(The bitchin’ Anita Loos, screenwriter Boss. Could there be anyone else?)
So I’m fed up with the novel querying/rejections right now. No, I am not giving up hope because I can’t. Am Just Fed the Fuck Up at the moment. While I’m taking a slight break from that utter hell (I don’t know how you novelists do it without considering harakiri by pen), I’ve been mulling over a television series idea, and I really want to write a pilot script for it. I figured what the heck — This sort of format, this sort of thing is what I know, more or less. Never written a TV pilot script. I know the conventions though, the format and whatnot. Got guides, a few peeps. That’s no biggie. I don’t know what happened to my screenwriting mentor, J. Frank James, though. The last I ever heard from him was on my wedding day, and he’d called me from the set of City Slickers II: Something About Curly’s Gold, of all things, enjoying spending the day with his longtime BFF Jack Palance, of all people. He was like that. He may still be around somewhere, but I’m not sure. He was quite up there in age.
I could use his advice right now, even if he didn’t dabble in television. The last I read, he was penning a post-WWII script for some Swiss director, and Ulrich Thomsen (Kai Proctor from BANSHEE!) was set to star in it. That was back in 2011. Hopefully, he’s still working on something like that. Screenwriting is such a flaky business. This, I know.
Anyway, I think November is going to be the month two things: working on the antho. editing and for the TV pilot script, treating it as NaScrWriMo or NaPilWriMo or even NaTVWriMo, whatever. If I could squeeze in just a little bit more research time between now and then, I think I can do this. Maybe.
I’m not sure.
Whaddahell.
This, On Purpose 
Good luck with your pilot scipt! Lol I never understand all those nanwriacronymwhatsits but not making much progress with writing myself at the moment. I’m sure you can do it though. You’re crazy talented.
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Awww. Shucks. If only! I mean, there has to be a logical reason why I can’t get any interest at all in my damn book!
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Who knows how they decide what they decide, really? There’s an awful lot of junk they slap a couple of covers around and throw out there. It doesn’t mean you’re not talented. I think they look for the couple of things they can market the crap out of — even if the things are trite and poorly written. Maybe you’re just ahead of trends or some such.
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I need to stop reading my FB feed right now. I’ve already seen several people posting about landing an agent or getting a novel accepted by one of the “top five” publishers. It’s making me feel like total shit, so maybe it’s best to stop…FB sucks out one’s soul.
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I hate FB period. FB translated loosely means killing your brain cells one cell at a time. I know enough to know that getting an agent and getting published still is no promise that you’ll go far. There’s a reason why there are few truly successful authors, meaning people who can write for a living full time. It might happen quicker for some and slower for others. I think it could happen for you too, just maybe not this book.
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Yea! I can skip the book and wait for the movie. Great photo at top of page.
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Well, TV pilot at any rate.
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Did you go post-modern in the middle of this post? I completely lost the thread. You should definitely write a pilot. Would it be a genre-y thing? Or not? I watched s2 e1 of the leftovers. The opening with the cavewoman was just amazing I thought. Golden age of tv indeed!
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Wait until you see the next couple of episodes of this season (Leftovers)…Stranger and stranger…even more fascinating…Otherworldly and INCREDIBLY dark.
As for the thread…not sure what you mean… The novel bit? I’m trying to get a novel published (well, an agent to work with me, at any rate), and it’s been horrid. I’ve not tallied my rejections, but they’re in the 50-or-so-range now. I think I’m querying poorly or…as one agent told me…the trend isn’t “there.” I’ve blogged a bit about it here, the process of querying, the pain of it. I probably should trackback to those entries…
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Sorry, im an idiot. You’re going to do a pilot using material from your novel. Awesome. I just got lost in the post when you talked about your mentor. City slickers and your wedding threw me cos that film was more than 20 years ago. But yes, recalling what youve mentioned before now. Ill get there eventually.
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Actually, my TV pilot idea has nothing to do with the novel, but you may have hit on something I OUGHT to do…and that is turn my novel into a film script. Hmmm…
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Cool. hope you write about the pilot idea in future though, wanna hear about that too.
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Oh, it’s one I think you can get behind. I like my TV drama dark these days, and my concept is quite dark.
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