I'm a relative newcomer to Twitter. Fortunately, one of the first things I discovered was #scriptchat. Every Sunday there is a EURO chat and a US chat. It has been entertaining and enlightening about scriptwriting, and breaking into the business of writing, for TV and film. For someone like me -- a Hollywood outsider -- it has been priceless.
Tonight's guest host was TV writer/producer Jane Espenson. It is incredible to have a forum where anyone can ask the guest any question and get such honest answers, not just the usual "write" and "you can do it" b.s. It's worth an hour each week or you can read the transcript that's posted on the Scriptchat site the same night. Tonight's chat was progressing so fast, I'll have to read the transcript to pick up all the info I missed.
Whenever I find myself thinking that I'm wasting time on Twitter, all I have to do is remind myself of scriptchat and how much I've learned.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Pilot #1 -- Done
Pilot #1: Done and registered. I have my very first WGA registration number. I feel so...so...registered. Probably the first time I've been happy to be just a number. Yet there's something highly symbolic about having that number. There are those who start to write, and those who finish. I'm a finisher. I got through the marathon called the second act and made it across the line to pick up my number. Lots of starters...fewer finishers. That makes me feel good.
Now onto Pilot #2, f.k.a. the Spike TV script. Going to give it a quick read then come up with a plan of attack to finish it up.
Grad school picks up again way too soon. Dreading the workload and trying to balance all the balls again. Back to insane time management if I expect to have screenwriting time. However, I can ALWAYS find time to do the things I enjoy.
Now onto Pilot #2, f.k.a. the Spike TV script. Going to give it a quick read then come up with a plan of attack to finish it up.
Grad school picks up again way too soon. Dreading the workload and trying to balance all the balls again. Back to insane time management if I expect to have screenwriting time. However, I can ALWAYS find time to do the things I enjoy.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Scripped and Spike TV -- Not for me: Redux
Daniel writes:
Ever hire a lawyer? Let's say you win and want to challenge the legal agreement you acknowledged by taking on Spike TV (owned by Viacom). The retainer alone will be more than $2k. If you manage to win and get, say, the WGA minimum for a 30-min. piece, you won't have much leftover. In fact, you may just lose your house in the gamble as well.
Bragging rights? What's to brag about? I'm a schmuck? I'm so desperate I'm willing to give my work away and allow others to treat me like dirt? Who wants to broadcast that?
I'm glad the deadline has passed and I don't have to think about them any longer. The only moral dilemma here is on the part of the contest sponsors. They now stand for everything that is wrong with the business. I'll broadcast legitimate contests coming up and you can be sure I'll also broadcast which ones I consider bad for writers. But your comment (and thanks for commenting) highlights the attitude that many struggling writers have: desperation. If we weren't all so desperate, so willing to sell ourselves at ANY PRICE (and pay for the opportunity!), these crappy contests would go away.
Remember Walt and "keep moving forward."
I had the same moral dilemma, but if you read even closer, every submission except for the winner retains their rights. I guess just get a good legal team. And if you do win, well at least you get 2k and the bragging rights if they don't let you go further with it.The Write Script:
Ever hire a lawyer? Let's say you win and want to challenge the legal agreement you acknowledged by taking on Spike TV (owned by Viacom). The retainer alone will be more than $2k. If you manage to win and get, say, the WGA minimum for a 30-min. piece, you won't have much leftover. In fact, you may just lose your house in the gamble as well.
Bragging rights? What's to brag about? I'm a schmuck? I'm so desperate I'm willing to give my work away and allow others to treat me like dirt? Who wants to broadcast that?
I'm glad the deadline has passed and I don't have to think about them any longer. The only moral dilemma here is on the part of the contest sponsors. They now stand for everything that is wrong with the business. I'll broadcast legitimate contests coming up and you can be sure I'll also broadcast which ones I consider bad for writers. But your comment (and thanks for commenting) highlights the attitude that many struggling writers have: desperation. If we weren't all so desperate, so willing to sell ourselves at ANY PRICE (and pay for the opportunity!), these crappy contests would go away.
Remember Walt and "keep moving forward."
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Cold Open Trials and Errors
My cold open on Pilot #1 is pissing me off.
I feel I should be able to fix the problem quickly. In fact, at this point in the process -- essentially a completed script -- it should practically write itself. But it's not. I'm fighting with it throughout the day mentally, hashing out options and playing "what if..." games with new ideas. I want the opening to be funny, but it's taking place during an unfunny event. Everything humorous comes across as inappropriate, or distracting from the story or confusing.
[Note to Tina Fey: How do you handle this problem?]
I want/need to finish this. Soon. It'll work itself out. I expect tonight I'll lie in bed before sleep takes over thinking through the newest idea. Most of my brilliant ideas happen that way...in unusual places at odd times. Right now, I'm ready. I am open to the spark that will make all the words fall into place. My brain is creative and magnificent. I know the last few pieces to the puzzle will be found soon enough.
Yet, I'm impatient. Soon enough hasn't been soon enough.
I feel I should be able to fix the problem quickly. In fact, at this point in the process -- essentially a completed script -- it should practically write itself. But it's not. I'm fighting with it throughout the day mentally, hashing out options and playing "what if..." games with new ideas. I want the opening to be funny, but it's taking place during an unfunny event. Everything humorous comes across as inappropriate, or distracting from the story or confusing.
[Note to Tina Fey: How do you handle this problem?]
I want/need to finish this. Soon. It'll work itself out. I expect tonight I'll lie in bed before sleep takes over thinking through the newest idea. Most of my brilliant ideas happen that way...in unusual places at odd times. Right now, I'm ready. I am open to the spark that will make all the words fall into place. My brain is creative and magnificent. I know the last few pieces to the puzzle will be found soon enough.
Yet, I'm impatient. Soon enough hasn't been soon enough.
Friday, July 23, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)