All my writing today has me thinking a lot about learning and computers. It’s a central theme of my pilot, see, and I’m sitting down tonight to write this blog realizing that it’s a concept that’s not being explored almost AT ALL at the moment. I recommend reading or watching videos on Watson, the computer that they taught to play Jeopardy. It was a revolution in computer programming…allowing a computer to essentially form it own logical constructs. Write it’s own code. That’s human stuff, right there. That’s what WE do.

How do you pack all that stuff into 55 pages?

You can’t.

I guess that’s what so frustrating about where I’m at with this pilot script right now. I don’t know what the emotional core of this thing is. I haven’t been able to pin that down. What is it trying to say? That’s what’s going to help pare down what gets to stay, and what needs to go.

But, I’m still in the middle of the woods on that front. So, I’m keeping it all in. Or, trying to.

Overall, this draft is worlds better than the first. It has a through-line. Things are getting set up and then paid off. I guess I’m hoping that by the time I finish this draft, I’ll have an idea of where it needs to go next. And, if I don’t, I’ll hand the mess over to friends to help untangle. And, god willing, shorten by about half.

I realize this is now three days in a row of complaining about this pilot script, and for that all I can say is that I feel you. I don’t really mean to complain. I wouldn’t be writing what I’m writing if I didn’t objectively and grand-scheme find it fucking awesome and exciting. The frustration comes from the fact that I set out to have a pilot script I can use to help land an assistant position, and more so was hoping to have that pilot script much sooner than later…and I’m not going to have that script when this draft is finished. Not even close.

But, I’m going to finish this draft, gosh darn it. Another 18 pages done. That’s something to celebrate, I suppose. I’ve written 50 pages in three days. That’s not too shabby. So, I *will* have a draft at the end of this month, which was the goal. I want to have the draft tomorrow, actually. Which, would give me Sunday to read through it and strategize on what next, and maybe even pare down and modify. We shall see, won’t we?

Suddenly, I feel more optimistic. There *may* be a way to do this and have it be in the 50 to 60-page range it needs to be. I won’t know until I finish, and I can see all the moving parts. I think it was just the thought of finishing this draft that made me feel that way. There is always hope at the end of finishing a draft. Despair is for when we’re first getting notes, or when we’re writing. Right?

I didn’t talk about it last night, but I decided on a work schedule for the rest of this month, starting Monday. Back to 3-days-on-2-days-off, the routine I used to great effect earlier in the year. Catch up with editing work like a motherfucker.

It will also be back to 3 pages a day on the novel. That continues to come out like a freaking happy parade. Granted, I have the feeling it’s not as good as I want it to be, but still. The process of just writing it has been much more pleasant than writing the pilot. I honestly think scripts are harder than prose. Objectively. Not just for me.

Anyone care to disagree? Who has done both?

Scripts just have to be so TIGHT. Every freaking word is precious, because the clock is always ticking in a script. Novels have a muuuuuch slower, longer ticking clock. Your PROSE is your ticking clock. You set the tempo however you want. Scripts demand efficiency. Scripts must be perfect. It’s hard.

Which…I knew. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

With that, I leave you.

Actually, I leave you with this: these past few days, much to my satisfaction, I have actually felt like a WRITER. And as such, feel totally entitled to belly ache as much as I have. It’s glorious 🙂