Wit's end

Why haven't I written on this blog in 2 weeks? Because nothing has happened. I've put words on digital paper, but nothing stuck. When it doesn't stick, it really stinks. Or when it won't get stuck, it must suck. At least my rhyming hasn't followed my wit into the cold, dead grave.

Allow me to sum up two weeks of my life.

My manager was very excited with my last script. Thus prompting him to take an active interest in my next script - always a plus.

So I sent him my idea.

"Not commercial enough."

I retuned my idea.

"Not commercial enough. Try sending all your ideas and we'll see which ones we can work with."

So I did exactly that. I sent 4 ideas I had been kicking around. "Not commercial enough x4"

And now my mind is in timeout triangle.

I've just been introduced to the nasty reality of this business that I always knew existed, but told myself I would overcome. The industry is all about marketability. Don't be deceived. The idea counts for 90% of your worth. The writing ability counts for 10. It's like taking a hard math test that pours acid on your brain only to come to the end and see the teacher has included "Bonus Questions!" You know all those months of outlining, writing, and revising? All that hard work and late nights? Sweating over each individual line of dialogue? It's all extra credit. A bonus. If the script is well-written, you've gone above and beyond. But the actual test consists of coming up with a winning idea.

And that's what this industry truly is about. Bouncer after bouncer. Guard after guard. What do they do? Turn away the ideas that won't fly. Writing ability is incidental. Agents, readers, development execs, and producers aren't on the hunt for great scripts. They're on the hunt for great ideas.

Now, what's a "great" idea? One that is guaranteed to make money. One that has a ready market. One that we have seen countless times, but this time it has a new twist.

And every time I think I've stumbled upon that great idea, it's either been done, or someone doesn't get it's true greatness.

And this is the real karate-chop to the nuts of writing for Hollywood. With books, concept to writing ratio of importance is usually about 50-50. For short stories? 30-70. Screenplays. 90-10. Writing ain't enough. Execution ain't enough. If the idea doesn't reach out of the logline, unzip their fly, and start sucking their cock, you're dead in the water. The precious card-stock cover will never get a bend.

This realization has turned my brain to mush as I try to find new twists on old ideas.

I know that most freshman writers say, "I have so many great ideas, I just don't have time to write all of them." Ummm... most likely. all of those ideas are garbage. I used to have a list of a dozen scripts I needed to write. None of them have been done. They've all been vetoed before they began.

They say that screenwriters need to learn to "kill their babies" - meaning the parts of your script you like the most are probably the ones that fit the least. I'm going to go a step sooner in the development process and say, "Abort your ideas." Change your way of thinking.

For the first time, as success is in the vicinity, I'm becoming disillusioned in the industry.