Still brand new here and said hello just around a week ago. Here's a bit of musing about writing spec scripts for film and tv for 33 years. I've learned that the more I've mused, the less I know for sure. I walk and muse a lot more softly now. The more I've learned about so called rules, the more I've also learnd that there are few, if any, so called rules. Here's an important one. Before musing, there's a need to spend more time exploring something deeper that connects us to the story we're writing. Go deeper, invest time in understanding the deep psychological underpinnings of your protagonist and then drive them through hell to come to some sort of psychological resolution. Becoming a better muser and writer hasn't morphed into financial success. But the journey continues, so there isn't a resolution yet. Success to me has been loving the craft and tagging along with new characters in a new story world with a French roast coffee pour over by my side. Actually, I love that part the most. That's the holy grail because if you don't love the process and the life of a writer, money won't make it more enjoyable. Love the writing life. I've been close to deals a few times. Pay close attention when you get interest in a project. It does't come around all that often. When I look back and think of the times where I was either in a discussion with a major company or when I was spec developing a project with a different track record company at a studio, I needed to part the seas in my mind and make sure I was laser focused. These occasions came between writing years 2 to 10. Though I think I'm a much better writer now, it's harder than before. Education and knowledge is more acute and there are so many more people doing it. Unleash descriptions and let your writing shine, don't hold back. I've written small budget specs, medium budget scripts, and large studio specs. Some might say it's a sin for an unproduced writer to write big and imaginary and a number of other so called rules, so tell me your thoughts on this. I had just written a fully developed sci-fi pilot with a pitch deck, series bible, with some costing and packaging totalling 20K. Just as it started to gain a bit of traction when it was sent out through the attorney, the pandemic shut everything down and momentum and a great expense was lost. My inner muse cried, put on a red afro wig, and then sang tomorrow. It took a while, but I got up and started developing a new script with a French roast pour over by my side. The sun did eventually come out again. What are your musings from your trench?
Introduce Yourself : Tales from the trenches. What's your tale? by Tracy David Sim
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You are read storyteller, I can see that. Are you a novelist as well?
Hello Edyta... If I was a smarter person, I would be a novelist.. and a painter. I was a good enough artist in my younger years to get a scholarship to an art school. But I think I might have blown it in the trenches so to speak. Producers are quite sensitive about original IP in the form of a screenplay if they can instead choose something like a book based project that has an IP fanbase. But I can't shake my love for writing stories in screenplay draft form. So I guess I'm just not that smart :) But you are, and I enjoyed reading your profile. Good luck here, nice to meet you!
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Tracy David Sim do not over estimate novelists please, it’s not a matter of being smart or not. I am coming from Poland and believe me, it was easier to write a book than to get into the movie business and it still is. Being born in another country, like Spain when’re I live now, probably I wouldn’t choose being novelist at first place. Give yourself some more credit and keep up your good work.
Edyta Niewinska.. Thank you! You live in a beautiful country where it is much warmer than where I live. I might appreciate iced coffee there :) But probably wine along the Camino de Santiago will be my future choice. Writing is pretty hard no matter what we're writing. It is a brutally individual experience between our readers and our creations.
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What do think about uploading your work with no NDA?
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You are speaking my words Tracy David Sim! Oh, iced coffee on the beach of Costa de la Luz - yes, you are very welcome.
Hey K-J.. That's a good question about exposing work on platforms like these. A couple things come to mind for me. I'm getting older is what comes to mind right away. So I guess I'm not playing the real long game here. And there's a risk in all forms of creativity. If I can track down the source of a post I read years ago, I'll send it to you. It basically says that while there is a potential risk of some sort of an IP breach, it makes far more financial and legal sense for a company or studio to deal with the artist, writer or performer who created the material in the first place. That is an opinion I've read numerous times from numerous sources. We probably can't stop our work from being a source of similar inspiration. It's supposed to be the best form of flatery, right! You'd probably join me in the idea too that as long as we are recognized and paid fully for our work, they can imitate and flatter all they want :)