Great Expectations

I have high expectations of myself. I fully expect that I will always do well in my classes, that I will continue to write good papers, do quality research  and soon get out of grad school adding those little initials after my name. I expect the same with my scripts. I never go into the writing thinking that I'll write something adequate or acceptable. From the outset, my intention is to knock it out of the park.

Home runs always? No.

The difference between having high expectations and of expecting perfection, is that high expectations still get the work done. Sometimes, you even impress yourself and others. Sometimes, you fall short of impressive and maybe you barely get to "it's OK." If you expect perfection, I doubt that anything will ever get written. Even if it does get written, it will never get shared with others. It will never get to the outside. Perfection, of course, is impossible. It's incapacitating because it's an unachievable goal.

My great expectations are to get the work done. That's the work of a writer. I've got the October deadline for Scriptapalooza for the TV pilot scripts. I plan to get a little writing done this weekend if the Universe allows it. My scripts won't be perfect, but they will be far better than the guy who claims to be a writer but can't get past the fear that others will deem his work to be just "OK." I've written long enough to be over that. My fear is in NOT getting the stories written. My fear is that you won't have the opportunity to see my stories on your TV or at your theater. That would be tragic for you and disappointing for me.

I don't want you to have to suffer that tragedy. But more importantly, I don't want to disappoint myself.

Relaxation begets Stress

What a great break! There's nothing like doing nothing. But now that the break is over it's difficult not to look at the calendar and wonder where 2/3 of summer went.

Really? Only four weeks left?

In mid-August, it's back to the University for the madness that is the Fall semester. That time of welcoming a new class of first-ever college students tasting their first morsel of freedom. It's a time of drama dealing with their tragic miscalculations of time needed to get passing grades and teaching less about science and more about time management. Frankly, I have my own issue with time (and the lack thereof) yet for different reasons. How I would love the workload of an undergrad! I could get As and solve all the world's problems during my spare time.

Really!

I'm getting into the academic mindset now that I've seen the calendar. Over the next four weeks, I'll start spending increasingly more time on the comprehensive exam study and the thesis. Less time will be devoted to screenwriting. Ideally, I graduate in December. Then I can be a writer without conflict, without guilt. I'll get two or three of my pilots ready for the October scriptapalooza contest and that will be it for screenwriting until December. Pilot #1 needs some minor work, Pilot #2 is partially drafted and Pilot #3 is merely a funny idea in my head and hasn't hit paper yet. I really doubt it'll be ready to submit this go-round.

Really.

I tell my students that all of life is a balancing act, that your time will always have competing interests. It's all about choosing which balls are worth juggling and then not dropping the important ones. Right now, I'm juggling too much. The grad school time suck, however, is nearly done. I'm really close and it would be tragic to drop the ball now.

Really!

R & R @ the beach

Planning several days of relaxation in the beach cities. Not sure how much screenwriting I'll do, I mostly want to clear away the stress and recharge, refuel. I'd like to wrap up Pilot #1, but we'll see how that goes.

It's always good to spend time in the South Bay...it's my hometown, my turf (and my surf), my past. It's where I began and where I became me. Growing up in the shadow of Los Angeles gave me a toughness and an edge I wouldn't have developed elsewhere. The confidence of being able to survive and thrive in a big city is an incredible asset. But it's always good to get back to the small-town feel of the beach cities. To feel the ocean breeze, smell the salty air and watch the fog roll in.

After a few days at the beach, I'll be ready to throw myself back into the work.

Go Into The Story

A huge thanks to Scott Myers at Go Into The Story for linking The Write Script on his blog. If you haven't read GITS, check it out. For a beginning screenwriter, his site is enormously helpful.

Thanks, Scott!

Reading Pilot Scripts -- 30 Rock & Community

I found two scripts online for pilots that have been produced: 30 Rock and Community. Interesting reading. The first thing that occurred to me about each was that the main characters' names were later changed. For Tiny Fey's 30 Rock, the female lead, Liz Lemon was originally written as Lisa Lemon. The Tracy Jordan character was originally Lawrence Jordan . In Dan Harmon's Community, the male lead, Jeff Winger, was named Jeff Crocker. Frankly, I think the name Liz Lemon is funnier than Lisa Lemon. Yet I also think "Crocker" better described Harmon's character than "Winger." But what do I know?

My intention of reading these scripts was to see that from the creator's pitch to the pilot production, things get changed. The essential ingredients remain, but names can change, scenes are rewritten and some elements are simply scrapped for different elements. I don't know to what extent the changes came later from Fey or Harmon, how much was dictated from suits or were battled out in development. It doesn't even matter.

Would I freak out if some suit insisted on changing my lead character's name? Yeah, I might die a little inside, but when faced with the possibility of having a pilot script turned into a pilot episode, followed by an order for 13 episodes...hell, I'd be all, "Sure, change whatever you want. What do I know? You da boss." Did Tiny Fey roll over so easily? Next time I have lunch with her or find myself beside her on an airplane, I'll ask.

Until then, the writing continues.

Pilot #1 ... Waiting for more notes

Tonight I finished the fourth draft of Pilot #1. It's been sent to my reader. I'd set it aside last week to think about it some more. It's weird to read it after a few days off. All the fresh jokes seem old now...I've heard them SO many times. Hard to read the piece as though it's the first time.

Does every writer feel this way?

Here's the deal...

It has been quite a month for ideas. Not sure why, but TV comedies are crowding my brain right now. I see what's on TV and the new shows getting produced each year. Not many of them are shows I want to watch. Now I'm writing what I want to see. Here's the list of projects I'm working on:

Project 49
This is my feature film. The project is outlined and several major scenes are written including the first act. About 20 pages written so far on the first draft.

Pilot #1
This is the 30-min., single-camera comedy I am nearly done rewriting. I'm cleaning up a few scenes, writing in a few extra parts for continuity and then it will be ready for WGA registration.

Pilot #2
Another comedy that I am now writing a quick first draft. Good, high concept. Spike TV: Bite me.

Pilot #3
Yet another comedy that will get started once #1 and #2 are both done/registered. I'll jot down some notes here and there in the meantime, but I don't need to have too many projects going all at once.

For each of the comedies, they are three distinct properties with nothing (other than the writer) in common. I want my portfolio to show range and depth. I want to leave a reader asking, "What will the next one bring?" Predictability would kill me.