Cinerant

Go Writing Team!

So I've been paying a lot of attention to Veronica Mars lately because I think that might be the next program I try and do a spec script for. It's sassy, funny, connected, edgy--all the things I feel like I want to do as a writer. But I have absolutely no story in me dying to get out.

Actually, that's not true. I do have a couple of story ideas--but nothing that I think of and immediately know that it works. And the things I do have, I fear are just retreads of somebody else's brilliance.

I think what's slowing me down at the moment is that I still just don't completely have the tone and language of the show nailed yet. I think I've gotten the characters, but not the rhythms of the writing. There's actually a reasonably easy way to solve that--research. I just haven't done that yet. I need to find the episode to really study and I'm not sure which one that is yet.

Then, once I figure out what it is I'm really doing, I can figure out from there my approach. In some ways, it's like playing a team sport. Just because you know the rules to playing baseball doesn't mean that you're going to immediately be able to play lacrosse. You might have the skills and natural ability, but you at least have to leave the baseball field and observe lacrosse rules before you join the team and start smacking people upside the head with sticks.

I can't believe I just compared writing to sports. What's wrong with me?

posted by cinegod @ 8:06 AM