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03/13/2008: Colombo Always Showed Up Late


Gentle Reader Nicholas in Rhode Island, writes in with a couple of interesting questions. First off, he wants to know if it's all right to introduce the main character in a spec pilot late-ish, say, seven-to-nine pages in. Yes, certainly, that can be made to work. In fact, you can use the time to establish suspense if you want to -- who is this man everyone's talking about? But even that isn't necessary. You see neither David nor Maddie until at least that late into the Moonlighting pilot, if my memory serves me. In the meantime, you're watching the murder they're going to be solving. Just make sure that the main character gets a fine introduction both for the viewer AND for the reader, by which I mean use your stage directions to make very clear that this is our protagonist. One of the worst things that can happen is to have the readers latch onto someone else by mistake.

Nicholas also asks for my input on an analogy he wants to use in a stage direction. It involves comparing a character's ability to lie with that of a certain politician. He wants to know if I think it relies too much on the reader's knowledge of current events. No, it's okay to assume some sophistication in that area. But there is a different danger -- what if the reader likes that politician? You've got a chance of raising someone's defenses here with little chance of gaining any compensating benefit.

As young or aspiring writers, you're a blank slate to the reader. They're forming a picture of you based on glimpses like those provided by stage directions, which are, after all, in your voice. You can certainly apply an acerbic charm or even a defiant viewpoint if that's important to you, but try hard to keep it from working against you. Remember, in television, people aren't just looking for strong writers, but for people to spend a lot of time with in a small room -- as in any job interview, you want to maximize the chances that they'll sense you're a kindred spirit.

Actually, in your letter, Nicholas, in discussing this stage direction, you coin the phrase, "lying by the seat of their pants." I love that. I suggest you use that in your stage directions instead -- I haven't heard it before and it conveys what you want, the feeling of someone lying spontaneously and fluently. Nice work.

Lunch: eggplant bharta, raita, rice