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Well, I had a very pointless day killing time while my car was at the vet’s. She had a check-up and a grooming and had her claws trimmed and rotated. I waited and wandered the mean streets of Santa Monica, sipping a gingerbread latte and looking at my watch. But finally, I am home again, ready to talk some more about getting that darn spec script in shape for the ABC Fellowship.

After you pick the show you want to spec, you have to start thinking about the story you want to tell. There are some tricks to this. A common error is to build the story around a guest character. You may be thinking of something like this:

“Dr. House is thrown off his game when a brilliant new doctor arrives. She’s beautiful, belligerent… and she just may be better at his job than he is.”

It does sound exciting, I’ll admit. But it would be a terrible spec. Here’s why:

It’s a story about House reacting to something. Not acting, but reacting. This is already a problem. You want the show’s main character at the center of the story. Guest characters hog the spotlight.

Also, one of the main things you’re going to be judged on is how well you capture the voices of the characters. “Voice,” in this sense, refers to the distinctive rhythms and word choices, etc, that the writers of the show have given to a character, not to the actor’s actual voice. Readers want to know that you can write to voices that you didn’t create. With a guest character , the reader doesn’t have a standard against which to judge the writing. That can only work against you.

When I was a graduate student, I wrote three spec scripts for Star Trek: The Next Generation and sent them off to the show, hoping to get invited to pitch ideas to the show. All three of them were about Data. In the first one I wrote, Data was shaken by a visit from the captain of the first ship on which he’d served. In the second one, Data undertook a project that resulted in him feeling an emotion, which led to complications. In the third one, Data was left behind on a planet and had to fit in among the natives.

Based on one of these scripts, I was invited to pitch ideas to the show. It wasn’t the first one – too much guest character. It was the second one, in which Data was active. And what about the third one? It was as much of a failure as the first one. But for different reasons, which I will talk about in my next entry.

Today’s Lunch was breakfast: poached eggs, toast, and a mimosa!

Have you noticed that the days are getting longer? If not, you may be in the Southern Hemisphere, so you should check that. But for you northern types, Spring is approaching. Those of you who are hoping to apply to the ABC Writing Fellowship Program only have a few months left to get your writing samples into shape. This is the program that used to be called the “Disney Writers Fellowship,” and which gave me my start. I heartily recommend it. One of the things that makes it better than other programs is that it pays you, not the other way around. You can check out abctalentdevelopment.com if you want more information or an application form. The most important part of the application is the writing sample. It’s also the most fun. And the most perilous.

By the way, you may notice that they require that your writing sample be registered with the WGA. I bet a lot of people see that and decide not to apply – it sounds like a hassle. But don’t freak out. Registering a script with the WGA is as easy as your mama. I’m kidding you. But it’s still really easy.

There are actually sort of two fellowships. One for feature writers and one for TV writers. The world of features is mysterious foggy territory full of monsters that I don’t understand. You guys are on your own. But I can tell you that the TV writers are allowed to submit a script for either an hour or a half-hour series that is currently on the air. This thing about it having to be currently on the air must be new. I know for a fact that someone got into the fellowship years ago by submitting a spec episode of Rhoda, which I thought was genius. I don’t know if she’d modernized the show or simply written it as if it was a “lost episode,” but I think it was tremendous either way.

So let’s say you want to apply. How should you pick which show to write for? Aim high. A “spec script” (this kind of writing sample), is currency in this town. You’ll use it to apply to contests or programs like this one, to get an agent, and as your audition piece to get a job. Certain shows carry a bit of a cachet. A spec episode of“My Name is Earl” or “The Office” is more likely to get attention than the most authentically rendered spec episode of “Yes, Dear.” (Not a put-down of Yes, Dear… any show that gets and keeps viewers has something going for it.) And don’t forget cable shows; HBO shows tend to make good specs. And it’s usually best to avoid a show that’s been on the air forever, although this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. I just think an ER spec might not look as fresh now as, say, a House spec would.

And, as much as it pains me to say this, I’d avoid doing something too clever. A spec episode of The Bachelor would make me laugh and roll around and want to meet the person who wrote it, but I bet the Fellowship people would just look at it, kind of puzzled.

So think hard, pick a classy show, and we’ll talk more later about what to do next.

Today’s lunch: taco chips and salsa and guacamole!

I’m a former writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and have written episodes for shows including: Angel, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, Ellen, The O.C., Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Dinosaurs, Andy Barker PI and others. I am currently under a development deal with NBC/Universal television while working as Co-Executive Producer on Battlestar Galactica. My blog is intended to help new writers tackle the job of writing those all-important spec scripts. I can’t read your work, get you an agent, or get you hired. But I can give you solid, time-tested script-writing advice! And then there’s lunch.

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