Spike TV -- this one's for you

Spike TV is stupid, but brilliant in how they acknowledge this and how they intentionally target their demographic. They are unapologetic in how they describe their viewers:

"Our guys drink beer, chase women, play sports, gamble and attempt at every turn to successfully put off adulthood. The characters in our comedies must reflect these traits, too."

I respect that.

I found out about their screenwriting contest last night on Twitter. Woke up today with an idea that is dumb enough for Spike TV, so I'll write out the 30 pages and pay the $20. I'm not going to spend too much time on it. For me, this is an exercise to see how quickly can I go from idea to submission. It takes me back to my journalist days. Writing on the fly was my drug. We were always "on." We never attempted perfection, but we did marvel in how well we could write given the restrictions of the deadline. Back then, I learned how to write drafts that were so far beyond "draft" quality. A draft had to be good enough for print. There wasn't the luxury of time for revisions. You learned how to edit as you go, proof as you type, and write ledes while driving back to the office.

At the very least, I'm building a portfolio. When someone says, "that's good, but what else do you have?" I will have an answer. In writing.

Editing from the Ivory Tower

My students get tired of hearing my lectures on writing/editing. Most will write, few will edit. The percentage of students who will proofread their material...even less. Most are happy to turn in an assignment on time. Most don't care what they've actually written, just that they've met the page/length requirement. They're checking off a list of minimum expectations and, in their minds, meeting each one is a success in itself. I laugh at myself when I get into this mentality with grad school...just get the papers in on time, get the reading done, keep up on the research. I know how it is. The difference in perspective is that as an undergrad, I'm only requiring them to read about 35 pages a week. Never more than 50. One grad class alone amounts to nearly 500 pages a week. At three classes it's an insane amount of material to not only read and write a coherent paper on, but then to show up for a three-hour interrogation (seminar) for an adversarial discussion and debate on the merits (if any) of the material. My kids are getting off so easy. They spend more time editing their Twitter updates than any paper.

After three drafts of the TV pilot, I'm now looking at the fourth run-through. I love it. I love my characters and how they've developed in this pilot and how they can further develop over the course of a season. I love the scenes and the other characters encountered during the 30-min. time-span. I love how the funny stuff creeps in and leaves me laughing. But now it's time to be brutal. This edit is about getting things so tight, so on-the-money and making sure every word is necessary, every scene is the right scene in the right place and time, and that even though I may love something, there will be some things that will have to go.

Many writers hate to edit. Hell, many writers hate to write, it's just something they feel they need to do. Writing for me is exercise...I'm more apt to write than go work out in a gym. The editing is part of the process. I am always aiming to be precise and concise. Editing is where those two qualities are achieved.

I'll be back after the fourth draft. The bloodletting begins!

Rewriting

I'm working on the pilot rewrite today...somewhat sporadic work times, but taking on a single scene at a time helps. Having the entire episode written really helps. It has a shape, a good structure. The work now is in polishing and clarifying a few character arcs and technical points. I love working on the comedy...some of it comes naturally in the writing process, other parts come together later.

The process is enjoyable. Even fun. When things comes together, it's exciting and energizing.

Pilot first draft - done!

Today I took a break from working on the movie draft so that I could sketch out a complete draft of the 1/2 hour, single camera pilot idea I've been working on for several weeks. It feels great to have an entire first draft in the can. It's rough, but complete.

It's a rush to go from beginning to middle to end...and then what seems like a far-fetched, over-the-top ending actually ends up being the ending.Crazy fun.

It all began today with a knock on the door. That was my writing inspiration.

Screen-writing v. screen-thinking

Some people are thinkers and other people are writers. The thinkers are the kind of dreamer that never gets their ideas out of their head, they don't know how to get them out, how to put them into words on paper and communicate their ideas to others. They have this concrete wall, a skull, they can't permeate.

Writers are dreamers as well, only they have developed the skills to translate their thoughts into words. Writers write, as the saying goes. I look at the guy who struggles with the idea in his head, incapable to take pen to paper and connecting the two. I don't want to be him.

I can be intimidated by the task. I can be overwhelmed by the hard work. I can be exhausted from the long hours. I can ache from slouching in front of the computer all night. I can want to quit but I don't. The payoff is finishing the work. Finishing the work is succeeding where most everyone else fails. As long as I continue to write, I will finish. If I quit, then I'm just that guy.

The weight of words

Interesting to take an entire day off of all work. The thinking doesn't stop, but at least the mind was mostly at rest. I wasn't demanding any study, any writing...nothing creative, nothing academic. Breathing in and out, watching people, hanging out with friends and family. When my story intruded into the day, I'd give it a moment then set it aside.

I've been thinking about words this weekend. Words matter. How we say them matters. How we write them, and transmit them to others matters. We can affect people with our words. We choose to build others up or we can choose to tear them down. My characters are choosing words, some less carefully than others. My hero got his feelings crushed the other day, so he's taking a break. He's going inside now, going to a safe place to get back to that sense of security and to feel once again capable to complete his journey. Even though there's no turning back, he has choices about how to move forward.

As do we all.

Characters

My characters have been growing and coming alive for me these past few weeks. It's an interesting process since they are the works of my creation, yet it seems that I am meeting these individuals already created. They are coming to me and letting me know who they are, what they want and what they dream about. They let me know their quirks and weaknesses, and they let me in on their sense of humor and their values.

I'm getting to meet some interesting folks and I am honored that they've chosen me to tell their story. I work daily to do them justice.

My structure is coming together, most of my big scenes are outlined. I only have 17 pages written, but for right now, that's where I want to be. Getting it out of my head and onto the paper is most important right now.

The journey continues.