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09/28/2006: Spec Skirts


I took a sewing class in junior high school. We all had to. Everyone took one quarter each of wood shop, metal shop, sewing and cooking. I suspect it was considered quite innovative at the time, allowing girls and boys to be injured in various ways all at once. Anyway, the shop classes were kind of fun. My mother still owns the enormous wooden desk name plate I made for her. It takes up a large piece of her dresser. And I did well enough at the cooking. I'm motivated enough by the prospect of eating pie, to be willing to learn how to make pie happen. But the sewing. Oh man. Patience and fine muscle control? Oh dear me, no. I was given a passing grade provisionally, on the condition that I continue to come by the sewing room to finish up my unwearable skirt. I never went back. I didn't even wear skirts, and I had no faith that my circle of fabric was ever going to be one anyway.

But I found this entry today on a web site about dresses. Read it through. It's not about dresses! It's about writing spec scripts!

When she talks about touching all the fabrics in the store -- that's watching tv. And then there's reading about writing, natch. Hence this blog and all those 'how to write for tv' books. And picking a garment based on what you already own and like -- that's selecting a show to spec.

The only difference... you don't need to buy a new machine to write a spec. The one you're sitting in front of right now is all you need.

I swear, that web site made me feel like I could sew. I hope it makes you feel like you could write a spec. Because you can.

Lunch: a big homemade salad with cucumbers and beans in it