That's all, aspiring TV writing and directing folks: Warner Bros. shutters its TV Workshops (+ updated news)

When companies merge (or one company buys out another) there's usually cuts to be made as the two streamline into one. While many of these cuts - as unpleasant as they may be for the people involved - are necessary, the recent Warner Bros./Discovery merger just took out an expected target.

It was announced today that the famous Warner Bros. TV Workshop, which includes both writing and directing programs, is being shut down. The writers workshop has been around for forty years, while the directing track was added in 2014. It has been a great opportunity for a lot of people to get their start in the business, and the shutdown was unexpected.

Another aspect of the workshops I noticed were some interesting comments on the Deadline article (linked above) was about the people who are being selected for the programs.

 

A few years back I submitted my Better Call Saul spec from my UCLA Extension class to both the Warner Bros. and NBC/Universal TV Writing Workshops, to no avail. Fair enough, but I did notice that when they announced the selections, it did seem as if almost every participant already had a foot in the door in the industry. Many were already staffed as assistants on existing shows. Maybe this experience made them seem like better candidates to make the most of the programs, but it also sent a clear message that the selection processed favored applicants who already had connections. Not all, but it didn't hurt. I remember feeling like it was kind of a waste of my time to apply if I wasn't already similarly situated.

 

But that and other issues not withstanding, this is a bitter loss for aspiring TV writers and directors, not to mention kind of a sad commentary on the industry as a whole. When I worked in post production WBTV was the leading producer of TV out of all the studios. I don't know if they still are, but it made sense for them to actively cultivate new talent, especially talent that might not have found a way into the industry yet. From both a writing and industry standpoint, I just think it's an unfortunate decision. Somewhere out their is a writer who will not be getting an opportunity in the future because of the loss of the program, and who otherwise might have been the creator of a future hit show.

 

 

UPDATED 10/12/22: Due to blowback from the industry and the DGA, Warners has rescinded their decision to cut the Workshops and will transfer them from the TV division to their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit. Which is great news, but it also begs the question of if the program will become less about promoting promising talent and more about promoting underrepresented groups only. But hey, it's a start. 

Character builder

This popped up on my Instagram feed this morning and I thought it would be helpful to get us out of our writing funk. And yeah, but "our" I mean "my". Not enjoying the dry spell.

Characters patiently waiting to spring to life, here I come!

There's one in every family

This is getting to be the crappy part of the year for me. March is now the anniversary of my Mom's death. Then in May there's Mother's Day followed by the anniversary of Dad's death. And next month is Father's Day.

Today marks eight years since my Dad passed away. Eight years since my sister shit on his memory and wreaked havoc on what was left of the family. Here's a friendly piece of advice that I unfortunately had to learn the hard way: I don't care how much you trust your survivors to respect your final wishes, you need to have your trust and/or will up-to-date and ironclad. The more value that your estate has, the more important this is, because there's a good chance there will be a greedy free-for-all when you're gone.

That's what happened after my Dad died, and as executor of his estate I was front and center for all the bullshit. It took about three years to close his estate because I had to sell his house and the housing market where he lived wasn't great at the time. It was three years of hell - dealing with someone else's disrespectful crap and having to see my Dad's memory and intentions to provide for his survivors trashed and trampled on. And it wasn't like our situation was unique. So many people I talked to during that period had a similar story. One guy told me he had uncles who were no longer speaking to him as a result of the battle over his grandparents estate. I remember him saying, "I thought we had a close family..."

So whether you have a close family or not, have things in order. Do it now. If my Dad had any inkling of the shit my sister was going to pull after he passed away and the hell she put the rest of us through, he would have throttled her (and probably disinherited her, and not for the first time). But by then it was too late for him to deal with the situation. So if you want things done right, make sure you've set it up in advance.

On the upside, it did give me some valuable story fodder. One of the great things about being a writer is that there is no such thing as useless information, and no such thing as useless experience. Even a bad experience, once enough time has passed, can provide inspiration. So I did get a go-to villain and a great Better Call Saul spec script out of the deal, and Dad would have gotten a huge kick out of that.

So RIP Dad, and as for the rest of you, you're welcome for the advice.

I just had a thought - now that "The Twilight Zone" is back, can we submit TZ spec scripts?

Because I just saw this online and promptly came up with a number of Twilight Zone-ish story ideas:

Let's see:

• Loss of individual rights to the government? (or as Rod Serling usually referred to it, "The State") Check.
• State mandated murder of (rather than protection of) children, the most vulnerable of our society? Check.
• Mandatory criminalization of some people but not of others, i.e., preferential treatment for certain classes? Check. 
• The State telling the citizens what opinions and beliefs they can and cannot hold? Check.
• Strip the citizens of the ability to protect themselves from The State? Check.
• Exemption from the law for certain classes of people preferred by The State? Check.
• Dismantling of the U.S. Constitution? Check. (By the way, gotta love the term "sunset provision" rather than "dismantling of your constitutional rights provision". Very catchy, very cleverly deceptive. I think that's my episode title right there.)

I see stuff like this and I find myself thinking how much I'd love to see what Serling and George Orwell would be writing if they were alive today. I have a feeling they would run afoul of Mr. Yang and his ilk.

The oppression of the individual and individuality by "The State" was a favorite theme of Serling's; the episodes Eye of the Beholder, The Obsolete Man, and Number 12 Looks Just Like You spring to mind. And if the kind of "policies" listed above were to ever actually be implemented, we would be in a real-life Twilight Zone and Orwell's thought crimes wouldn't be far behind. 

And I'm not kidding about writing a Twilight Zone spec. Not with this kind of material to work with. The guidelines for TV specs always include a rule that the show has to currently be in production, so it would seem like TZ is fair game.

Submitted for your approval - June 2018 edition

Considering I spent the first half of the month blocked and the entire month prepping for a move, I was surprised I ended up getting anything submitted this month.

I submitted a very short story to the Writers Police Academy's Golden Donut Short Story Competition. This is a fun annual contest. They give you a photo (see this year's here) and you have to write a story based on the picture that is exactly 200 words, including a title, which is required. Winner will be announced at the WPA Banquet in August. The award is actually very pretty, with the winner's name etched in it in glass, and not in fact a donut, which I think would be hilarious. Bonus: I submitted it on June 18, a full thirteen days before the deadline. I think that's a new personal best.

There were a couple other markets I wanted to submit to, but packing for the move took over and I had to pass on those. Once I get moved and settled in my plan is to spend the rest of the year submitting as much as possible.

I also found out that I didn't make the quarterfinal cut of the Script Pipeline TV Contest. I had entered my old Better Call Saul spec last December. It was already out of date (but still less than a year old) at the time, and I'm guessing the fact that the contest was open until June 1 of this year didn't help that situation. It's also the second consecutive TV contest where it looks like they much prefer original pilots to specs, as those were the majority of the scripts that made the cut. A BCS script did make it, so I'm pulling for that guy.

Other news: Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles announced that they will reveal the authors and stories selected for their next anthology on July 18, so fingers crossed. And as I type this I realize that when they do, I will no longer be living by the ocean and that makes me sad. Wonder what kind of stories I'll be writing while cooped inside the next few months to escape the scorching San Gabriel Valley summer.

Image snicked from somewhere on the internet. If it's yours please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due.

Submitted for your approval - February-April edition

Due to my Mom's death, March and April submissions kind of went off the rails, then I forgot to post this altogether. Nor did I get around to posting what I'd done in February, so here's everything from February through April:

Writer's Digest "Your Story Competition": February's contest was a caption contest for this photo:

Of course my mind went straight to crime, so the caption I submitted was, "I double-counted my poisonous treats, one for every time he'd broken my heart."

I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to submit it, because I couldn't tell for sure if the hand in the picture belonged to a child or just someone pudgy. I decided to go with the latter because if I'm confused about it, other contributors probably are too.

I also got a submission in during March for another anthology. The short story involved is the one I talked about here. It ended up being one of my twice in one day rejections. The other one was for the quarterly ezine mentioned here.

On the bright side, as I mentioned here, my now-aged Better Call Saul script did well in the latest Scriptapalooza competition.

On the downside, I found out that the short stories I submitted for two upcoming anthologies (Mystery Writers of America and Bouchercon) were not selected. Either one would have been a career moment. I really liked both stories too, will need to try and find other places to submit them.

The MWA anthology had almost two hundred entries and chose ten. Bouchercon had about 300 and the "wish we had better news" email I got raved about the quality of all of them and how hard it was for the judges to pick just a few, so I'm trying not to feel too bad, but just one of those would have been huge.

Oh well, onward and upward.

When first drafts attack

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got as a fledgling writer was the importance of understanding that first drafts are shit. They just are. The whole purpose of a first draft's existence is to just get your story down on paper. Then it can be fixed. It's not for public consumption because anyone who reads it (unless they're another writer who understands it's at a really raw stage) will think you're a crappy writer. Writing, as the saying goes, is rewriting.

Another thing that's been on my mind lately is to start submitting well before deadlines, instead of at 11:59:59 pm on the due date like I usually do.

Why do I mention these things? Well, because they've come together the past couple of days as I work on a short story for an upcoming anthology with a deadline of March 23, almost exactly one month away.

The story, which we'll refer to as Hollywoodland (because that's its name) was my submission last year to the Malice Domestic anthology Murder Most Geographical. It wasn't selected and now that I've dragged it out of mothballs to repurpose it for another anthology, I can see why.

It's awful.

Not the story, which I think is fine, but the fact that it reads like a first draft. No wonder it wasn't chosen. But it went out like that because I threw it together at the last second because inspiration didn't strike until the last minute. And also because I am a terrible procrastinator. Kidding, I'm unfortunately really good at it. Point is, because instead of giving myself time to do what turned out to be a much needed rewrite, I sent it out into the world in its sorry first draft state. I feel like I should apologize to the judges at Malice who had to waste their time on it. In fact, I will: Sorry, you guys. My bad. Won't happen again.

I got a lot of work done on it yesterday and a bit more today, and it's in much better shape. My next few days are going to be busy with family stuff, so I won't get to spend more time on it until Sunday. My goal is to have it whipped into shape and submitted by next Wednesday, the last day of the month. That will give me two submissions for the month, meeting that goal again. It also gives me some breathing room in March, because I don't have any other hard deadlines until April and May. I need a new TV spec to replace my Better Call Saul script that is now outdated, so that's probably next in line, as well as the next Sisters in Crime Los Angeles anthology, which is due May 15 and will need to be done well in advance so I don't repeat mistakes of the past.

Writing wise I feel like I'm in pretty good shape. Now if I could just get another acceptance, that would give me two years running. And would be fabulous.

Above image snicked from the internets. If it's yours, A) Great work! and B) Let me know so I can give you credit.

Quarterfinalist in the Scriptapalooza TV Competition

Got an email today advising me that Scriptapalooza announced the results of their latest TV writing competition and I was thrilled to find out that my Better Call Saul spec made it to the quarterfinals in the 1-hour spec category.

Considering I never used to even place in these competitions, it's nice to see some results. Also, there were a total of 257 1-hour scripts submitted, so at most, only 10 - or at most 13 if you include the other quarterfinalists - were considered better than mine. Not too shabby.

My name in print.

Full results are here.

Flattery will get you almost anywhere

In this case it got me to the second round.

I've submitted my Better Call Saul spec that I wrote in the UCLA Extension classes earlier this year to a number of competitions and workshops, and today I got some great feedback from one of them.

The script made it to the second round of the TV writing competition at the Austin Film Festival, but didn't advance beyond that. I'd been notified of that some time ago, but I just received the feedback from both first and second round judges and I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with it.

Initial reader

Concept: Fabulous idea for this show. Better Call Saul has such a profound vision that I believe writing a spec for it is a really big undertaking. This episode feels like it would fit in nicely with others in the series.

Plot: This was such a captivating narrative. The writer really handles all of the moving parts with expertise. This felt like I was reading an actual episode of Better Call Saul. I particularly loved the twist with Mike and the hit job.

Structure: The structure is great. The teaser is done really well and mimics the structure of Better Call Saul beautifully. The pacing was great--this didn't feel like it dragged on. The story was told clearly. This spec turned out to be a wonderful reading experience.

Characters: The characters act as they would within the series. Jimmy does what he does best--run a scam-- to get out of a bad situation. The original character, Chelsea, is developed nicely. She doesn't feel one note and interacts well in the universe of Better Call Saul.

Dialogue: This exhibits some really, really tight dialogue. None of the lines drag on or feel indulgent. I particularly liked the story Chuck told about the girl who picked up the snake. That was a great, totally Chuck bit that enhanced the story nicely. The dialogue feels authentic overall and is done very well.

Overall: Overall, this is a great spec script. The writer really understands all aspects of Better Call Saul--the characters, the dialogue, the pacing, the structure, the complicated relationships, etc. I really enjoyed reading this. This was a really well done self-contained episode full of the writer’s smart choices. This episode is written concisely yet thoroughly. I thought the teaser was a great addition that had more and more meaning as the episode progressed. The writer really understood and exhibited Jimmy and Chuck’s complicated relationship in only one episode. It was also a clever idea to pit Jimmy against a character like Chelsea, and to see Chelsea get taken down in true Jimmy fashion. My only note, and it’s just a brief technical one, is that “Sphinx” is misspelled in the middle of page 35. This was a great reading experience.

Second Round reader

Concept: Conceptually, this spec fits Better Call Saul very well. Jimmy scams his way out of scam. I could see this story playing out very nicely on the show without interrupting the overall story/character arcs in place.

Plot: Jimmy is hired to help a woman get what she sees has her rightful share of an inheritance. This same woman hires Mike to kill her family who has already hired Mike to protect them from her. Overall, great tie-ins within the story. My only issue would be how the teaser relates to the rest of the script. Is it just to show Saul was a screw up and a scammer. It might be better to show something relating to his family in the past instead.

Structure: Jimmy is hired to help a woman get what she sees has her rightful share of an inheritance. This same woman hires Mike to kill her family who has already hired Mike to protect them from her. Overall, great tie-ins within the story. My only issue would be how the teaser relates to the rest of the script. Is it just to show Saul was a screw up and a scammer. It might be better to show something relating to his family in the past instead.

Characters: The characters also fit the show nicely especially Mike. Series regulars are spot on. The major introduced character, Chelsea, is developed well enough to hold her own in the story, but perhaps more could be done to give her layers and add to her crazy.

Dialogue: The dialogue is very good and would fit the BCS world. Some interactions between Jimmy and Chelsea are repetitive. More could be done to vary these interactions and even further build on the story and characters.

Overall: Overall, this is a great spec for a Better Call Saul episode and a solid second round script. (Also nice title. ) A believable story is presented using all the regular players and introducing a crafty character that ties to Jimmy’s practice, Mike’s side business, and even to HHM. Though the teaser does demonstrate that Jimmy has a history as a scammer, we already know that. It might make more sense to show something that relates to his commiserating with Chelsea as the family black sheep. Chuck’s message that Jimmy can only work an angle to solve a problem instead of using sound judgment and legal means is hard hitting. The script could also use some proofreading. Otherwise, this spec was an enjoyable read and a story that I’d love to see on the show.

Not too shabby, eh?

This spec is still out to a couple other contests. I hope they're liking it as much as these guys did.

I also submitted a short story this week to an anthology from Mystery Writers of America. They will announce which stories were accepted early to mid 2018.

And that's it for 2017 submissions. I'm working on a master list of markets for next year and my plan is to submit as much as possible.

Happy writing, everyone!

Wrap-up: UCLA Extension TV writing class #1

So I ended up getting an A+ in my first UCLA TV writing class, thanks to my outline for a Better Call Saul spec that everyone in the class, including the instructor, seemed to really like. We get a couple weeks off, then in the next quarter we'll turn our outlines into actual scripts, now that we've got out stories worked out.

I have to admit that I am really pleased with the way the script turned out, especially when you consider the clusterfuck that the class seemed like at the beginning.

The system they use is fantastic. I'll used it for all future TV specs. I wish I'd gotten into this program years ago. I really do recommend it highly.

Good news, bad news

The good news:

• Still cruising through my UCLA Extension TV Writing class. Lots of kudos and bravos from the instructor on my Better Call Saul script (we just finished our third act outline and are doing our fourth act this week) and lots of really positive feed back from classmates, including one who said it reads like a lost episode of the show. Considering how badly this started out, I'm elated at how well it's going. I'm also really looking forward to getting this script - once finished - out to writing contests. 
• The long-awaited Feud: Bette and Joan finally hit the air last night and holy crap Susan Sarandon is knocking it out of the park as Bette Davis. Just give her the Emmy now. It's also a terrific look at old Hollywood. And damn, Bette was tough.

The bad news:

• Turner Classic Movies just announced the death of Robert Osborne, long-time TCM host and film historian. Terrible loss of a wonderful gentleman from a classier, now lost era. More on Osborne from Variety.
• Bob Miller, the long-time play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings, announced his retirement Thursday. He will call the final two games of this season before exiting for good. Kings fans kind of knew this was coming, especially after this, but it's still hard to take. Miller was the last standing member of the famed Los Angeles sports announcers trio (Miller, Vin Scully and the late Chick Hearn). I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch the press conference or any of his interviews. I'm going to need a bottle of wine and a big box of Kleenex for that.

So good news on UCLA Extension front after several crappy days

It appears I've come up with a story idea for Better Call Saul after all. <-- Look at that - I'm a poet and don't know it. 😉  Just waiting to hear back from the instructor and I'll know for sure if it's going to work.

Even better - it's based on some family drama from a few years back. So it will be educational and therapeutic!

"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better." --Anne Lamott

"As a writer, it's all grist for the mill: your friends, enemies, relatives, strangers, your fears, worries, failures and triumphs. All of it." --Mark Rubenstein

Feeling much better today...

There are no words to describe how much I hate that I'm writing this post

My first UCLA Extension TV writing class started Wednesday. Well, it was supposed to start Wednesday, but apparently it had been live since the previous weekend and no one at UCLA Extension felt the need to communicate that. In fact, it turns out that Wednesday is completely irrelevant to this class. Let me cut and paste my Facebook bitching over the past few days to get you caught up:

So it turns out my UCLA Extension TV Writing class started last Sunday, not Wednesday as per the course description, and my first assignment is due tonight. Plus there might be a problem with the show I wanted to spec because it's in its first season, so I'm waiting for feedback from the instructor as to whether or not I need to pick another show. Either way I'm starting off in a hole, which is not how I saw this happening. Gonna have a lot of catching up to do.

Finally got a "response" this morning (after posting at 12:40 yesterday afternoon), sort of. So now the class starts on Saturday. By response I mean we were informed that new lessons post on Saturday, and those of us who haven't gotten to the first assignment need to get on it, because if we get behind we have the stress of trying to catch up, yadda yadda yadda. No shit, I already knew that thanks to lack of communication from UCLA Extension that I'm starting in a hole. And still no answer to my actual questions. Also I posted a document for feedback last night and it's still not showing up on the discussion board, although the sidebar acknowledges that it's been submitted. I'm beginning to wonder if signing up for this program was a mistake, and given how lackadasial it's been so far (only week 1) I have to wonder how respected this program really is in the entertainment industry. I have until the 24th to get my money back on this class, and I still have to eat the $200 application fee. I hate to be thinking of quitting but based on my experience so far I'm just not impressed. Really, really frustrated.

Well, the good news is I finally got a response. The bad news is I'm apparently not allowed to spec the show I planned on for the past four months since I applied to this program and have to scramble to familiarize myself with a new show enough to write a decent script for it, all while catching up on week 1 and a new assignment will be posted today. Not what I expected, plus some of my classmates are apparently being allowed to spec questionable shows, including one which will be ending this year. Really disillusioned. Wondering if I should just stick to contests.

Reread this morning's email from the instructor (which should have been sent to us a week ago) and not only are we just now being informed that new lessons post on Saturday (and not Wednesday per the course description) but she only checks the stuff we post online Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Not even daily. I'm really concerned about what I've gotten myself into.

Or I could drop this class and wait until late spring/summer and see if the show gets renewed...

OK, that's been dealt with. Picking a more acceptable show and writing the script I want to out of class using the class materials. Bingeing Better Call Saul has commenced. No idea for a script though. Also still doesn't change the fact that I should have been dealing with this almost a week ago if the school had bothered to let me know the class was live days early. Being in the hole so early on is going to kill my grade, plus the next class assignment posts tonight so I have to deal with that too. Not an auspicious start.

So I submitted a show bible for Better Call Saul (great show, zero interest in writing it) which is a no-brainer because our bibles are just cut and paste from online sites. Oh, and also because - since I've never watched the show - I can catch up on it relatively quickly because Netflix is streaming Season 1, has Season 2 on DVD, and each season is only ten episodes. What I don't have is the faintest idea for an episode, which was also supposed to be submitted last Friday night.

This morning I check my email and see this:

This is a GREAT show to spec! As you have already noticed, one of your peers is writing for the same show. She really knows this show and will be able to give you solid feedback.

No, I hadn't noticed that, but if she really knows this show, she'll be able to tell that I don't. What I have noticed is that one of my "peers" is speccing Orphan Black, a show that has already announced that its upcoming season will be its last. In addition to the "no freshman shows" rule, we were also told not to spec cancelled shows. My freshman show at least has a shot at being around this time next year. And if that student gets a pass to spec a show that's ending, I don't see why I shouldn't get a pass on speccing a new show. Unless the instructor doesn't know Orphan Black is ending, which sends up a whole new red flag. Plus, I've been told in the past that you shouldn't spec old shows (pretty much anything that's beyond Season 5 or so) for a variety of reasons, and I've got classmates speccing Supernatural and Grey's Anatomy, both of which are ancient.

I'm probably already looking at a B at most or even a C in this class if I don't magically pull something out of my ass in the next five days and get caught up, and I can't accept that. I'm not a C student. I understand that we're being taught to hit deadlines, but if I was already at that level I wouldn't be taking a beginning writing class nor would I be worried about getting a certificate, because I'd be too busy actually working. And again, if I'd been notified that the class started the previous weekend, I could have been dealing with all this prior to the deadline, all last week could have been spent on this, rather than me logging into my UCLA Extension account and only seeing a link to the class description, and not a link to the actual class itself. One more gripe? In the first lesson the material uses shows that are off the air as examples of specs. Royal Pains? Psych (which was misspelled Psyche)? Great shows, but gone. They couldn't even be bothered to update the material? 

And then there's this: for ninety bucks I can take a TV writing class from Shonda Rhimes at MasterClass.com. I've taken courses through them before and they're exceptionally well done. 

I have two more days in which I can withdraw and get my tuition refunded. I have a history of starting things and then not finishing them, so I hate to feel like I'm doing it yet again. I hate that I probably sound whiny, but I'm just so disappointed and don't feel supported at all. There's also the option of taking this class again next quarter and I'll be better prepared for what to expect. In fact, it could mean the difference between at least having a chance to get an A in the class and having no chance at all. And maybe I'll bite the bullet on dealing with traffic and parking and take the class on campus instead of online, so I can feel like I'm actually communicating with my instructor.

In the meantime I could take Shonda's course, write the script I want to write, and put it in contests. And to be honest, I just looked at the second week's assignment and and except for the inflexibility on writing a new show, so far I haven't learned anything I didn't already know coming into this class. 

I'm also just really tired of getting excited about things and then being disappointed. Remember this? 

If you've ever wanted to write an episode of the Twilight Zone, this is for you!

The Rod Serling Short Script Competition is accepting entries:

Entries are now being accepted for the Rod Serling Conference's Short Feature Scriptwriting competition. The conference is scheduled for November 2013 in Los Angeles.

The script competition is open to non-produced or non-optioned writers only. The deadline for entries is Monday, April 15, 2013.

First Place: $250
Second Place: $150
Third Place: $100

The Top 5 will be read by Carol Serling.

For complete rules and submissions guidelines, click here.

Serling taught at Ithaca College from 1967 until his death in 1975. Ithaca College is also home to the Rod Serling Archives consisting of television scripts, movie screenplays, stage play scripts, films, published works by Serling, unproduced scripts, and secondary materials. 

Per the official rules, entries should be "in the same genre and spirit that would have been suitable to conform with episodes for either The Twilight Zone or Night Gallery.  More specifically this means displaying traits of either a horror or a science fiction genre, while exhibiting strong traditional or contemporary social themes."  To help out, they kindly provide a sample Night Gallery script, Class of '99.

I was also thrilled to learn that the Rod Serling Conference will be in L.A. this year.  Hopefully the Brother and I can score tickets.

Updated 4/16/13: The deadline for entries has been extended to April 30.  And I for one am glad to hear it.

Back in the writing saddle, plus some upcoming writing competitions

I've spent the last month and a half clearing out my late Uncle's apartment and taking care of loose ends brought on by his death.  There's still a few things left to do (plus I'm still dealing with my Dad's estate), but after a period of feeling like my life had been taken over, I'm trying to get back into somewhat of a normal routine.  And that means getting back to writing.

It feels like forever that I've done any significant writing.  I did pull out the White Collar spec from last year and got an unexpected visit from the Reality Fairy.  The script starts out fine, then heads non-stop for the toilet as it goes on.  This actually makes sense, since I wrote it start to finish (usually I'm all over the place before tying everything together) which means that the beginning and middle of the script got a lot more rewriting than the latter part of it.  This happened because I was desperate to get it into the Screenwriting Expo competition last year and just made it by the skin of my teeth.  At the time I was just happy to get it done, but in looking it over with fresh eyes, I can see it clearly wasn't ready to go out.  So rewriting that baby is first up on my writing to-do list so it can be my entry for TV writing competitions this year.  Which reminds me, the next deadline for the semi-annual Scriptapalooza TV Competition is 4/16/12.  Get on it.

Some upcoming competitions from Writers Digest include their Self-Published Book Awards (deadline 4/20/12) and Annual Writing Competition (deadline 5/1/12), which includes categories for scripts, short stories and magazine articles.

Also, it looks the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest should be releasing their next logline any day now.

The folks at Scripped.com have come up with an interesting new contest:

Write a short (ten pages or less) one-person STAGE PLAY that tells the story of an artist.  It could be a day-in-the-life, a truncated history, or a particular event that gives us a window into the artist's world, anything.  The artist character could be based on a real-life artist or could be completely original …or even auto-biographical if you think you are interesting enough. This play can be classically styled or it could be utterly abstract and stream-of-consciousness -- style is entirely up to you.

More details here.  Deadline is 2/29/12 and winner scores $250.  Get on it.

By the skin of my teeth

So the Screenwriting Expo was kind enough to extend the deadline for their screenwriting competition for an additional week, from midnight last Sunday July 24 to midnight Sunday July 31.  This gave me more time to try and finish my perpetually ongoing White Collar spec and get it entered.  By Sunday afternoon I'd finally figured out how I was going to finish the story and wrap up the case (and yes, pretty much all my writing is getting done at and only at Old Airport Beach as mentioned in that link).  However, I was still working on it into the evening and was coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to quite make it.  But lo and behold, after finishing it and registering it with WGA, I finished the submission process with - I kid you not - all of two minutes to spare.  The deadline was 12 midnight Pacific Time; in Hawaii we're currently three hours behind (this shortens to two hours during PST since Hawaii doesn't observe Daylight Saving) and I literally hit the final submit button at 8:58pm Big Island Time.

I'll put the thing away for a couple months while I work on something else, then pull it out and take a look at it and probably hate it and launch a full-on rewrite, because that's how I roll.  In the meantime, it feels really good to finally be done with this one.

Beachfront properties

I've been writing very little lately.  In fact if it wasn't for blogging, I'd have probably forgotten how to type by now.  There was the whole serious illness followed by death in the family thing, followed by the unfortunate family drama thing.  Take it from me, real life can put one heck of a damper on your creativity.   Add in an enforced, lengthy absence from Los Angeles and you've got a miserable, unproductive and very homesick writer.

Then yesterday afternoon I decided to do the artsy thing, packed up my current project and headed for the beach, hoping the location would offer to volunteer as muse.  And boy did it, way beyond any reasonable expectations.

My seemingly eternal White Collar spec is the current work in progress that I really need to finish so that I have something for scriptwriting competitions.  How long is it taking me to complete this thing?  Since I started it, I've gone from rabid fan to barely watching this show anymore.  Not good.  Way too long.

Despite the fact that it was up to about 50 pages, this script was far from done.  I was happy with the dialogue and the case.  I was even able to work in a questionable piece of real life "art" from a co-worker's hilarious story about her trip to an exhibition populated by a bunch of pretentious artsy types.  The problem I was having was figuring out how to actually solve the thing.  I didn't have the all-important the "gotcha" moment where all is revealed.  I had a great idea and some fun moments, but no story.

I'd faithfully painted my hero into a corner: Neal admits to being at an art gallery the night its shiny new display is stolen but denies any involvement with the theft, only to have his story contradicted by his tracking anklet, which shows him nowhere near the gallery.  Is he lying?  Is the tracker malfunctioning?  Why would  a world-renowned art thief turned Fed claim to be at the scene of a crime he didn't commit?  And how awesomely would this play into the ongoing trust issues between the charismatic career criminal and his salt of the earth FBI handler?  Pretty damn awesomely, that's how, except for the part where I couldn't figure out how to tie it all together and actually make it all work.  So many hows and whys, but no answers.

Until yesterday, in the blissful atmosphere of a Kona beach, when I suddenly figured it all out.  I was sitting at the pristine shoreline, script and pen in hand, observing everything around me and marveling at its calming influence.  And suddenly things just happened.  I don't know how or why, but everything came together.  I waded in crystal-clear water then sat on the shore with sand between my toes and inspiration struck.

I suddenly had all the answers I needed and for a couple hours yesterday, all was right in my world.  The beach provided little muses: beautiful pieces of coral, recently shed anenome shells, a lone hermit crab patiently making his way through tidepools formed from lava rock and the ocean's ebb and flow, ominous but beautiful slate-gray clouds in the distant skies above Kona's coffee-growing regions and the answers to all life's mysteries.  Okay, that last part is an exaggeration.  It was only the answer to one of life's mysteries.  But it was the one I needed at that moment: the mystery of how to make my White Collar spec work.

I'll take it.  Especially after the heinous, non-productive last couple of months I've had.  There is light at the end of my White Collar tunnel.

Expo a no-go

I've decided to pass on the Screenwriting Expo this year.  It just doesn't seem like there are as many classes and speakers as previous years.  I found several classes I wanted to take, but not enough to fill three days.  Also, they had previously announced David Milch as a guest, which for me would have been reason enough to attend, but he never came up on the schedule.  There were no must-sees for me this year (unlike last year when guests included John Cleese and William Goldman, CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, and James Manos, Jr., who adapted Dexter for television).  I'm not sure if it's just me or if the Expo is just having a weak year.  Either way, it's kind of a shame, because when I enjoy the Expo I really, really enjoy the Expo and I've been looking forward to it all year.

An additional bummer in all this is that because I planned on attending the Expo, I passed up on attending SledgeFest 2010, which is now sold out.  A celebration of the hysterically funny 1980's TV series Sledge Hammer, it's taking place this weekend at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax.  Although the website says it's the first and last fest, I'm hoping that since they sold out, they'll think about having another one in the future.

In writing competition news, the Scriptapalooza TV deadline (extended to October 4) has come and gone without me finishing my White Collar spec.  I'm making progress that I'm happy with, but haven't come up with the big "gotcha" moment to resolve it.  It'll come.  Next deadline is December 31 for the Script Pipeline (formerly Script P.I.M.P.) competition.

Some writerly ramblings...

White Collar spec: Finished through Act 2/page 30.  Still haven't figured out how they're actually going to solve the crime, but given the amount of progress I've made lately, I'm looking forward to getting to that point and having to find a way to make it work.  I'll be making OC runs today, tomorrow and possibly Saturday, so not much is going to happen with it in the next few days.  Deadline for Scriptapalooza TV competition is October 1.  Since I didn't get this one finished in time for the Screenwriting Expo competition, I really want to make it into Scriptapalooza.

Beyond October 1: Thinking of taking a shot at The Mentalist when I finish the current project.  Also still want to try writing a Dexter spec, but need to see how they proceed in the new season.  I'm beginning to think this may not be a great one to spec after all, since the show resets so much each season.  I also have a feeling that Hawaii Five-0 will be a very popular show to spec if it turns out to be as big a hit as everyone is anticipating.  That could be a fun one to write.

Screenwriting Expo: Program/schedule still pretty thin even though it's less than a month away.  Still waiting to see what other classes and speakers they will have to determine whether or not I need to shell out for a Gold Pass or just regular registration.  I'm beginning to think that the key to getting the most out of the Expo is only attending every other year.  I had a blast last year, check it out here: Preview, Report #1 - Anthony Zuiker, Report #2, Report #3 (Hawaii Five-0 is discussed), Report #4, Report #5 - Goldman/Cleese.

The difference between an idea and a story

Me trying to figure out my latest TV spec:

Notice which card is blank?