking ahead: The specific challenges of Part Three are that it involves more character voices and singing than the other episodes; and it has to pull off a tonal shift that would be easy to fumble. In Part Four I’m back in cultural commentator mode, with a relatively straightforward presentation, but I’m still trying to think of a better title (see previous update). Part Five continues autobiographical strands from Parts One and Three; Part Six is social/political commentary (to be rewritten one last time, at the last possible moment); and Part Seven — oh, well, Part Seven! The biggest challenge of Part Seven is bringing the whole series in for a landing, and at this point there’s not much else I’m ready to say about Part Seven.

I’m really looking forward to that — bringing this in for a landing! My anxiousness about getting every little detail right has not diminished, but it’s now sharing the stage with an increasing eagerness to sign my name in the corner, hang it on the wall, and let people experience it and respond to it.

And so — back to work!