I spend a lot of time on e-mail with odds and ends of writing business. Today I heard from a drama teacher in Texas who had students performing a skit I wrote called, “The Better to Stalk You With, My Dear.” She had a photocopy of the script but in order to qualify for a competition they were entering, she needed an original copy and couldn’t find where to purchase it.
I remembered writing something with that title but had no clue where it eventually got published. I looked at the indexes of all four of my drama books (published by Meriwether Publishing) and it wasn’t in any of them.
Years ago I published some skit kits and other short pieces with Contemporary Drama Service, a branch of Meriwether, so I went to their web site and did a search for my name. Several items popped up, including some collections of skits that did not specify what was included. My former editor’s son now runs the business so I forwarded the inquiry to him and he said he would look for that title.
He found it! It’s in a booklet called Comedy Duets #2, now available in digital form, so he emailed the teacher with information on how to order it. My best guess is that I wrote it in 1975.
It’s pretty bad when I’ve written so much material that I can’t even remember where specific pieces got published. On the other hand, I’m pleased to know that a script I wrote thirty-seven years ago is still selected by teens to perform today.