Everything you've ever wanted to know about Development

For newbie and emerging writers, there are words and phrases you may hear but don't know exactly what they mean.  "Development" is one of those words. Maybe you've heard of "development hell" or heard a writer saying, they're "in development". But it's one of those words you've heard about and maybe always wondered what it really means. 

So I sat down with one of my really good friends who not only worked in development at one of Hollywood's biggest studios but now is a TV producer/development person for one of Hollywood's biggest TV writers. The writers she works with are A-list writers. They're Academy Award-winning and Emmy-winning writers. So these are goals for all of us writers to aspire to but definitely heads and shoulders above us preWGA writers. So I knew she would be the perfect person to explain exactly what you as a writer, need to know about development and how to do well when you get to work with your first development person. 

How she got into development: 

She worked for many years for FOX in the research department. Through that job she had access to the creative side and organically started going to table reads and giving feedback on scripts and meeting creators and because she was kind of doing a small portion of development through that she got moved into development. This is not the typical path to development. Usually, they start as an assistant at a talent agency and move up the ranks to get a job at a studio or network or platform. 

What her job does in development: 

Her job is to put together packages and work with writers and take it out and sell it. Putting together the package, when working at a studio, you have overall deals with writers or pods. As a studio executive, you cover those pods. Part of the job is to help those writers or pods, take their own ideas and execute them or help those writers find ideas. There are also independent writers or pitches that come your way. You could find writers you like that you want to take out. You could also find IPs; you see a book you really love or an article and you option that and then find a writer after. Basically, you're part of the process and put all the moving pieces together. Sometimes that means finding attachments, whether it be a director, or a talent attachment and you work on a pitch with the parties involved. Then you take it out to the marketplace, which could be cable, broadcast, streaming, and you try and sell it.

Once it's sold, then what? 

Once a project is sold, you work on the development process through all the materials, from story doc, to outline, to draft, and if successful, it gets picked up to series and then you stay on the project and help produce it. Some departments are different though and handle that differently. When she was at 20th, they had a current department. So once you did a few episodes, you hand it off to the current department. So she handled new projects only. 

What does it mean to have an overall deal? 

That means the company has paid for exclusive services. It's usually a TV deal. It can be a first look versus an exclusive deal. If you're a writer, and you have a deal with a company, it means you can only produce shows for that company. The deal is usually for a couple years. There is the expectation you will deliver and make numerous shows. It's usually people that have a certain level of success. And they want that exclusive right to their work. 

What's expected from these big writers? 

Depending on the level of success and how big their pods, if it's a prolific writer, if it's a Shonda Rhimes or Ryan Murphy, or someone that has a large deal, the expectation is bigger. If you're doing a writer-only deal, if they have a show on the air, their bandwidth might not be that great. Maybe they are concentrating on the show that they have. It can vary. People would like to do as many projects as they can handle. There's always the urge to hustle. But you do want quality over quantity if you want to go the distance. 

What it's like being a pod executive? 

She works for one writer now who has a deal with one studio. She's a producer now and works with the development person over at the studio. That means she's on the creative side whereas before she wasn't. She now works closely with the studio executives. So she's finding IP, finding writers, finding ideas; and sometimes writers will come to her with pitches. 

How do ideas get to her in development?

Sometimes someone will bring a spec script someone is taking out and she can say yes we love it, we want to develop it. If that's the case, then she's giving notes on it and developing it to the level she wants to see this project. Or maybe the writer thinks her team will be additive to the project., maybe an area of expertise. Sometimes IP will come without the writer. Maybe they found the book on their own, or agents are taking it around town, or other producers are taking it around, or the studio has found it or the networks have. It could be a podcast, a book, an article, those are all IPs. So someone would then bring it to her or anyone in development and ask, is this something you like? If they like it, then they option it, then they look for a writer after. This is what is called the Open Writing Assignments you've probably heard of, or also known as OWAs. 

What are OWAs?

An OWA is a piece of IP that they've optioned through the studio. Or it could be a self-generated idea that they're trying to find a writer for. Then the producers take meetings with writers they want to be in business with. Then as a producer/development person, they can say to that writer, "these are the OWA we have, and are any of them appealing to you?" Many times they work with a writer they already have worked with or know their material. The initial conversation with the writer about an OWA is, "are you interested in this project, let's talk about it," and then eventually the writers come up with ideas. As a producer they work on it together with the writer, and help craft the pitch. Eventually they take the pitch to the studio, where they're based, and they decide if they want to continue with it. The writer does NOT write the script until the idea is sold to a buyer. Once it sells, then it goes into the writing stage. 

If the studio likes the pitch

The studio will decide, do we like this idea and do we want to proceed? If they do like it and want to proceed, then they give additional notes on the idea. They will help craft the pitch the way they like it. Then the producers take the idea/pitch to a bunch of buyers, and of course hopefully sell it. Once it gets sold, then they go through the traditional writing steps. 

How is a TV producer different from being in development?

It's almost the same. The difference is as a producer she's more in the trenches with the writer, than she was as a studio executive. As the producer, she's with the writer, every step of the way. She's seen every draft numerous times, maybe 30 drafts, but at the network maybe she saw 1 draft. Also in production, she will be more involved on set, more involved with those decisions. In development it would be to a lesser extent. 

What is her goal as a producer when she gives notes? 

Just to be additive. To be an extra set of eyes. An extra opinion, to help guide it through the process, especially to be a mediator between the writer and the studio partners, the network partners, to help cut through it if there's a debate about what needs to be done, or how it needs to be done. To try and be as helpful as possible, to be the advocate for the writer, to try to fight the fight when there needs to be one, to also help massage things when it's the right note that needs to happen to help it go the distance. She believes for notes, it's really subjective, that it's just an opinion. Even when she worked in research and did focus groups, she never felt feedback had to happen, like it was a mandate, like this was the right way. She doesn't feel that way as a producer still. When she reads a script, she looks to see if something is confusing for her, or is there a part that will make it land in a more emotional way, or they keep hearing what's important to the buyer, then maybe that's where they should lean in, because that might be the deciding factor on it getting picked up. She just wants to be part of the team. 

Has she seen a writer not take her note and it still work? 

She has and she encourages it. She thinks if someone feels really strongly about something and are passionate, she likes having a conversation about why do you feel that way, what is the meaning for it? A lot of times when you hear that, it helps her as a producer, it helps her understand why. She believes no one is right necessarily, and if the writer feels strongly about it, they should keep it. She feels as a producer the worst thing you can ever do is to have a writer turn in something they don't feel good about, that they don't love. Because everyone wants to feel they delivered something that is representative of the story they wanted to tell. She believes part of her job is to protect the writer so that what they ultimately they see on air is something they feel good about. She hopes that going through the process, even with changes, will make the final script stronger. 

What mistakes in writers do you see? 

Sometimes taking every note and being too much of a people pleaser isn't necessarily the right way to go, because you have to feel you're writing your vision. But on the flip side you don't want to be so rigid you're not taking any notes, because the buyer knows what they're looking for, what their needs are, what gaps are in their schedule. She's seen both of these. But it could be a writer's style and maybe the next thing this writer does, will hit the mark. Does she believe it's good to be somewhere in the middle of these? Yes. She does believe a compromise of some sorts is always the best way. A little bit of flexibility never hurts. When it comes to making TV, there are lots of cooks in the kitchen and lots of people to please. So being able to roll with the punches is an important skill set, but also it's a balance to sticking to your guns. 

What is something writers do well?

She believes it's just being really passionate about what you want to write, about having a strong point of view. (How many times have we heard this, writers?) It's important to have strong relationships with the teams surrounding you. When your team loves your project and they want it to go all the way, that's the best possible situation to get in. 

David Wappel - the talented writer with many stories to tell

Back when people went to bars, I first "met" David Wappel on Twitter. Then he and his co-partner-in-crime, Sam Thompson, hosted a writer's gathering at a bar in North Hollywood and I thought, get your butt off that couch, put that script away, and go meet these people you've only seen on Twitter. And luckily, I listened to myself. I finally met Sam and David, in person! After following David's career and his tweets since, you can tell he's a nice guy with a lot of talent. So recently, I finally got the chance to zoom with him and see what makes David tick and hear more about his writing career. Before we did, I was sure to watch his movie Long Gone By on HBO Max. Something you should do too. It's a gorgeous movie with such airy storytelling and while powerful at the same time, I know David has a long career ahead of him. 

How he got into screenwriting

David went to film school at the University of Carolina in Wilmington, where he studied film and philosophy. There was a big film industry in Carolina at the time, because in the 90's Screen Gems studios were built up, plus Dawson Creek and One Tree Hill filmed there. At first thinking he wanted to be in production, his plans were to be a cinematographer. He moved to Atlanta after he graduated to get into production, commercials, music videos, short films, etc. While working in commercials, he kept getting more assignments in development with their clients, where he was getting asked to write more things, along with helping to conceptualize music videos. He continued to get more and more narrative and emotional-driven assignments. That's when he realized he was feeling most fulfilled with writing projects. 

He was always driven to authorship  

In college, as a senior film major, he had to do his senior thesis and had to write something he could direct. He co-wrote it with someone else, but even once it was done, he continued to rewrite it on his own. That's when he realized he was always gravitating towards authorship. He just didn't realize writing would be where he would have the most ability to do that. Once he realized he was most fulfilled as a writer, that's when it clicked that was the path for him. So, in 2015 he started writing screenplays and two years later he moved to Los Angeles to pursue writing. 

His writing career journey 

After college, in 2013, was when the writing really started. But it wasn't until a year later, in 2014, when he got Final Draft and started writing the way he thought true screenwriters wrote. It wasn't for five more years, when he got his first writing assignment, through connections he had met in production in Atlanta. This is why it's important to realize, networking is so important. Because you never know when those connections will turn into paid assignments. What happened for David, was he had given his Atlanta production friends notes on a doc they were working on, and they were really impressed with how he knew story. So they asked for feedback on another project. When he moved to LA a couple years later, they told him to meet up with their friend in LA, just to chat. Little did David know, this would turn into something more special.

His first big break 

David met their friend, director and writer, Andrew Morgan, for coffee. They hit it off right away, chatting about movies. Andrew was telling him about his movie in pre-production. But he was having issues with the opening. David gave him his ideas on what Andrew was talking about, not thinking anything about it more than just two film guys chatting. A couple days later, Andrew called him and said, "I really liked what you were thinking about for my movie, would you be interested in rewriting it?" Which David said, yes, of course. David ended up rewriting the screenplay, which was Long Gone By, currently playing on HBO Max. He wrote it in the late spring of 2018, at a point he felt nothing was happening with his writing, well before he realized it would go onto being on HBO. 

Don't give up hope 

Just remember that things can look like nothing is happening. Even if you aren't seeing things work out for you writing-wise, just know you may be planting seeds that may sprout when you least expect it. That's what happened to David. He wrote the script for Andrew in late spring of 2018, but nothing happened for him writing-wise that year and even into 2019. So he felt like nothing was happening for him and he was getting down about his writing. 

When things happened 

In 2019, Long Gone By did well in the Latino Film Festival in New York. Then he found out it got featured in HBO's festival. On top of that, a spec he wrote advanced in Austin and he won a partial scholarship in Stowe Story labs. Talk about success! The year or two before, it seemed like nothing was happening for him. It just took time. All that work was done in 2018, but didn't hit till late in 2019. 

Have your successes resulted in other successes?

Doors that he was knocking on before seem to be opening up easier now. But he can't trace a domino effect just yet. He thinks it will pay off eventually though, but similarly to the way, past production friends helped pay off successes later. And it has opened up other introductions. Being able to say, "Watch my movie on HBO Max" is surely an impressive thing to say. 

Script services 

David isn't just a writer, he also has script services to help writers tell the story they are trying to tell. He obsesses over critical thinking, and the way stories are constructed, so when it comes to stories it's very helpful. It's a lens through which he sees the world. The more he writes, the more he's about to deconstruct why something isn't working on the page. And that's what he brings to the writers that he works with. When he reads something he can analyze why he's not feeling a certain way, or why he isn't feeling the way the writer wants him to feel. 

What his services are like 

His sessions are video calls so he can work with the writer in real-time, and that way he can ask, what do you want at this moment? This way they can address it together. It's less prescriptive and he can get in and under and all through the story. Then he becomes a resource to go in whatever direction they want, helping the writer tell the story that's their vision. Being a writer affords him the benefit of the dead-ends he's familiar with and actively encountering himself every day. Maybe some services come from the development standpoint or reader standpoint, which are valuable, but what he brings uniquely is you get him as a reader and a writer. 

What mistake do you see new writers do often? 

The biggest thing he thinks writers don't do enough of is self-reflection on why they're writing what they're writing. As a writer, he thinks they need to know, what are they interested in exploring? What do they want to say about this character? What is their artistic intention? Once they have self-reflection, they can leverage the tools and crafts to realize what they're actually trying to say in the piece they're writing. If they're not clear about that artistic intent, they can feel rudderless. Writers need to know what story they are really trying to write. 

What's your advice to writers who have written one and only one screenplay?

Immediately move onto another. A writer gets perspective by moving onto another script. They may see a problem in a first script that doesn't come up in the second script at all. Now they have two scripts to judge as a writer and not just one. You don't see yourself as an artist yet with one script, because you'll see what world you're interested in, what you're good at, what you're bad at, what problems you had in the first script, then maybe in your next script. Sometimes if you keep rewriting the same script, maybe it's not connecting with the people who are reading it yet. Or artistically it's not resonating. Maybe the script doesn't need rewrites. Some people keep rewriting a script to find a home, but sometimes rewriting won't solve that. Think of how many movies if they didn't find the right home, rewriting wasn't going to fix that, it just had to find the right home. 

Writers without a rep 

David is without a rep at the moment but has friends that open doors for him. So for those who don't have reps and are looking, he'd suggest for writers to look to connect with other people that you artistically and professionally gel with. Even if their taste is different than yours if you like their attitude, their work ethic, people you want to be friends with, and people you want to hang out with, look for those people. Not to pursue people or avenues you're not genuinely thinking about. Continue to pursue the things you want to pursue and connect with the people you like. Long Gone By came from people he enjoyed working with and they got him in touch with people they enjoyed working with. That movie came about and it was the least calculated thing he's done in his life. 

If you'd like to find out more about David's writing or his writing services, here's his website https://www.davidwappel.com/ and you can find him on Twitter at @davidwappel

A screenwriter's secret weapon

I haven't been writing my blogs lately. Twitter seems to be taking over the need to do a lot of blog posts for me. But recently Suzanne Gundersen, an inner story coach and founder of Screenwritetnow.com, interviewed me for her youtube posts on screenwriting. I was so impressed with how she helped writers, I knew I had to do a blog post on her. So here's who she is and how she may be just what you need to become a better writer.

How she helps writers

Suzanne helps writers destress and naturally get focused, build confidence, and deepen their world view into wisdom and truth. That way they can be in alignment with who they are to hook their audience. The three areas she helps: 

1. Helps them to get focused, to get into alignment with inspiration, so they can access creativity. She helps them clear distractions so they can get into their own natural rhythm and flow. 

2. Helps them to build their own worthiness. For a lot of writers they are actually writing themselves through their own stories. So she helps them build confidence so they can share their writing with other people, be true to themselves, and know their value so they can express it out into the world. 

3. Helps writers deepen their emotional goal post. A lot of writers submit a script to many contests and can't understand why it's not advancing. Or they can't narrow down how many characters they have in a script. She helps writers go through life experiences in their past, or the symptom of their limitations in their writing, and clear unresolved memories, to connect with their own vulnerabilities. Once they do that and process them using her techniques, the emotional traumas are dealt with much more peacefully. This helps their writing deepen because they've done the emotional work, so they can really grab their audience. 

What kind of distractions are there that she works through with writers? 

• Personal 
• Professional 
• Creative 

Symptoms of distactions can turn into feeling like: 

• You can't write 
• The writing is flat 
• You have many projects and don't know which one is most important 
• And many others! 

Sloppy thinking and how that affects writers 

We sometimes allow the world to influence us and that puts us in reactive mode instead of getting ahead of that so that we can respond with the choice to say on a busy day, today isn't the day I'm going to write, but tomorrow I will. Maybe today is a chore day and by doing that, we don't feel guilty when we have a non-writing day on purpose. That gives us peace of mind so we're not distracted by the pressure we put on ourselves. Then when we sit down to write, we're more present in our body then we can push noise out that would keep us from not being our most focused selves to get the best pages out. 

What is the disciplined writer? 

It's a writer who knows how to get focused, clear out the distractions, so even if there are any, they don't stop your writing. This writer is connected with their creativity. But without the right tools, most writers sit down and then can't focus and don't know why they can't write. Many writers sit down to write, but the writing doesn't flow and that causes more panic, which keeps the writing from flowing even more. It can be a vicious cycle. 

Being an in alignment writer

What does it mean to be in alignment? Being able to clear out distractions and be focused with creativity. These writers are able to connect with inspiration on command and the voice with which they want to write in. 

A sloppy thinker writer 

This writer can maybe write one sentence at a time, or one scene, then stops after that because they don't have the discipline of being able to keep in alignment with themselves. They allow external forces to break their focus. So if you are this kind of writer, what are you to do to become a writer in alignment? 

Energy tapping technique 

This is a self-used acupressure technique that shifts your experience of stress in your body, your emotions and your thoughts. When you tap on certain points it sends a calming message to your brain, that it's okay to calm down, and relaxes the body. It harmonizes the brain and body so they are more integrated. Because when we're stressed, our mind is not focused. Tapping allows whatever you are stressed about, maybe blank screen syndrome, or "I don't believe in my work", "I can't write", whatever it is, then you can take that information and tap on those exact words you're thinking, (using your fingertips to tap on specific energy points of the body) and the tapping releases that fear. It sends a message to the brain that you're really safe, conscious or unconscious. In those calm moments, we can connect with the higher levels of the brain which stores the creative, imaginative thinking. 

How our energy affects writing 

Think of our energy flowing in a figure eight. If we as writers have any stress, anything that feels stuck, it's like a clog in the pipe that won't let our creativity flow. When you're tapping, you're opening that clog. It calms the mind and the body, and you can get out of the tornado of your own stress, so you can get to the peace and connect with your creativity. 

How Suzanne began helping writers 

Suzanne worked in NY in a corporate job during 9/11 and because of the stress, she needed to get out of the city and moved to Florida to emotionally heal. She found hypnotherapy, neurolinguistic programming, energy methods, neuroscience, and spiritual practices, which helped her get back to herself, and actually even stronger. Because she was able to enjoy a slower paced life in Florida, she was able to emobdy the tools she now had. She began all of this over 15 years ago, she didn't know anyone else using these tools, so she created a website to let people know about them, starting meetup groups, then eventually through word of mouth she started to help people. It began with women transforming themselves, helping them through mid-life crises, divorce, etc., anything that was self-empowerment. Then about 5 years ago, a published author approached Suzanne because she was under contract to write her second book. Her daughter had died, and she came to her saying she had writer's block. Working with Suzanne worked out so well not only did the author finish one book, but finished a second book right after. So then that writer referred her to another writer. And that writer introduced her to an executive in a writer's room. They brought Suzanne into help a writer's room that was having too much conflict. It worked so well that she kept being referred to writers. That's when she quit her full-time corporate job and helping writers became a full-time job. The rest is history. 

If you are interested in finding out more about Suzanne here is her website again Screenwritetnow.com and you can follow her on twitter @screenwritenow1

Your own progress is what matters

I always do a year-end review just to check in with myself, keep myself writing, and inspire myself to keep going. We writers all need that from time-to-time, don't we?

Well, this year has been my most successful year thus far. But it doesn't mean I'm supporting myself with my screenwriting career just yet. I have a new writing partner and together we got a huge production company interested in our comedy that they've attached themselves to. They've sent it to a big director and we're waiting to hear if he's attaching himself. We also finished a WW2 drama that I'm co-producing with two really big producers. And I finished a third comedy feature that when it's ready, I'm getting to a really huge producer. Plus, I gained a manager for the first time because of my comedy that has interest.

But even though I have a lot to be thankful for, I'm still not where I want to be with my career. But I'm definitely on my way. And like I've done in previous year-end reviews, it's important for us writers to relish the positive. We writers tend to compare ourselves to others that are reaching more success, whether financially, screen credits, meetings, the list is endless! But we have to remember that every writer has their own path. What might be a success for one writer one year, could be the success another writer sees the next year. When one writer wins in a contest one year, another screenwriter can see success a couple years later in a different contest. So what I'm saying, is do not compare yourself to anyone but yourself!

Did you do better in a contest this year than last?

Did you write more scripts this year than last?

Did you have more meetings this year than last?

Or even did you just get your butt in front of the computer more this year than last?

Whatever looks like success for you, is what matters! Sometimes our success can look small when we compare ourselves to other writers. But if we compare each writing year from one to the next we can see how far we've come. And that's all that really matters.

So what did your success look like this year? Whatever it was,  use it to have a successful 2020! You got this!

The Nutshell Technique - the screenwriter's friend

So a couple weeks ago my writing group, League of Women Writers, had a guest speaker. Her name is Jill Chamberlain and she wrote a book called The Nutshell Technique. I didn't know what to expect, except one of the writers had heard her speak and raved about her, so that's why she came to speak to our group. I'm not usually one to buy a book with a guest speaker, but after her explaining her method, I was hooked and bought her book that night. She's also teaching a weekend seminar Sept 14 and 15 in Los Angeles, so if you like some of the tips I give here, I suggest you sign up. You won't be sorry! I'll include her website below to find out more.

So Jill started her presentation and told us that some of the things she learned from working with screenwriters were that 99% of most screenwriters were actually NOT telling stories. Oops! Not a good statistic. Most people were having one event, then another event, then another, etc. But what they were failing to do was have those events lead to the next, lead to the next, etc. It turned out there wasn't a connection between beats. She went on to explain that what's key about her technique is the connection between parts. It's not a formula, so stories don't become predictable using her technique. You can use it with other techniques, in fact.

She goes onto explain the basic principles behind dramatic storytelling are: drama, obstacles, choices.

That all stories have a beginning, middle, and end.

They all have a hero's journey, even if it's not the Hero's Journey we've read about in books, such as Luke Skywalker's journey. She just meant it's the one protagonist of the movie. Even if a story doesn't have one protagonist, the writer may know which one is the main protagonist, even in a buddy comedy.

And like many teachers, she explains the protagonist needs a good want.

She also goes into detail about which stories are comedic and which are tragedies, using Aristotle's definition. This means a comedy can be a tragedy and a drama could be a comedy, as far as storytelling goes. That in comedies the protagonist overcomes its flaws and has a happy ending. Tragedies don't overcome their flaw and have a sad ending. I'm not going to go too into detail to explain her technique, because really I can't do it justice in a blog post.

Her book is filled with diagrams that show movies she's used to diagram so you can start to learn what makes those movies strong and how to use them for your own stories. I think it would be nearly impossible to go into detail about the movies she diagrammed. So the best thing is to suggest either buying her book or going to her weekend seminar, or both. I'll include her website so you can find out about her book or her classes. https://www.jillchamberlain.com/ She also does consultations for 1 1/2 hrs or full script consultations. Her prices were really reasonable too.

I've already used it as I started to do my rewrite for my comedy script for the producers I'm working with now. And it really made it so simple! I'm finishing up another comedy and I've been stuck on, and I can tell it will help me with that too. Plus, some of her clients are really successful screenwriters. Because any story, no matter how professional a writer you are, can be tricky if done right. And that's what's great about her technique, is it really seems to be this secret weapon to writing any story correctly, and well.

And the script goes on

So it's been way too long since I've written. The only thing I can say is I've been so busy with writing projects, so that's at least a good reason not to blog. But I do at least want to try and blog once a month. Okay, it's been about six months. Sort of the same thing. lol

I'm about to start the 2nd act of my WW2 script that I'm co-producing with two producers. I brought the project to them, so that's why I'm co-producing it. They've produced a ton of things. Me, this will be my first. But the most important thing is that I get this script finished!

I finally got notes from both of them on my first act. There wasn't a ton, so that's nice. And now I can get started on the rest of the script. Maybe I'm writing my blog because I'm nervous to actually finish the script. Do you get that way? I guess those small voices in my head that doubt what kind of writer I'll be, pop up every so often. I know not to listen to them. I know that you have to get something on the page so you can rewrite it. But there's still some of those voices and moments. So hush you darn voices! Okay, I don't want this blog to be too long. I don't want to waste all my time blogging and not writing! If you have any tips on how you ignore those voices of doubt, I'd love to hear them. And for me, onto the 2nd act of my script!

On The Page, again!

So about two years ago, me and two other writers, Mike Martin and Aydrea Walden, were asked to be on On The Page podcast by the wonderful Pilar Alessandra for our first time. She calls us the "Go Getters" which is really cool! Then recently, she asked us back again as returning guests. So since it had been a while since I chatted with these two other wonderful writers, it was really nice to be back on the podcast with them and see what they were up to. I will say, that I know I was super nervous the first time I did the podcast. I can't speak for the others. But I will say is we had a really nice relaxed energy together this time. Or maybe it was because I wasn't as nervous this time! haha Who knows. All I know is I hope it's as fun to listen to as it was for us to record. And of course, it's always wonderful spending time with Pilar. Please listen and hope you enjoy!

http://onthepage.libsyn.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-page-screenwriting/id262077408

http://podbay.fm/show/262077408

5 Things I Learned Writing This Movie, #4

So tomorrow night 5 Weddings opens worldwide in 52 countries. You'd think that would be exciting right? Well, as a writer, I have to say, there's nothing scarier for me. See, what I love about writing is writing. But whenever people see my work, I know I'm putting myself and my hard work out for the world to see and to judge. And that is not really fun for me. So what's a writer to do?

Well, one producer friend suggested, just enjoy that I got a film made. That's no easy thing. With all the movies we see get made, you'd think maybe that's not a big deal. But really, with all the screenwriters, there really are a lot of very successful writers that don't even get a film made. So that's a really big deal and something to be happy about.

Then, that producer also suggested, my friends and family are all coming to see the movie and all excited for me. Enjoy that! What we writers forget with each step is to enjoy those moments. What's the point if we don't let ourselves enjoy these moments? So no matter what I'm thinking about people seeing it and wondering what they'll think, I have to let myself enjoy the whole experience. Enjoy that friends are there, they are happy for me. That's something!

Also, I'm listening to a book on tape, by Brene Brown, Rising Strong. And she has done a lot of Ted Talks and had talks on youtube and her suggestion is about the fact that a lot of people have opinions. But they personally don't put work out there to be judged, they just judge others. So her opinion is if your opinion on my work matters, then you have to put your work out there too. If you're just judging and not putting work out there, then your opinion DOES NOT matter. I love that! So this goes for movie critics and reviewers. It's sure easy to sit in the comfort of your home and judge someone else's screenwriting and film directing. But are those same people actually writing and directing? Nope. So even though I worry about being judged. I'm at least in the game. And that isn't something every person can say. And for that, I deserve a pat on the back!

So sure, other people might be super excited for me that my film is out tomorrow. And I promise I will try to enjoy it, every nerve-wracking moment.

5 Things I Learned Writing This Movie, #3

I'm back! I'm doing a series of blogs in honor of my movie 5 Weddings, that comes out this month worldwide, on October 26. I'm writing about 5 Things I Learned Writing This Movie. So onto:

#3 - Getting a movie produced can take a long, long time. I wrote the first draft of this movie about 13 years ago. Yes, 13 years! So what's a writer to do to not drive the producer crazy while you wait? You get started on another script, and then another, and then another, and then another. Well, you get the idea. Any script you write, you put in the past. And if it gets produced, great! And if not, you've got so many other scripts you won't care. And when it does get produced, like 5 Weddings did, then yay that's just icing on the cake. Even when the producer Namrata Singh Gujral finally told me about it two years ago that we were going to bring on Andy Glickman, a good friend of mine and talented writer to get the script ready for production, I almost didn't believe her! It had been sitting around for so long I really thought it would never get produced! But true to her word, one day, it was in production! I even have a blog post about being on the set for one of the days. And then next thing I knew, it premiered at Cannes! And now here we are, about to see the movie released worldwide. So, the moral of the story, is don't sit around waiting for a script to get produced, always move on to the next project. 

Okay, check in next for #4! 

5 Things I Learned Writing This Movie, #2

So I started a series of blog posts, 5 Things I Learned Writing This Movie, to honor my first produced movie that comes out this month, 5 Weddings. So, today let's hear it from:

#2 - When you write a script, you may think that what you have, is what it will always be. But for us, that was definitely not the case. And maybe not the case on many scripts. So what I learned is that when you write a script, it will change, and change, and change, and then change some more. At first when we started this script, it was a straight-up comedy. But after I finished the script in two weeks, the producer decided to add some dramatic elements. I don't want to say what they are as to not give anything away about the movie. I do think they add a lot of depth to the story, so I'm glad she suggested it. It ends up being the B story, in fact. But that meant there would be a lot of rewrites. So it went from a comedy to a dramedy. I also wrote the first script about 13 years ago, so that means a lot of rewrites over those 13 years. So as a writer you just have to be fine with changes. Because changes are what makes a better story. I think the basic elements are there from the start, but we added a lot over that time frame. So what I'm saying is, don't be afraid to let your script evolve! That's what scripts are made for.

Okay, be sure to be on the lookout for #3 tip next time!

In honor of 5 Weddings: 5 Things I Learned Writing This Movie

So my first produced movie comes out this month, October 26, to be exact, called 5 Weddings. So in honor of that, I have decided to write posts called, 5 Things I Learned Writing This Movie. Get it? 5 Weddings? 5 things I learned? So drum roll, here is:

#1 - That I can write a script in 2 weeks! Before I wrote this script, I had never written a script that quickly. But when the producer told me about the project, she said can you write this in two weeks? And of course, I said yes, even though I'd never done it before. Because if someone has a deadline, then I meet it. I looked at it as a challenge that I would happily take on.

So I set myself a schedule in order to meet that deadline. I remember I had the weekend to write the whole outline and character studies. Then I had to pound out 5 pages every day, no matter what, during the week, for both weeks. And then on weekends, I wrote about 10 pages. For anyone who's written 5-10 pages in a day, it can be pretty exhausting. And doing that for two weeks? I was spent. Plus I had a one-year-old child at the time, so wasn't getting much sleep on top of it and didn't have a nanny so was really spending all day with my child and then writing at night. But anything can be done for two weeks. I remember being spent mentally at the end, but you know what? I had a complete script done in two weeks. And now, I know, if it needs to be done, I can do it.

So check back next time for What I Learned Writing This Movie #2.

Writing while mom

So recently I met a new writer. She's also a mom. We chatted about how we fit in writing and life and being a mom, being a wife. It's hard to juggle it all. There were times where she was a full-time producer and then had little time for writing let alone enough time to do things with her kids she wanted. So she's decided to put off on the producer jobs. But I can relate, because I have a lot of freelance advertising work right now, but then squeezing in my screenwriting isn't easy. Which is why I rarely find time to write my blog. There's only so many hours in the day. So what's a writing mom to do?

I'm hardly saying dads who work don't feel the same way. So if you're a writing working dad, please don't feel dissed. And I'd love to hear your challenges too. But for some reason, it seems like even the extra mom stuff falls on us. Or maybe it's just that we moms let it fall our way and we don't release it to the dad. Stuff like filling out the school papers, doing the back-to-school nights, parent-teacher conferences. As the years go on, I have tried to release some of that to my husband. The more I send his way, the more he seems fine with doing it. Maybe sometimes all it takes is asking them to do it.

Since I rarely have time to read, I'm listening to an awesome audible book right now, Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. I'm enjoying it so much that I will surely mention her in other posts. But she was a busy working mom and an author. And she says how women guilt other women by judging what kind of mom they are. Of course when I hear her say that, in my mind I think, how awful, who does that? But then she goes on to say, "And if you miss your child's school play, it doesn't make you less of a good mom." But inside I'm thinking, yes it does! How awful is that? I went straight to, "No way would I ever do that." Okay, I'm not judging another mom, but I am judging myself harshly. And maybe driving myself crazy trying to meet impossible mom goals!

So what's a working writing mom to do? Of course, we have to make our writing a priority or we'd never get any done. But with so many priorities how do we choose which one comes first? Grocery shopping? Feeding the kids? Taking them to school? Writing? Like I said, I've given some important chores over to my husband. But even then, there still is very little time to find for writing.

I definitely have learned not to get upset if the house isn't perfectly clean, mostly clean has become more the norm. Clean laundry? Okay, so it's on the couch and not put away a few days before it gets put away. Home-cooked meals that don't have much variety from week-to-week? Okay, but at least we're eating together and it's home-cooked. I'm not sure what your level of doing the best you can is, but I really think as a working writing mom or dad, we're all doing the best we can. And before we know it, our kids will be out of the house. But our writing will always be our passion and if we're lucky, a full-time career.

So maybe all we can do is find the time when we have it. Squeeze in an hour a day, 15 minutes on other days, three hours on a weekend if the kids are at a friend's if we're lucky. And before we know it, it all adds up. But making ourselves feel guilty over what we're not doing as parents? Who really has time for that? I'm definitely trying to learn to forgive myself when I can't do it all. I mean, is anyone really doing it all? I bet not.

Do you have a flute man in your life?

Okay, let me explain. Years and years ago when I was having one of those "OMG I shouldn't be writing!" moments in my life, I was in Bali, because aren't all writers? Okay, maybe not. But I was traveling around the world for a year, and I almost considered not traveling because I was so afraid any time away from writing meant my career would take that much longer. Now I'm so glad I went and didn't miss out on that trip. Because I've learned since that every life experience can only help our writing. But that's another post! So back to the flute man. So I'm in Bali and my travel friend isn't feeling good so she stays back at our hotel. So I go out clubbing with two nice guys I met at the beach that day.

So we hit this happening club where everyone was no older than 30, most probably closer to 20. And I see this older man, maybe in his 60's, with a long gray ponytail, and he's in tye-die like a lot of the travelers and he's dancing all by himself having the time of his life. Most of the people were avoiding him, kind of chuckling at this older dude at this club. And I say to my friends, that guy is so happy, I'm going to dance with him. Because when I see anyone living their life the way that's true to their own purpose and is full of joy, I want to know them.

So I start dancing with him. And he looks at me and goes, "You're going through something." That went right through me! Because just that day on the Bali beaches I was telling my friends, "I don't know, maybe this writing thing won't happen, maybe I need to quit." And I was really doubting if this path was right for me. Because all us writers doubt if we should be writing at some point, maybe many points! And I'm dancing with this older dude and he tells me just what I was thinking that day! OMG! It was a sign! And he continues, "You need to believe in yourself. You're going to succeed. Follow your dreams." Wow! The universe sent me a sign! Okay, maybe you don't believe in that stuff, maybe you do. But guess what, I do. And that day, I definitely did. Becuase no way could this man have known what I was saying to my friends on the beach that day. And no one at the club wanted anything to do with this man, but I did, I was drawn to his energy. And because I trusted my instincts about him, he told me the message I needed to hear. And every time over the years I've doubted myself, I remember the flute man. He keeps me going on my path to follow my dreams and believe in myself when I don't know if I can any longer.

So maybe you don't have a flute man. But maybe yours is a teacher who believes in you, or a spouse, or a best friend, or a contest you advance in or a wind that blows a certain way. Whatever it is, find the thing that keeps you on your path. Because it's your dream! And only you know why you were meant to be a writer. And you have to tell your story. And now here I am and my first movie got made and is coming out in the theaters this year and is premiering at Cannes! If I stopped believing in myself all those years ago, that wouldn't be happening! I would have stopped before the thing I wanted ever happened! So keep at it!

If you haven't found your flute man, then I'm hoping this post can be that for you. Believe in yourself and your dream! And keep writing.

The show went on

So this past week I put myself out of my comfort zone. I didn't realize I was in that position until I almost panicked for a full 24 hours! See, my writing group and I all cast actors for 8 pages of sample scripts and put on a showcase where we invited industry people. I think in the past when I had to bring pages to an event like an end of class type of thing, I'd just chicken out and not bring pages. But this was a premeditated event with programs printed and emails and postcards sent out. So there was no backing out for me!

The first night it was raining and I did get laughs for my comedy piece, but not as many as I would have liked. A comedic actor friend told me that rain can affect whether people want to laugh or not. Who knew! Then the second night, no rain in LA, and the laughs were huge and guttural. It was amazing to hear and I get why comedy writers love that feeling. And the best news out of everything? One of the producers I invited now wants to produce that script! Wow! I couldn't have asked for a better result. It just goes to show that sometimes we writers have to put our work out there and just see what happens.

So I learned a few things from getting out of my comfort zone:
1. You won't die if things don't go as well as you hoped
2. Sometimes you have even better results when you're least expecting it
3. Sometimes you have written something good and the right people appreciate it!
4. Keeping your work on your computer and not sharing it is not why we're doing this in the first place

So I've survived sharing my work with some of the public. And now, I'll keep doing it from here on out. I hope you do the same!

It's just a distraction

So as writers, writing is our focus. But as we know, things in life will get in the way to see if we're serious about our craft. I realized this in the morning today, as my dog, adorable dog, crawled into my lap for endless cuddles, just as I was about to workout. Cuddling him was so much more enticing than the thought of working out. But in the end, I know that this wouldn't get me the results I was looking for. As much as I'd like for cuddling a dog to burn calories and build muscles, it's just not going to have that effect. Same goes for writing.

We know that we need to get pages written, dialogue down, characters in good shape, all to move forward on the stories we wish to tell. But for some reason there are so many distractions to get in the way! So in order not to let something "unimportant" take over our lives, I think it's important to limit how many and how often we let these distractions take precedence. So here are some suggestions:

1. Social media like Facebook and Twitter - give yourself a set amount of time that you let yourself search or post on a given day. Or only let yourself browse and post ONCE you've finished your goal pages for the day.

2. Socializing - If you're an extroverted/introverted writer, like me, seeing friends can easily eat into your writing. I tend to lean on the introverted side a lot. But sometimes when I'm missing friends, they can seem to add up all on the same weekend. So limit how many per week you let interrupt your writing days. Or make time for other writers that you need to catch up with, so you can be doing some writing time and see friends at the same time. Or again, if you've had a productive week of writing, then maybe you can let it slide a little more than usual.

3. TV shows - We all know it's the era of TV and so it's easy to binge watch, constantly! This is an easy time-suck, especially if you're writing in the TV genre. So for me, I only try to watch shows that are in my genre and I also only watch TV when I'm falling asleep. That way it doesn't interrupt my writing time. It does mean I'm behind on most shows. But I think writing needs to come before watching shows. Maybe you disagree. But if you're not reaching your writing goals, then perhaps you need to revisit how you watch your TV shows too.

4. Family. This can be immediate family like spouses and kids, or extended family like siblings and in-laws. No matter what you consider family, it's important not to ignore them, but it's also important to make time for your writing. It can be a tricky balancing game. For me, this one takes precedence over all the others. But I'm also sure to try and balance my family and writing to be sure I give each one adequate time. At least I try! No one in the family's complained yet!

5. Writing goals - If you don't have them, then perhaps it's time to get some. I personally have very limited time to write, so instead of having a page count I write every day, mine is a time amount. Every night it can change, so I really don't stick to a set time, but when I know I have the time, then that's my writing time. I make time to write every night of the week. I used to have more free time on the weekend, but alas, that's not as consistent any more. But stick to what works for you. If page count gets your butt in the chair, so be it. If an amount of hours works for you, great. If getting up at 5 a.m. every day works, great. The important thing is to be sure you're writing on a consistent basis. If not, then it's time you reevaluate your life and distractions.

6. Working out - This is an important one that I almost forgot about. I workout every day. But I don't spend my life at the gym like many of my gym friends. When I used to workout at the gym, I'd go an hour, max. Now I even workout with intense video workouts every morning at 6 am and walk every day at lunch for an hour. But when friends want to hike for several hours on the weekends, that's precious writing time. An hour, sure, but more than that, all I can think about is how much writing I could be doing instead!

7. Etc There can be a lot of other distractions of course, and only you know what's sucking up your writing time. The important thing is there shouldn't be any excuses for not writing. So find out what's really important and try to limit time for the things that aren't as important. Happy writing! And now, done with this distraction for the day!

What kind of writers to ask for help from

So at some point in your career you might have friends that have agents or managers or know producers. And perhaps you're thinking, well, I need one or both or all of those, so surely I should ask my friend to refer me! But hold on there buckaroo! Just when you think it's time to ask a friend to help you out, there are a few things to consider.

First, did your friend JUST get this agent/manager/producer? If so, then put on those brakes. If they're at that point, then they're trying to establish a relationship themselves. And for you to ask them to help you is a bit like asking a pregnant mom what it's like to have a baby. It's too soon to ask! So let that relationship they have with their agent, etc percolate.

Then, if a friend has had this agent/manger/producer for quite some time, still ask yourself what kind of relationship they have with that person. When I first became a writer, I knew a really big producer. A writer I had in a writing group asked if I could get a script to them. I hadn't even gotten a script to this person! I was still working on the relationship we had and if even I felt comfortable asking this producer to read something of mine. So I surely couldn't ask him for a friend! That's just odd and it put me in a weird position with the writer. Don't do that to friends! If you're a good writer, I promise your friend will help you out. I surely would have helped this friend out if I had built up the relationship. But instead she was mad I didn't help her and we lost touch.

If you're certain your friend is in a good place with said agent, etc, and I'm sure they see you making your own efforts to make things happen in your writing career, your friend will offer to help. If you really don't see them offering, then yes, go ahead and ask. But even then, they could say no. Some people just aren't willing to take risks on other writers. And if that's the case, there will be other opportunities.

There was even a time when I had a friend who had several really big contacts. It was years before she offered to get one of my scripts to her big producer contact. When she finally did, it turned out the producer had a script like mine, so passed. I was hoping my friend would ask to get another script to her producer friend because this was a really big opportunity for me. She didn't ask though. It really bummed me out. But I put it behind me and knew if it was the right time or situation she would. Well guess what? Now years later I'm working on something with this friend that we're getting to her producer friend! If I had gotten mad that my friend didn't help me out, I surely would have lost that friendship.

So plant the seeds with your writing, work hard, and in time, those friends will help you. But sometimes it just takes patience. And lots of hard work.

The rewrite has happened!

So the writer and I took the notes that the Exec Producer gave us. We were able to turn a rewrite around in under a week. So sent that to the director who's also creating the show with us. He liked it. So now it's on to the Exec Producer. If he likes it, and if he thinks he can pitch this along with his other shows, then, he'll pitch it with us. So we're waiting. Again. Half of the writing process right? But it sure would be exciting to have this Exec Producer team up with us. He has lots of connections in this biz.

So what do I do in the meantime? Well, what I'll say to you too. Work on other things! Luckily I'm working on a new TV script outline and another script for a feature. So I have enough things to keep my mind off that script. It's definitely why you want to work on more than one project at a time. Because the more you work on, the more you can throw out into the world. So if one thing doesn't happen, then you have plenty more options. Hopefully! Well, that's at least the plan.

So, I'm back to my outline now. I hope you're keeping busy on all your project too!

Well that was a good meeting

So I've been creating a show with another writer I've been recently working with. I met him through my neighbor who was a director on a family sitcom. My friend said hey, you need to partner up with this guy who works as hard as you to become a full-time writer, see if you guys want to work together! So we met, we clicked, and thought, okay let's try to write together! We wrote, liked each others' style of writing, had fun working together - this team was working! We had different styles of approaching the writing, but like any good partnership, you allow the other writer to do what they need to, if in the end, you wind up with something good. And, we thought we just might have that!

So today, the director and writer met with their executive producer friend to get notes back from him. (I couldn't make it as I was on another gig). We had already heard that the exec prod. really liked it too! So we knew it would be at least a fun lunch, not painful with, "This sucks!" kind of lunch. So they got notes and they were all very positive and helpful. And now looks like he might be interested in partnering with us! So, he's going to let us know for sure in a week! We're all overjoyed. This is someone with lots of connections and really could make this happen. We're going to tackle his notes in this week and plan to have it rewritten to him before he makes his decision. We're thinking maybe it will help him say yes to us! We sure hope so!

On a side note, the reason this is even happening is the director is my neighbor I've known for years, just as a nice neighbor. He hasn't always been a director but I knew he produced different shows, not sitcoms but more event shows. We've always chatted about what we were working on, but really never thought I'd be pitching a show with him! Till one day he suggested I team up with him and the other writer. And here we are! So it just goes to show, you never know where a friendship will lead to. So make friends in LA! It can't hurt.

Ready for a script consultation with Pilar?

I've always wanted to use a script doctor or have a script consultation from someone professional in the industry. I've been in many writing groups and also have many trusted writer friends to give me feedback. But this time, I have a certain really great producer that's waiting on my current script. So even though my talented writer friends helped me get my script to where it is now, I just felt I needed one more special set of eyes to take me the final way.

So, I listen on a regular bases to On The Page, the podcast with Pilar Alessandra. If you don't know her podcast and you're a writer or anything in the business, you need to listen to her podcasts asap. I've been listening to them for a year or so now. She's had the podcast much longer than that. But I listen to them daily, sometimes a few a day. She records them weekly, so I'm slowly catching up! But what I can say is that everyone in the industry seems to have used her writing guidance at one point or another. Her guests and those that have used her services are professional TV writers, film writers, directors producers, and everything in-between. Every time I listen to her podcasts, I've learned something so invaluable.

So when it was time for me to decide who I would hire to look over my latest draft, I knew it had to be Pilar. You can either pay for rush feature notes at $500 or regular turnaround at $400. Sitcom notes are $350. I had a feature. You can also meet her at her office, on skype or on the phone. I wanted to meet in person because I've been a fan for so long that I wanted to meet the gal behind the podcast. And all I can say, is she's as sweet as she seems on the podcast. Not fair! lol No, really it was such a pleasure meeting her. Of course, then I was thinking, what if she rips my script apart? I'll be so excited to meet her and have my hopes dashed in the same instance. Luckily for all my hard work, even though she had notes throughout, there weren't any, "Start from page 1 rewrite" notes. Phew!

And all her notes were amazing and I agreed and saw how they were going to punch up and improve what I already had. That's exactly why I wanted to her hire. On one of her podcasts she even said how friends usually try to give notes based on what they want your script to be, not based on the script you already have. (By the way, I never do that). But, I will say, most writers I know do that. And so even with good intentions, you sometimes get lead astray. But with Pilar, she only gave me notes that I knew would improve my script.

I'm so super excited. I am half way done with my rewrite from her notes. And after the holidays I will get my script to the producer ready to read this. With her notes, I feel really confident to get my script to him. Before her notes, I'm not sure if I would have. Of course, as writers, we always hope we've turned out something great. But can we always be so certain? But Pilar really gave me a lot of confidence in what I wrote. And now I can't wait to finish my latest rewrite! I will definitely use her on future scripts.

Here's her website for classes and consultation if you're interested too. I highly recommend! http://www.onthepage.tv/script-consultations/script-consultations/

And then it happened

So, I was hired over 10 years ago by a producer to write a script idea of hers. She had me write the script in two weeks. That was hell. Two weeks?! But she needed it, so I got it done. Here we are, over 10 years later, many, many rewrites later, many writers brought on and left, and it finally got made! So what did I learn from all of this?

First, when you're done writing a script, forget about it and start something new. I heard that many times from professional writers. It's true! I've written so many scripts since and thank god. Because if I waited for this to get made, I would have pulled my hair out.

Second, things can take time in this business. When I went to a WGA event with some big wig writer speaking, he said it took him over 10 years for his career to blossom. I was like, oh hell no, it better not take me that long! It's taken me longer. But if you're in this for the right reason, which is because you love to write, then just keep writing and stay in for the long haul.

Third, it was fun seeing my movie get made! I only went to one of the days on the set. They filmed three days in LA. I stayed as long as I was allowed. Then they go to India to film the rest. I'm not going. I was on sets years ago when I was in college and before I knew I was interested in being a writer. Back then I used to think being on a set was boring. Now that I love screenwriting, seeing my film was the coolest thing ever! Hearing actors read your piece, very cool. Seeing crew set up to film your movie, cool! Seeing craft services set up, for your movie, even cooler! Those are donuts, for my movie. Those are chips, for my movie. Those are apples, for my movie!

Fourth, seeing actor's faces and names in your movie imdb is really fun! I keep looking. Like wow, people!

Fifth, meeting the stars of your movie is pretty fun! Knowing people signed up because they liked your story and want to be in it, pretty darn cool! Okay, I've said cool a lot, I get it. But what else says that?

Sixth, waiting for the final piece is scary as hell. I have no idea what the movie will turn out to be. As a writer it sure is scary trusting that others will see your vision. You hope it's in the script. But directors and editors might have something else in mind. But, it's getting made. And everyone keeps telling me, that's all that matters. I hope! So in the meantime, I trust the others. And in the meantime, I keep working on all the other scripts I'm writing. Because...I'm in it for the long haul.