Writing Life: Specs, Specs, Specs

It's workshop/fellowship season, so that can only mean one thing: spec scripts.

I don't mean scripts that are written on spec (i.e., written in the hopes of selling it/getting staffed off of it), but writing an in-continuity episode of an existing show, a "spec script."

These days, very few people — showrunners, representatives, etc. — even want to read spec scripts (versus original pilots), but some do. And for writing workshops such as the Disney-ABC Writing Program, NBC's Writers on the Verge, or the Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop, spec scripts are a requirement as part of your submission.

I've never applied to one of these writers' workshops before (this will be my first year) and while I've written several original pilots, I've never before written a spec script. It's been a unique challenge: trying to remain consistent to your own voice while remaining true to the voice and tone of the show that you're writing. (It's a good exercise for those who want to be staffed on a show: can you make your script sound/read/feel like an episode of a show that's not your own? Can you blend your voice with the writers'?)

I've been working on a spec script for a streaming show for which there are no available scripts to read. (Like I said, it's a challenge. But I like challenges.) Looking at scripts definitely helps in terms of nailing the voice/tone and the format of the show. Does the show you chose have act breaks? How many act breaks does an episode have? What are the naming conventions for the various locations that the show uses? These are questions that you can answer by delving into episodic scripts for your chosen series. But when there are no scripts available to read? You're sort of on your own. You can watch (and rewatch) episodes to guide you but ultimately you have to stick to your guts.

The idea with a spec script is to create something that works within the confines of the show, feels organic to the world and its characters, and does something different. What I've realized is that it's a very tricky thing, a tightrope walk where you have to showcase your ability to tell a story using someone else's characters and remain true to their sense of identity and narrative but also prove that you can bring something new to the show. A new way of looking at the characters or their struggles, a new theme to explore, a one-off that doesn't alter the continuity but explores the world of the show in an unexpected way.

After outlining fairly extensively, I finished the first draft of my spec this morning... and plan to reread it later in the week and begin revising. That's my process: speed-writing to get that vomit draft on the page and then fixing things up, tweaking, and rewriting. It's a sprint and a marathon in one.

It's too soon to tell whether I'll be pleased with the results of my efforts. But in the 18 months or so, I've achieved things I never thought I would: I wrote my first pilot scripts, my first feature script, and now my first TV spec script. I've placed in 20 contests over the last few months. But I choose not to look at these as milestones or major accomplishments. They're route markers on a long journey. And there are many, many miles still to go...

Writing Life: CONNECTION Named Semi-Finalist in WeScreenplay's Diverse Voices

And another one! CONNECTION was just named a Semi-Finalist in WeScreenplay's Diverse Voices Writing Contest.

As a (baby) writer over the age of 40, I really appreciated the opportunity to participate in this particular contest. Breaking into the television industry is difficult enough. Breaking into the television industry as someone who was alive in the (gasp!) 1970s and competing with 20-somethings is even more difficult.

Thanks, WeScreenplay!

A full list of Semi-Finalists can be found here at the WeScreenplay site.

Writing Life: CONNECTION Named Quarterfinalist in Finish Line Script Competition!

I'm beyond thrilled to announce that my most recent drama pilot script CONNECTION has been selected as a quarterfinalist in the Finish Line Script Competition! 

(I'm also honored to have the honor of being named alongside my talented friend and critique partner Anna Klassen for her pilot script 14 Words!)

Confession time: It's only recently that I even considered submitting to contests. There's something deeply private and personal about writing and making it public — or opening it up to public scrutiny, as it were — can seem daunting.

But I have to say that the entire process of the Finish Line Script Competition has been really meaningful and powerful: the idea is that you submit a script, receive notes, rework your draft, and resubmit it. The goal isn't just to win or be selected, but to actually improve your script along the way. It sees your entries not as completed, static works, but rather as works-in-progress that can be improved. Rewriting is as much the goal as writing. Improvement is as desirable a goal as a win.

Second confession time: I'm not a person who tends to "win" things, whether they be games of luck or skill. So it really means a lot for the judges at Finish Line to have selected this script as a quarterfinalist. And this script means a lot to me: it's about isolation and human connection, about a group of people who feel misunderstood and separate. Oh, and it's a supernatural thriller to boot.

Writing Life: This Feature Isn't Going to Write Itself (Or: The Vomit Draft)

So, I'm about a third of the way through writing the feature script I mentioned last time. Reason for celebration? Hardly. I can't help but beat myself up for not being further along.

I was at a WGA Foundation event the other night and one of the panelists talked about the fact that uncertainty is a part of being a writer, no matter whether you're a showrunner, a staff writer, or a baby writer just starting out. Being a writer is being uncertain. About your skills, your work, yourself. You're full of doubt about everything because that's part and parcel often about being a writer. 

I've been agonizing over this script in a way that I haven't with my others, reworking the first act over and over again, rewriting dialogue and scenes, and taking tentative baby steps when I ought to be making huge leaps.

Life has a way of intruding upon writing, whether it's family, relationships, work, stress, time, etc. There have been a number of starts and stops with this one in a way that hasn't been the case with writing my spec pilot scripts.

I'm not a procrastinator by nature. (Though if I sometimes fall down that rabbit hole, it's often into an nth rewatch of Parks and Recreation Season 2 on Netflix.) I don't believe in the blank page. I do believe in what I like to call the "vomit draft" of a script: that first draft where you don't hold back anything, you don't censor yourself, you don't agonize over every line of dialogue. Whether it's screenwriting or journalism, I've always been a big believer in that concept. When you're a journalist with a deadline of a day, or an hour, or 20 minutes, you can't agonize over every word and every comma: you've got to get something on the page and publish ASAP.

This is not to say that your vomit draft will be perfect. Far from it! But that's not the point. The idea is to not hold back, to not get stuck in your head, to turn off that little voice of self-doubt or your personal censor and JUST GET IT ON THE PAGE. You can fix it later. You can edit later. You can rewrite later. You can throw the whole thing out if you like. But later.

Now is about just filling the blank space, trying to get the words out of your head and onto the page. Nuance can come later. Witty repartee can be added when you are in the right headspace and can focus on the dialogue. But the vomit draft is all about speed, efficiency, and progress. You've just got to move ahead. You can't get stuck in the weeds if you're going 120 miles per hour.

The past few weeks have been filled with detours, family drama, and setbacks. But I was reminded about the vomit draft and it reminded me of how I've practiced that speed and pedal-to-the-metal determination for over a decade. I need to get back to that mentality, to forge ahead and not self-censor. To lose myself in writing again and lose track of the time, the outside world, the multitude of commitments and worries and what-ifs.

Because that's what writing has been for me: a state of mind-altering bliss where I can lose myself for hours without getting up from the computer. And I need to reclaim that ethos again.

After all, this feature isn't going to write itself.

Writing Life: Feature This

I wrote the other day about how hard it's been to put down my pilot script (for now) and walk away from these characters that I've had rambling around in my head for so long.

But there comes a day where you just have to try (with all of your might) to move on to a new project, whatever that may be.

Fortunately (!), I had already written a pretty detailed outline for a feature film script — and written the first few pages — in the midst of my massive pilot script revision a few weeks back.

So on Monday, I took the first tentative steps to step into this new project.

For me, every day of writing begins the same way: I look over what I've already written, whether it was the day before or the week before, and I revise. I take a red pen to whatever I've written and try to read it through fresh eyes. What could be written better? What sounds off? What was I thinking when I even wrote this?

I try to be both brutal and kind to myself, to approach the material as a stranger as much as humanly possible and to try and see what could be tweaked and improved. (And, as hard as it is for me, to pat myself on the back for a well-turned phrase or an evocative description.)

This new project is an adaptation of a public domain book that I read quite a lot when I was growing up... but I'm also not going to feel beholden to the source material. I'm updating it to a contemporary setting and looking at how various technology might have influenced the story had they existed when it was written. Like my last script, there's a distinct whiff of the supernatural to the story but it's also about society, technology, and morality and about the intersection of all three.

And yet I'm terrified: I've never written a feature script before. The structure is completely different to television. The expectations are different. Unlike a pilot script, there needs to be a distinct beginning, middle, and end that is ultimately satisfying and wraps up the plot. 

Someone once told me that anything that is worthy of doing ought to make you scared. I'm trying to remember that with this project. Especially as I try to remind myself that nine months ago I'd never written a television pilot script either. Challenging yourself is good. Being fearful is good. Complacency, as I used to tell my writers, equals death.

With that in mind, I'm excited to dive deeper into writing this script and to (hopefully) discover that these new characters haunt me as much as the last ones did...

Writing Life: Fade to Black

I finished a detailed polish on the latest draft of my (latest) pilot script — and I have to say that I'm feeling really, really pleased with how it turned out.

That's not something I often say.

For whatever reason, I've always felt like there's something suspect about writers who genuinely love whatever they've written. Perhaps as a former critic, I'm most deeply critical about myself and my work. I'm never truly satisfied, never truly at ease with the thing I've just written. (It's often only later — sometimes years later — that I can even look back and reread something I've written and say, "Hey, that was pretty good.") But maybe that's just me.

With this latest draft of CONNECTION, however, I do feel a sense of pride, particularly in how far it's come from the original idea and from that first outline I wrote. It's changed in innumerable ways, but perhaps most notably with one major shift: the protagonist. By changing perspective and focus (see my recent post about making one change to your script), it opened up the script entirely and took the story in unexpected directions, allowing me to delve deeper into one of the main characters and bring her more fully front and center.

There's something deeply sad about finishing a work, particularly a pilot script, which is meant to be an introduction to a group of characters, a concept, a world. It's not easy saying goodbye to the people who have been rattling around in your head the last few months. But a spec pilot script is just that, often a sample of your work and nothing more. The notion of continuing the story within the script is tantalizing, but ultimately often impossible. Like a certain cat, these characters both exist and don't exist at the same time. (Except perhaps in dream.)

In this case, I spent more time on this project than I did in writing my last two pilot scripts combined. Which might be why saying goodbye and closing this Final Draft document is especially difficult: there's a sense that I'm not ready to be done with it or move onto the next thing, even though I know I need to start something new. I feel like there are so many more stories to be told with these characters and I'm loath to leave them. But a feature idea beckons — one that I've already outlined — and as hard as it is to switch my brain to a new project, it seems like it's time for CONNECTION to fade to black.

Writing Life: One Change

Just when I thought I was done writing this most recent pilot script (for now anyway — is any script really truly ever done?), I had an inspiration strike me like a bolt out of the blue. 

It's amazing to me to how making one seemingly tiny change in your pilot script can have significant overall impact. Looking at this latest draft of my drama pilot script CONNECTION, which I approached as a sort of alt-reality experiment, I now not only see the entire project in a new light, but see that this seeming minor change — in perspective — is what it ought to have been from the very beginning and, thanks to a cascade effect, it brings the script closer in line in many ways with my original intentions.

Doing so involved a huge amount of re-outlining, re-writing, and reconfiguring but I am immensely pleased with how this latest draft turned out and how it feels so right and so natural. A path is formed by laying one stone at a time, but sometimes it takes a detour to find one's ultimate destination.

The impetus for this transformation? Interestingly enough it was this ScreenCraft article, entitled "Can You Fix Your Script with One Brilliant Change?" which looked at how Passengers could have been a vastly different (and likely far superior) film with one brilliant (if major) shift at the beginning of its script. The article itself drew inspiration from this riveting YouTube video below:

Some Freelance Writing Advice

While I've largely been on-staff during my journalistic career, I have done a fair amount of freelance writing in my time for a variety of outlets. So when a friend, who is embarking on a new career in freelance writing, asked me for some advice via email, I ended up writing back with a quite a few suggestions to keep in mind when you're starting out on the adventure that is freelance writing.

These are the ones that came to me right off the top of my head, but I thought I'd share them here:

1. Leave the ego at the door.

While you’ve heard the adage that rejection is a bitter pill to swallow, be ready to deal with something even worse than rejection: silence. I’ve been on both sides of the freelance equation: I’ve been a freelance writer at some really great publications (and some not great ones) and I’ve been an editor who has bought freelance pitches. Editors are super-busy dealing with the writers they have on staff, their bosses, the copy, deadlines, etc. Freelance pitches are often at the very bottom of their burgeoning to-do list.

2. Be persistent, but not too persistent!

Find that fine line between checking in via email if you haven’t heard back and pestering editors. Never, ever, ever telephone an editor about a pitch!

3. Find out who’s buying.

Make an Excel spreadsheet of every publication you’d want to write for, contact info for relevant editors (or general freelance pitch email addresses). Scan the mastheads for the exact area you’re looking to write for AND where your story pitch would fit in. Front of the book story? Don’t pitch the features editor! (And vice-versa.) It helps to keep everything in one place: contact info, publications, pitches, dates emailed, responses, etc. This is your dashboard. And will help you begin to spot emergent patterns as you go along.

4. Find out who is on staff and who isn't.

Likewise, keep track of whether you’re seeing a lot of stories in outlets from writers who are on staff (i.e., appear on the masthead) or don’t. Mediabistro is a fantastic resource for freelancers and often have insider info on who to pitch, what percentage of stories come from freelance vs. in-house, what sections are open to freelance or new writers, etc. 

5. Be specific in your pitch(es).

Don’t send 10 pages of random info. Again, editors = super-busy. Cut to the chase. Who are you? What can you offer? What are your qualifications, experience, connections? Do you know chefs, winemakers, publicists, etc.? Send 3-5 story pitches in the body of the mail. Keep them short, snappy, and to the point. Why would someone want to read this story? Why are you the only person who should write it? Why does it make sense for this particular publication?

Also, tailor your pitches. Never start with "Dear Editor," which is the kiss of death. Personalize them at the start as well as being specific in terms of a targeted pitch. And double-check before you press send. Nothing is more embarrassing than sending the wrong email to the wrong editor.

6. Write every day.

Seriously: Every. Day. As a freelancer, you live or die on your freelance rates, which tend to be low. How quickly you can write copy and turn it around, clean and pristine, will determine how many other stories you can write per month and therefore how much you can actually earn. Practice, practice, practice. Didn’t sell that freelance pitch? Write it anyway and post it on your blog. Get to know AP Style and check the style guides for any publications that you’re writing for. Clean, snappy copy goes a long, long way to making editors happy.

7. Get to know your industry on a national and local level.

Interested in covering food outside of New York? Well, who are the local chefs in Oakland/San Francisco who are up and coming? And who are their publicists? How can you get on the list for restaurant openings/parties, etc.? What is happening in SF or Wine Country that is new, novel, or innovative? Want to cover entertainment? What are the stories that you're not seeing covered by the major city newspapers, the trades, and the general interest entertainment press (EW, Vulture, etc.)? Can you get to these stories first before they become covered by the New York Times or others?

8. It's about ideas.

Write down every idea that you have, no matter how insignificant it might seem at the time. You never know where a story thread or inspiration will come from.

9. Be fearless.

Contact anyone and everyone, even if it’s a cold pitch. Don't be afraid to get a no.

10. Brand yourself.

Every pitch needs that graf about who you are and why you’re amazing and your experience/background, writing credits, etc. Refine this graf. Live it, breathe it, love it. It is your best friend. It needs to be on the tip of your tongue every time you meet someone new and every time you pitch an editor. It should seem effortless and natural but also impressive. Don’t be boastful but also don’t be modest. Sell yourself as much as you’re selling your ideas.

Be sure that you have active social media accounts (Twitter, especially) and that you're especially engaged with the topic(s) that you're looking to cover... and that you're not posting things on your personal accounts that prospective editors/employers would be horrified to see. 

11. Keep track of every work-related expense.

Find a good accountant who can help you with itemized deductions. Check with the city you live in to see if you need a business license to operate as a freelancer. (Word to the wise: in SF and LA, as a freelancer, you do.)

Are there any other specific questions that you have about freelance writing? Ask me and I'll answer them in the comments...

The novel is done!

The novel is done! Well, to be fair, a novel is never really done, now is it? I did, however, finish writing the third draft of my novel earlier this week and am allowing myself the luxury of celebrating even getting this far.

In the spirit of the last update, I thought I’d stick to the Q&A format.

Question: So what does it mean when you say that you’ve finished?

Answer: I’m done with the actual writing for now. The draft is locked. My alpha-reader’s very extensive notes and edits have now all been implemented within the manuscript.

Question: Wait, what the hell is an alpha-reader?

Answer: A saint, really. It’s someone who gives up a considerable amount of time and energy to read through your manuscript with a fine-toothed comb and offer suggestions, edits, and notes on the entirety of your draft. For me, it comprised an intense couple of weeks of back and forth dialogue with my alpha-reader, who offered really intelligent and precise edits and some stellar suggestions.

Question: What does it feel like to have reached this stage?

Answer: Incredible, really. I never thought that I’d actually write a novel, much less finish writing one. The magnitude of it hits you when you are standing in front of the printer. Printing out a manuscript makes it feel somehow more real, as though the characters and words on the screen have coalesced into something tangible. A printed manuscript is a bit like a monolith. At 340 pages and more than 86,000 words, it feels like an accomplishment in and of itself just to hold the damn thing in my hands.

Question: So has anyone else read it yet?

Answer: Funny you should ask that. Since the third draft was completed, I sent it to a few beta-readers who kindly volunteered their time.

Question: What’s the next step then?

Answer: Okay, so here’s the big news, slightly buried: This week, I began querying a small group of agents for representation. I’ve already gotten some encouraging responses and the fact that the manuscript — in its entirety or a smaller sample — is even being read and considered by literary agents is exciting and terrifying in equal measure.

Question: Can I get any clues to what the novel is actually about?

Answer: Sigh. You asked me this last time and I wouldn’t budge. I’ll narrow it down slightly more and call it a high-concept speculative thriller. Anymore than that and I’d be spoiling it.

Question: Spoilsport. Anything to say to those people who have helped you reach this point?

Answer: To those of you who have offered your guidance and advice these last few months, thank you. To those who have listened to me talk endlessly about this book, thank you even more. I couldn’t have gotten this far without the support of my family and friends, to whom I owe a monumental debt.

Question: While you’re waiting to hear back from agents, what’s next for you in terms of writing?

Answer: I’ll likely be taking on a few freelance assignments, outlining the second book in this trilogy, and solidifying some fiction and non-fiction book ideas that I’ve been turning over in my head.

Question: Any clue then about what those might be?

Answer: If you know me at all, some of the ideas — both on the fiction and non-fiction side — make perfect sense. These ideas are a logical conclusion to what I’ve been working towards for the past 10 years or so.

In other words: stay tuned.

Wait, so you're writing a novel?!

Yes, I am writing a novel! Often that initial question leads to a number of follow-up queries about the book and what I'm up to these days, so I thought I'd collect them in one place.

Imagine this as a question and answer-style interview with myself about this book — an FAQ Q&A of sorts. Here goes:

Question: So you're writing a novel?

Answer: I am!

Question: Wow, that's so cool. So... what is your book about?

Answer: Hmmm, how to answer that? I don't want to give away too many details about the plot, but I will say that it's a high-octane action-thriller with some grounded sci-fi elements. It's sort of high-concept, I guess.

Question: High-concept? Does that mean that things explode?

Answer: If I were being honest, I'd say that the book is really more mid-concept, if that were an actual thing, than strictly high-concept. The novel explores the psychological complexities of its characters and hopefully the characters grow and change over time.

Question: But... there are still explosions, right?

Answer: You and the explosions! I guess so.

Question: [Tense silence.]

Answer: Sorry. Um, yeah, things go boom.

Question: Sigh. How long did it take you write the book?

Answer: Well, I'm still writing it. Or, technically, I guess I'm rewriting it now. I'm almost done with my third draft.

Question: Does that mean you've already finished two drafts?

Answer: Yes, I'm nearing the end of writing the third draft. I'm currently going through the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb one last time. So it's not done just yet!

Question: How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Answer: I wrote the first draft pretty quickly, in about six weeks, working two to three days a week and writing for a few hours at a time. 

Question: That seems really fast! Is that fast?

Answer: I guess it is? However, I've always been a speedy writer. I wrote the first 30 pages on my first day. All in one go, without standing up from the computer.

Question: Wow, that's kind of intense. Is that a typical pace then for you?

Answer: I always try to write a chapter or two (or three) each day. I don't believe in self-censoring. I just write — I don't agonize over every single word or description on the first draft. I think it's key to get it on paper and then you can always go back and improve it. Some days, I'd write 30 pages in one go and other days it might only be 10 or 15 pages or I'd take a deep dive into a chapter from the day before and really rework it. I tried not to think about it in terms of pages or specific goals like that. 

Question: Still, that seems pretty fast. Was this an idea you had been thinking about for a long time then?

Answer: Not at all! It was an idea that came to me one day. I just fell in love with the concept and really wanted to tell this story and bring these characters to life. There were a few specific scenes that played in my head so vividly; it was about crafting a story that fulfilled the promise of those initial dreams.

I printed out the second draft of my manuscript a few weeks back. Yes, that is a lot of paper. A lot.

Question: So what's your writing process then?

Answer: Basically, I start each day by reading what I wrote the day before. Then I tweak it as much as I feel it needs to be at this stage before moving on to write something new. Now that I'm in the rewriting/self-editing phase, that means going back through what I've written and really cutting and expanding where I need to and taking a more holistic look at the work. Oh, and I always edit on paper with a pen.

Question: How long is the book?

Answer: Right now, it's clocking in at a little over 85,000 words. 

Question: Is that a lot?

Answer: Well, it's recommended that a first novel be around 80,000 words so it's in the sweet spot for a novel of its sort. If that's difficult to visualize, it's 330 pages in manuscript form.

Question: So what's the next step with this book then?

Answer: Once I finish this pass, I need to start to send out the manuscript to agents.

Question: Oh, so you don't have an agent yet?

Answer: No, not yet. I really wanted the manuscript to be as close to perfect as it could be before I started to submit it to agents. Hopefully, a literary agent will want to represent me and take it out to publishers for consideration.

Question: And then what?

Answer: Hopefully, it will get published. Fingers crossed, anyway.

Question: Is that the end result then?

Answer: Well, partially... This story would also make for a really great big-budget movie, should a studio want to develop it and purchase the rights.

Question: Ooh, that's sort of exciting! Are you excited by that?

Answer: Let's just wait and see. First things first.

Question: Are you going to write another book then after you finish this one?

Answer: Let's not get ahead of ourselves! I do have some other ideas for books, both fiction and non-fiction, that I'd love to sink my teeth into. If this book is successful, I'd also love to revisit these characters again.

Question: Oh, so there might be more with these characters?

Answer: Hmmm. I'll be definitive: It's intended to be the first book in a trilogy featuring the two main characters.

Question: Wow, that's awesome! You're sure can't tell me what this book is about? Not even a hint?

Answer: No hints for now. I will say that it's unlike what I had envisioned that I would write (if you had told me that I would have written a book), and it's been such a joyful process to fall in love with these characters and watch them come to life on the page. 

Question: Do you have any advice to give other people out there who might want to write a novel?

Answer: Just write. Every day. Even if it's just a sentence. And write for yourself: write something that you would want to read.