Find a Tribe

Okay, so still working on hammering out the premise for the pilot. I've got a lot of clarity subjectively it's just the actual...writing that needs to happen. My kitchen table is covered with note cards: days worth of Pilot Idea Brain Dumping. I joined a writer's group (Jane Espenson encourages that). We meet every Monday night from 7-10. I've only been once but it was good. More than anything it acts as leverage for me. I know every week there is a group of people holding an expectation on my behalf, that I will have in some way advanced, improved, expanded or produced my project in some way. And that is good.

I'm also studying other pilots. I'm used to dissecting produced scripts in an effort to spec them. But it's a whole different ball game creating a pilot. Now I'm reading produced pilots with a different eye: when is the premise clear? When is the main character's character truly revealed? Who loves the character and why and when is that obvious? What is accomplished in each act? What works for me as the reader? Why did I love this pilot (or not)? What do the supporting characters bring out in the main character? At the end of the pilot, am I dying to read more? What expectation am I left with? Cliff hangers? Emotional tease? It's good to study this way. And it's good practice to articulate why I like something and why it works. I recommend it. It would be even more fun to do with a friend. But, alas, this is a solo project.

Re: the Writer's Group. I personally have a tough time speaking in groups about my ideas. I'm in my head so often that sometimes the sound of my own voice shocks me. According to my Shero, Jane, this is a problem. Apparently, writer's talk as much as they write in writer's rooms. So I gotta get over that, STAT. Which is part of why I joined a group. I did well last week, I got a little tongue tied in moments, but I didn't geek out or anything. So. Success.

The rest of this week is all about: more studying of produced pilots, more character bio's (for my pilot) and expanding the World of the Show. I've also NetFlixed about 8 TV shows and movies with similar tones/themes as my project to see what other inspiration I might find.

The pilot journey continues....

Words I Wish I had Written: "The pain pushes...till the vision pulls." Rev. Michael Beckwith