JaneEspenson.com

Apologies for the break in the blogging, Gentle Readers, I was unavoidably away from the internet. By the way, we need a new joking way to refer to the internet, as both “internets” and “interweb” have gone clammy on us. Or perhaps the joke — that some oldsters still struggle with the concept — is simply outdated. Too bad; those were heady days.

I offer you a thought today about outlines and inspiration. One of the best things about writing an outline is that, as you visualize each scene in order to outline it, you sometimes start hearing the dialog, seeing all the actions you want to put in stage directions — you start ‘writing’ it. This is what people are referring to, I think, when they say they don’t like writing outlines, that instead they want to find it as they go. They mean that once they start thinking about a scene, and having ideas about the dialogue, they don’t just want to write a quick summary of the scene and move on, without capturing that moment of inspiration.

Well, there’s no reason not to do both. If you’re struck by inspiration as you outline, just start jotting down dialog without punctuation or formatting. Don’t take the time to polish it, or even indicate which characters have which lines if it’s clear from context. Just jot! When you’ve captured the extent of your inspiration, cut ‘n’ paste those lines into another working document — get them out of your outline — and keep on outlining!

This is what I do, and I really think it gives me the best of both worlds. I get a complete outline, so that I’m not just off-roading through my story, but I also have a preliminary take on the dialogue and action for certain scenes before I even technically begin work on the draft.

If this fits your writing style, give it a try. It makes writing feel almost as fast and easy as viewing.

Lunch: cheddar on flaky slabs of dried haddock

The ABC/Disney Fellowship and Warner Brothers’ Workshop provide places to use your spec scripts for produced shows, and the Slamdance Competition is a place to use your spec pilot scripts. So it starts to seem as though there’s no fear of misapplied effort — all your scripts can be sent somewhere. Except not really.

So what’s the sort of television spec writing that has no application? Writing for produced shows that no longer exist. If you have ideas for stories for Firefly or The Sopranos or Wonderfalls, then you might have some fine fanfic, but there is simply nothing else to be done with them that I can think of. Very occasionally, someone will get attention with a clever spec-script re-interpretation of a classic show, but I’ve never heard of anyone who’s been able to do anything with a script for a contemporary defunct show.

I know that some shows have lines of novels that continue after the show is over. I don’t know anything about the process the publishers use to produce these books, except that it’s completely separate from the production of the (ex-)show itself. I guess you should write to the publishing company if you want more info about writing the novels, but this is a very different sort of writing than I address here.

I know it’s hard to let go of a favorite show (trust me, I know), but part of the tv biz is about exactly that. You’re entering a career that will stretch out over many years, and many shows. Don’t get into the business because you’re in love with a particular show. Get into it because you love writing and can imagine finding joy in it even if you aren’t hired by your dream show. Then, when the next Buffy, the next Battlestar, comes along, getting to be involved is a glorious bonus. A really really glorious bonus.

Lunch: bomboletta pasta with lobster — I’ve never had this variety/shape of pasta before. It’s like the wagon-wheel shape before it gets sliced into disks, if you can picture that.

Friend-of-the-Blog Debbie in San Francisco has just informed me of another impending deadline. August 20th is the deadline to submit a spec pilot to the slamdance teleplay competition. So if you have one all ready to go, I’d suggest you slap it into the mail.

I didn’t know much about this competition until this year, when I found myself working on a writing staff alongside a previous winner who has nothing but good things to say about his experience.

The Grand Prize Winner gets cash and some sort of interaction with the good people at Fox 21 — some of whom I know and can vouch for. This is a legit deal and I encourage you all to submit your scripts.

Lunch: delicious sandwiches crafted by Mrs. Ron Moore, who took care of feeding the Battlestar Galactica writers during an impressively productive writers’ retreat. Thank you, Mrs. Ron!

A spec script is a lot like an audition. Actors and writers both don’t get hired until they’ve showed off what they can do. But it can also be more than that. It can also be a lot like an interview, a chance to say a little bit about your background. If there’s something about yourself that you think makes you an interesting addition to a writers’ room, you can use your spec script, especially a spec pilot, to tell your future employer about it.

Now, normally, I’m a bit skeptical about the “write what you know” advice, since, taken too literally, it means that no one gets to write about spaceships. I always point out that it should be taken to mean “write emotional truth as you’ve experienced it.” However, in this specific case, where you’re using a script to sell yourself and your point of view, there is something to be said for drawing on your own personal specialness.

Did you grow up on a farm? Train as a nurse? Witness a crime? Overcome dyslexia? Were you raised by your Filipino grandmother? Are you a twin? Does your family practice an unusual religion? Is your mother a cop? Is your sister a soldier? Did you win the national spelling bee?

If you’ve got something like that, a little hook, the kind of thing you’d drop into an interview situation to generate interest, then it might be worth putting your special knowledge into a script. There’s certainly no reason your lawyer hero couldn’t have a Filipino grandmother, and their scenes, written with authenticity, will probably end up stealing the show.

Now, if you’ve just surveyed your life and decided you’re boring and have never had any experiences, then it might be worth having some. I know a very good smart young drama writer who went out and took a “be a private detective” class. Just like that, he had something to talk about in interviews, something that made him valuable to a show runner, as well as something that could be used to give real authenticity to a spec script.

Remember, a spec might be art, but mostly, it’s a sales document. It’s selling you. Push the product!

Lunch: the “famous tofu reuben sandwich” from Factor’s Deli. Greasy and good. It tastes exactly like a real reuben, only it’s soft. No, seriously, it’s good.

Stephen in Canada has a good question about writing spec pilots. He wants to know if he should write something similar to what’s already on television, or if he should try something more wild and strange.

Hm, that’s an interesting question. Well, obviously, both ends of the spectrum are dangerous. It’s going to be hard to make a Law and Order clone stand out, for example. And, at the other end, a 45-minute all-CGI bisexual space-musical might not demonstrate a knowledge of what is currently hot within the television market. (I have no idea if this is what Canadian Stephen is into, by the way.)

The answer, I think, is to take the best of both ends. Keep enough of the traditional in the show so you can demonstrate that you know the basics. Then add something unique either in concept, or by doing something interesting with character, or both. The pilots of Jericho and Big Love would have been good spec pilots, because the concepts are so arresting. The pilots of House and Ugly Betty would have made good spec pilots, because the characters are so unique. A show like Dexter might be the perfect spec pilot, with a shocking concept and a unique character. Weeds is probably a better model for a spec pilot than Desperate Housewives is. Housewives is more traditionally saleable, but Weeds is the one that makes people curious. At this stage in your career, where you’re trying so hard to stand out from everyone else, curiosity is your friend.

If it were me, I would start by thinking of the types of shows I love and admire, and then consciously think about what I could add to them that pushes the boundaries a little bit, to make them different and a bit daring. Two years ago a whole bunch of pilots were purchased that fit established patterns except that the hero was mentally ill in some way. If they hadn’t already done that, it would be a perfect model for what I’m talking about. But the basic recipe is still good. Take the basics, then pervert them, twist them, stretch them just a bit.

Lunch: Thai food — som tum, and a sort of fried chicken thingy, and sticky rice. Lovely.

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