DR Noel - Just a "word of warning", as it were... Yes, hearing progress updates is all well and good, however, I'd be careful about the amount of detail - the number of "secrets" - that you're revealing. Yes, PR is a good thing, and self-PR is a good thing - and a necessary evil - but you may inadvertently be telling us too much about Such Good Friends.
I'm sure that many changes are still bound to take place, such is the nature of the beast, but I think there's something to be said for a certain amount of discretion. If we end up knowing everything about the piece before we see it, that could end up softening the effect of the piece when we see it live. There would be no real surprise, no real revelation. You're not giving away too many specifics, but even knowing in advance that something "cool and unexpected" is going to happen mid-way through Act 2 deflates the actual expectation.
And I've always thought that hearing about the "lost songs" and even the "bad songs" is something best left for after the production goes up. I've always been one to keep the creative process to myself, so that's where I'm coming from. And most of the big projects I've been on have purposely surrounded themselves with an air of mystery. You need to hint at what we're going to see, not spell it out for us. Sometimes too much information is, indeed, too much information. *Even when I was with Lestat, I would have rather had people find out what a turkey the show was in person rather than telling them that in advance. -'Cause, who knows? Maybe they might have loved it. And maybe I was too close to the project to be "audience subjective". And stranger things have happened. Even our very own BK also talks about his process in generalities. It just leaves us wanting more.
Are you blogging about you writing experience? That may be another way to get the word out there about Such Good Friends, and another way to share your creative process. And by setting up something on Blogspot or LiveJournal or MySpace, you'd also be able to provide hyperlinks to your blog in other posts that you post on other forums. That would also allow other creative-types to provide some input and/or share their stories - if you wish to read them.
And on a very personal note: Knowing that a writer didn't get it "right" on the first, second... or fifth or sixth try doesn't exactly make me feel good about the writer. However, if I find that out after the fact - and am able to hear the progression of the previous drafts - well, then it comes across as the progress of genius. When I hear about it as it happens - and I have many friends and acquaintances who write plays, music, books, etc. - it, frankly, becomes annoying. I mean, if you're throwing something out, do I really need to know that? When I go see a show, I'm seeing the final product, not the process. Additionally, since none of us are able to hear the old and new material you're writing, we can't exactly be a springboard for you - if that's what you're looking for. But, again, that's just me.
And that's my $0.04375 -Adjusted for inflation and cost of living in NYC.
