JaneEspenson.com

Hey! Ron Moore blogs! Go take a look!

So many of you have been asking about how you can help. Well, I’ve finally found a good place for you to start. I suggest you check out fans4writers.com. They’ve got all kinds of stuff there — basic info, ways to contribute to the cause, and forums for communication and coordination of activities. There are even forums to help fans of specific shows or creators find each other and work together. You might enjoy the “Ron Moore fans” and “Joss Whedon fans” forums, for example.

ANOTHER UPDATE on “Fan Day” this Friday. I’m told now that the BSG writers will be picketing at Gate 2 of Universal (one of those main gates right on Lankershim) starting at 9 a.m. and leading right up to the time of the “rally”. This is a slightly earlier start time than I’d mentioned earlier. Details on this event seem still to be slightly misty, but if you just show up at Universal mid-morning-ish on Friday, I think we’ll be able to cook up a good time for you.

I read a really good produced script the other day. Some of you may have seen the episode of television that resulted from it, in fact. (It’s an Ugly Betty.) In the script, two adult siblings are competing with each other. Early on, we see a flashback to the two of them racing against each other as children. One of them wins and we’re told they always won. Late in the script, in order to accomplish a goal, the two adults end up having to race down a street, just as they did as kids. I thought that was pretty well done, reducing the adult competition to something that could be such a direct reenactment of the childhood flashback. This time, when the childhood loser won, I anticipated that we’d understand that things had changed. I felt that was a pretty competent way to tell the story.

But here’s what was really well done. The one who lost as a child, lost again as an adult. Instead of an easy lesson, competently taught, we got a genuine surprise and a much more complicated lesson about real life — if you let the other person set the rules of the game, they’re gonna pick the game they always win. Gotta say, I was impressed.

This is a good thing to keep in mind when you’re breaking your spec pilots. If an ending seems so neat and tidy and inevitable that you never have to even give it any thought… well, give it some thought. There might be away to twist it, and come up with something more interesting. (And remember, it isn’t enough just to have it differ from expectations, it actually has to have something positive to add.)

Strike: The last two days have seen me on the 6 to 10 a.m. shift. The first two hours are cold. The second two, very hot. The transition is instant. Thanks to Sarah and Ashley and Christina and… oh, was it Wally?… and so many other Gentle Readers who joined me on the line. Thanks especially for the fresh-baked pumpkin bread! Whoo! You guys are the best!

I’m changing locations for one day — Thurs (tomorrow) will find me on the 10 – 2 shift at Fox where I’m reuniting with a few of my old Gilmore Girls colleagues! Come on by, GG fans! We’d be delighted to visit with you!

Then, Friday, it looks like Fan Day, Featuring Battlestar Galactica, will be at the main gate of Universal in the afternoon. That’s all I know now… details to follow.

++++++UPDATE — I’m hearing that Fan Day is now set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the main gates of Universal — this is the series of gates into Universal that run along Lankershim Blvd. Food drive! Special guests! I’ll be there. Will you?+++++++

Also, have you heard about this idea to send (mercifully unsharpened) pencils to the moguls? Of all the fan movements, this one seems to be the one that’s catching fire. I like it! If I hear more about it, I’ll let you know.

Lunch: poached eggs, rye toast, grilled tomatoes — a post-picket brunch at Art’s Deli

Word is WGA might turn Friday into a general fan support day for ALL shows – including Battlestar, but not exclusive to it – stay tuned… (Of course, fans from all shows are always welcomed, but this might have more of a special-event feel to it.)

So I did my sign-making shift at the Guild today, in lieu of picketing. Hard work, but fun. Guess who was there, working beside me, wielding both stapler and tape like a pro? Saul Turtletaub. Oh my god. I remember seeing that name on my television screen when I was a child — Love American Style and That Girl! and Sanford and Son. Wow. Count me as impressed. And he couldn’t have been nicer, either — funny and generous and up-beat. This strike isn’t just bringing fans together with writers, it’s bringing writers together. I love that.

In other strike news, I’m told that tomorrow the Battlestar staff is being moved back to the Barham gate of Universal. I never even got to see Gate 2! Anyway, I’ll be somewhere for the 6am to 10am shift tomorrow if you want to stop by!

And, if you can stand even more of me, check out the new interview about “Serenity Found” from the fine people at PinkRayGun.com! Thank you, Pink Ray Gun People!

All right. It’s been a while since I gave any real practical writing advice, and I’m feeling the lack. So let’s talk dialogue. Want to move a scene along quickly AND make your characters seem smart? Let them anticipate each other. Instead of this:

Try this:

By having Kayla anticipate the question, the relationship becomes just that little bit realer for me. Couples anticipate each other. The interaction also becomes more charged, since she’s more emotional here, more eager to defend herself. She’s a more active participant in the exchange.

Anticipation is not always the right answer. It’s possible that the whole point of this scene has to do with Dave hearing himself ask the question out loud — maybe that moment is the culmination of his journey in some way. But in the absence of special requirements like that, having characters get ahead of each other is more than just a fast and elegant way to accelerate a story.

You can use the same trick to elide information that the audience already knows, too. If someone is explaining a established plan to a newcomer, for example, let the newcomer pick up on it and cut them off. Letting characters be smart is a smart choice for the writer.

Lunch: cheese and apples

« Older Entries

Newer Entries »