Lots to get to today:
The Early Pilot Queries
The Classes
The Symposium
The Pep Talk
The Meet-up
The Podcast
The Early Pilot Queries
There’s a lot of stuff I think about when I am writing a pilot before I even start breaking a story.
Who is my main character? Protagonist? Hero or heroine? Why are they more interesting than everybody else on the show? Story is about conflict. Who brings the most conflict to the show? Liz Lemon has to deal with the people above her, like Jack, and the people below her, like the writers, and the people she has a relationship with in two directions- the cast- she is their boss, and they are also more important to the face of the show than she is. Liz is the star of 30 Rock! (Also Tina wrote the show…)
One character I always like to think about in this regard is Frasier. He works as a side character on Cheers because he brings conflict for Sam and for Diane, as a romantic rival to Sam for Diane’s affection. He also works as a lead character on Frasier, because he has a sibling rivalry with the slightly more effete and fussy Niles, he has a contentious but loving relationship with his father who moves in with him, he is overwhelmed by having loopy Daphne move in with him, he has a professional relationship with his producer Roz that eventually becomes a close friendship of almost equals… kind of cool to see the character in both situations (then of course there’s the reboot but fuck that noise).
Who are the regulars? What fun people are we going to want to spend time with every week (or if it’s animated, what fun animals/objects/supernatural creatures/whatever)? What’s fun about them? How will our main character’s interaction with them lead to more story? Or, how will having them around make our main character’s story more fun?
What are the ways in which the show is entertaining? Every week Janine’s naivete and desire to make the world better butts up against the cynicism and world-weariness of her colleagues, and she doesn’t exactly ever win big but we see her small victories as major achievements, and we root for her every time. It’s a blast to watch an underdog achieve some success! (see Rocky) (and Underdog).
Not to be all 7th grade English teacher (to be fair, I actually was once a 7th grade English teacher), but what is the theme? What is the one thing that every episode will be about in a broader sense? Frasier is about sons craving a father’s approval. Abbot Elementary is about not getting worn down by the system. Big Mouth is about going through puberty. Young Sheldon is about being named Sheldon and also you are young.
I might do some brainstorming, some dictating, some doodling, some “freewriting,” whatever, to get some thoughts out about all of this stuff. No judgment, no right or wrong, just putting stuff out and seeing what resonates. Waiting to feel the strange disturbance in the Force, when I know I have something.
The Classes
It is, as they say, a difficult time in the business of show (particularly in Hollywood), but luckily the one thing no one can take away from you as a writer is your ability to keep grinding. Hopefully soon the mess of streaming and the corporations and the money and the things will all shake out however it does and all will be right with the world, but in the meantime, write a fucking script. And if you want I can help.
I have a couple classes coming up very soon. One is a class in outlining your sitcom pilot. The other is a class in writing your sitcom pilot based on your outline. Go here for more info.
Space is available in both. If you have a question about which one is better for you let me know.
The Symposium
“The Sticking Place”
6 PM-7 PM Tuesday, June 25- on Zoom
I wanna talk a little about something I get a lot of questions about: what if I started a writing project (a pilot, a screenplay, a novel, a love poem) and I never finish it, and I stop, and now I want to pick it back up again?
Macbeth says he’s gonna assassinate Duncan, but then maybe he won’t because of everything he’ll lose if he fails, but then Lady Macbeth says something about “Screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail.”
But how? How do you screw your courage?
I said I was gonna do this symposium on the 18th of June, but I’ve postponed it til June 25th (I have to finish making the slides). It’s gonna be on Zoom, and I’ll cover questions like “Why did you stop?” “How do you not stop?” “How do you start again?” “Is it worth starting again?” and everything in between. And I’ll leave room at the end for a Q&A, in case anybody has Q’s (I may have A’s, and if I don’t I will certainly pretend). Fill out this form if this is something that interests you, and I will send you the Zoom link.
The Pep Talk
I’ve done a lot of things half-assed in my life, and luckily I am so blessed with charm and talent and charisma and looks and a mostly natural fiber wardrobe that it has often worked out okay. But I’ve always been aware that when I do things… assed? It’s generally gonna work out well. So putting so much time, effort, money, and relationship capital into the short film I wrote and directed a year and a half ago meant that I would be rewarded on the festival circuit with a variety of accolades, plaudits and huzzahs. I finished it, with the help of a multitude of incredibly talented people, and I liked it, and it was good. And I rested.
And since then I have been rejected by 13 of the 14 festivals I submitted to.
But you know what? The film is good. And they are wrong.
I tell you all this because (spoiler alert)I continue to believe in myself and my work. Give yourself permission to do the same.
Also it’s hard to take these people seriously when they send you rejection letters like this one:
That’s like if you’re dating a girl and she goes, “You’re not the one, this is the end for us… good sir.”
The Meet-up
We did a writer meetup back in April, and it was really fun. So we’re doing it again! Come out to Bigfoot Lodge in Atwater Village (3172 Los Felix Boulevard) to share exciting and chilling tales of your successes and failures as you live the life of a writer, and experience all that goes along with that. Realize that you are not the only one!
We’re gonna be there on Friday, June 28th, from 7-9 PM. And if it’s like last time I will leave a bunch of people behind as I storm out the door at around 11, so don’t worry about showing up late. The bar will be open all night (which is not the same as having an open bar, Ryan!), and I really hope to see you.
The Podcast
My friend and fellow TV writer Andy Secunda (aka the Nostradamus of West Hollywood) and I have a podcast where we watch television pilots and talk about them. Some are good, some are bad, some are weird, some are other adjectives. This week we are joined by the amazingly talented writer and actress and comedian and March Madness fan Alison Becker (you may remember her as Shauna Malwae-Tweep on Parks and Rec, or as a Georgetown fan) to discuss a show you more than likely have never heard of, and would deeply enjoy, called Patriot. Here’s the trailer for the show itself And here is a link to our podcast episode.
Stay safe. See you soon.
Sean
Awesome podcast. https://open.spotify.com/show/5EGX5tBgxOq6Zj8t7fFIdg?si=-4O1w9QaSa2xqSRtb_ticw