Be Prepared

Well. Suddenly it’s December 2024. We always think we have more time. And then we don’t. This was a challenging year on many levels for almost everyone I know. For creatives, in particular, jobs seemed to be few and far between.

So, how do we move forward? These are some of the things that I learned in 2024, which may be helpful.

Pay attention to guidelines.

If you are writing on assignment, like I have been for seven years, make sure you know your production company’s “guidelines” or “rules” -- and write to them. What was acceptable last year may no longer be in vogue (but may come back again). But what about all those other great pitches that you came up with? Do you have to throw them out? No; not at all. Never throw them out. Apply the guidelines/rules and give your pitch a new coat of paint. And if that doesn’t work, archive them – trends come and go, and one day, your story will be just what they want.

Focus on paragraph pitches.

This is key. Have a killer title, logline and paragraph. Now, this is not to say that you shouldn’t have a one-pager ready.  (You should.) But submit your powerful paragraph pitches that a busy executive can glance at and get the idea of quickly. If you’re super confident about it, create a poster as well – but don’t submit it unless you are given the okay to. The paragraph pitch seems to be the best tool to engage the most people. For a super detailed person like me, it’s a challenge to compress my big idea into a paragraph. However, it can be done. Focus on the broad story beats. The ones that hook us in and won’t let us go until we finish reading. I encourage you to bang out one a day, for practice, for fun and for honing your skills.

Do not wait. 

You are a writer? You must write. You must put in the time. Set a timer, sit down, bang out ten ideas. Put them aside. One of those might morph into something powerful. This is what happened for me. For fun, I thought, “What if?” I had some ideas, banged out pitch paragraphs, and to my shock a producer picked up two, like that. Snap! But had I not done those things, even though there was no guarantee I’d sell them, I wouldn’t have anything to show.

Mentor

I’ve been extremely fortunate in having a working director and producer as mentors. Their notes have been priceless and there is no question I’m a better writer because of them. But what if you don’t know someone like that? Well, at one point I also was in that position, so I reached out on social media. I somehow connected with an Emmy-winning writer, whose scripts are so good that I learn just by reading them. She and I have swapped scripts and have monthly zooms – this kind of networking and community is vital. Writing is (unless you have a partner) extremely lonely. The whole experience is isolating, and I cannot stress enough that you should not work in a vacuum. Find your tribe, your crew, your group. And, dare I say, if you cannot, run your ideas by ChatGPT. I have found that “Chat” seems to love the world of screenwriting and will suggest things that might surprise you. Bottom line: getting feedback can make a huge difference.

So. I’m going to take my own advice and sit down and write. I got a little too comfy getting assignments and not doing the first job of a writer:

·      Brainstorm.

·      Write.

·      Repeat.

Don’t worry if it’s brilliant. Just write it. Oh, and maybe the most important thing of all to remember: your voice matters. Let it be heard.

What are your creative goals for the new year? I’d love to hear them. Let’s interact and build community!

Wishing you beautiful holidays and a pen that never stops flowing as it moves across the page.