Lotsa Words

...no.

I didn't make it into the Warner Brothers TV Writing Workshop this year.

But I still kick ass.


:)

I don't know why, but I keep calling the WB Writing Workshop a Fellowship. Now I'm trippin' out, thinking that I did this in my interview. Is this really bad? I guess I'll find out this week...

ARGH!!!


Update: I've since calmed down and am optimistic once again. :)

Today was my interview for the Warner Brothers Writing Fellowship and I feel really great about it. The two people that I met with were super friendly and the conversation was very easy going and fun. I felt like I was being myself and they seemed to be interested in what I was saying.

Also, the program seems so kick ass. I really hope that I get it! Cross those fingers for me...


...and Anonymous...whoever you are....how'd it go for you?

Long time, no chat...
I know, I know...

BUT...

Today I got a call informing me that I am a semifinalist in the Warner Brothers Writing Fellowship program and have an interview next week!!! WHOO-HOOOO!!!!

So, everyone, collectively cross your fingers for me next Friday. I want this BAD!

Go me!


YAY!!!

By the very skin of my teeth, my Brothers & Sisters spec was submitted into the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship. Actually, I worked my ass off on it - six drafts. Yup. Six. Hopefully, it does okay. We'll see.

Currently, I've been busy readying my work for the upcoming (and wonderfully revised) Warner Brothers Fellowship. Since they allow multiple submissions, I'm just gonna throw 'em everything I've got. They'll be getting a Desperate Housewives, Lost, Veronica Mars, and Brothers & Sisters. Why not send 'em all to up my chances, rights? It's been kinda fun to look at some of these old specs. It's getting me phsyched up for me next project...

Another pilot. I have a great idea for something new and I'm planning on starting mid-late August - right after I'm done proofing the hell outta my old spec before entering them into the WB Fellowship. This should take me to the end of October-ish - and then I'm left with the burning question:

What to spec next? I'm not really a procedural guy. Veronica Mars was the closest I came to that. However, it seems as if I've gone through all of the non-procedural shows that I watch (and that haven't been cancelled.) A few new shows sound VERY promising - Chuck and Reaper - but you never know what'll stick around and what won't.

So here are some shows that I watch, which I could spec:

- Ugly Betty
- Heroes
- Boston Legal
- Grey's Anatomy
- House
- Medium
- Kyle XY

Yeah, there's a few procedurals on that list. I'm not that jazzed about doing medical/law research. And a couple of those are borderline comedies. Heroes - that could be outdated before I'm even done writing it. And Kyle XY? Yikes! Would that just be a terrible idea?!

And here are some shows that I wouldn't mind investing in, which an eye toward spec'ing:

- Dexter
- Rescue Me

I'm completely open to suggestions...

Let's see...finished scripts, cancelled shows, shut-down blogs...

Seems like there's a lot going on. First off - I finished my Veronica Mars spec. It's great. I love it. Too bad Veronica Mars was cancelled, rendering yet another one of my specs useless. Oh, well. I was able to enter it into the current Scriptapalooza. So maybe they'll show it a little love and it wouldn't have all been for not.

While I'm on the subject - Veronica Mars has been cancelled?! Jeez! Such a great show. It's really too bad. I'm still mourning the loss of Gilmore Girls - and now my Veronica. It's rare that such a smart, witty show that doesn't underestimate its audience graces network TV and I'm sad to see it go. Lord knows that the producers tried - crafting a series of stand alone episodes to see if the audience would catch on sans an over-arcing mystery - but I think that may have helped undo the show in the end. I also think that it was marketted completely wrong, scheduled oddly, and had way WAY too many gaps between new episodes. Poor Veronica, we hardly knew ya...

So, I'm on to my Brothers & Sisters spec, which I'm really excited about. A show like this would be exactly what I'd want to write for. I have a bit of time off from work, which is perfect, because this Brothers & Sisters spec will be my submissions for the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, which is due this year on July 1st.

Which reminds me - if anyone has thoughts on the dreaded BIOGRAPHY requirement, please speak up. This part of the application baffled me last year and I'm not looking forward to it again. Any insight would be much appreciated.

And I've updated my links. Let Me In has been removed, though Sal still lurks here and there. And Agents Are Evil has been removed too, as Shawn has happily shut down his blog, but can still be found commenting around the Scribosphe...

Time to write...

So I just finished my first draft of my Veronica Mars spec. Though I doubt Veronica Mars has much of a shelf life anymore, I still wanted to finish. At the very least, I can enter the upcoming ScriptapaloozaTV contest with it and perhaps even the next ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship with it. Though, by the summer, I plan on having a Brothers & Sisters spec as well - perhaps that'll be a better option. We'll see. But for now, cross your fingers that the CW renews Veronica Mars so that this spec will have more than a 6 months (if that) shelf life.

So, now comes the fun part - cutting it down to size and revising. And for those of you who've been reading, you'll know this is the part that I oddly enjoy. Right now, I'm clocking in at 71 pages and I'd like to cut it down to a svelte 55 pages - which I think is completely do-able. I have a story - pretty much a D-story - that can be totally trimmed out, if necessary. I write long and I revise tight.

Time to revise...

Has Let Me In gone dark?

Anyone?

Anyone?

I love three day weekends.

My goal for this weekend was to write and I certainly met that goal. Suddenly, I'm at the half way mark in my Veronica Mars spec and I can definitely see a quick end in sight. It always dawns on me at this point that the hard part for me is always starting. Yet, this weekend, as I trudged through the middle of Act One, I just got on an amazing roll and now I'm at the start of Act Three! Perhaps I was inspired by my quarter-finals placement in ScriptapaloozaTV or maybe I just finally had a good amount of time to devote to the script, but either way, I'm steamrollin' through this! And I'll go out on a limb here...I think it's actually pretty good, too!

All this inspiration and progress can certainly only mean one thing:
Veronica Mars will be cancelled, leaving me with a dead spec. If/when that happens, I hope it is after submitting it to a couple of contests and the next ABC/Disney fellowship.

So, do your part! Watch Veronica Mars, people! Please!

Glass Half Full:

I'm pleased to announce that my LOST spec placed as a quarter finalist in the latest ScriptapaloozaTV contest. As some of you may recall, my Desperate Housewives spec also placed as a quarter finalist last fall. So, if anything, I'm consistent. I submitted this spec to the ABC/Disney fellowship and didn't place at all, so it is nice to have a little validation that the script is at least pretty good. Actually, it kinda lights a spark under me to keep on writing.

Glass Half Empty:

While it is totally awesome to simply place, I'd like to start advancing a bit. You know, maybe a semi-finalist here or a finalist there... I'm not asking for a win, though a win would sure be nice. I'm itching break away from the pack. Regardless, it makes me even more motivated to finish my kick ass Veronica Mars spec and then start a Brothers & Sisters spec.

Overall Mood:

Motivated. Inspired.

This weekend I got a haircut, dyed away some grey hair (I'll stop dying my hair once I own property), and reformmatted my blog. The dots were buggin' me and I wanted a third column. I'm not quite sure I'm done making changes, but I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Also, I'm back to writing my Veronica Mars spec. The mood just struck me. And I need another spec.


An all around good weekend.

I've always been very lucky to have friends who have been constant cheerleaders for my writing. Really, it's terrific. One good friend of mine has been my go-to script reader for a good ten years now. (Yikes! Have I been at this that long?!) In the past year, she has totally pimped me and my work to her sister-in-law, who has a few agency connections. This sister-in-law, aside from having said connections, is just a kick ass person. REALLY cool girl. Last April, she tried to hook me up by offering to see if any of her agency contacts would be interested in reading my specs. Turns out, her contacts are too big for a lowly writer like myself. No worries. I was happy to just play ball. In fact, I think she was more bummed out than I was.

Our paths crossed again this weekend and the first words out of her mouth was that she wanted to try to call in a favor with an agency friend of hers to get my work read. I'm thrilled about the prospects, but I can't help but worry that she feels obligated in some strange way to help me out. I think that she worries about letting down her sister-in-law/my friend. Truly, I don't want to be known by this girl as the guy that she feels somehow pressured to recommend to her agency pals. However, will I take her up on her offer?

You bet.

For those of you out there that have ever helped a writer advance in his or her career, you should give yourself a pat on the back because it can be brutal out there. And that is coming from someone who gets paid to write for my day job (granted - writing for reality tv). So, on behalf of writers everywhere, I'm sendin' out some thanks. And for my extra-special contact, who keeps offering, whether it happens or not - you rock.

After finding my blog removed from a site that used to link me (what up with that, yo?) I started to wonder if there may be some readers here that wish to be linked, yet wonder why I haven't bothered. So, if you want the hook up for your blog, lemme know! I'll check ya out and if our blogs are a lovely lil' match, I'll linkya.

On the writing front, the screenplay is actually progressing! Yippee! I wanna get this puppy done quick. And hopefully, it'll happen.

I want to write for tv.
Period.

So why is it that I can't get this screenplay idea out of my head? I keep coming back to it and it's finally gotten to the point where I just have to write the damn thing - just to get it out of my system.

Is it commercial? Not particularly.
Is it high concept? Nope.

So why do it? Don't I want to write for tv? Shouldn't my limited time be spent writing that Veronica Mars spec that I've started? Perhaps the answer is a very loud YES.

But sometimes, my friends, we just have go where the artistic/creative waves take us. And that is where I'm gonna go...

Happy New Year.