I have a multitude of (almost) worthy excuses not to write tonight. But I’m here anyway. Realistically, I’m not going to be averaging an hour a day on this project anytime soon. I’ll aim for 30 minutes of good, clean, distraction-free writing a day – maybe 5 hours a week.
So I’m searching for something to write, and it feels like a blog day. My other blog has been in drydock for a least a year, so perhaps it’s time to work on my sitcom idea.
I realize that this project has barely advanced in the months I’ve been away from this blog. I’ve made some progress on my notes for the plots of the 13 episodes that would form the first season, and I’ve firmed up some dialogue, but other than those notes, this project is still at the same stage as what I wrote back last August:
I’ve been working on a TV show concept for a few years, and I think I’m quite happy with what I’ve come up with. It ain’t finished yet – in my dreams I had hoped to shoot it in July 2008 and edit it in August, but the whole fatherhood thing has interfered. I’m working on a pilot script (now 50% finished), a show bible, synopses of a first season of 13 episodes, and a rather extensive backstory for some of the characters. If I won the lottery, this is the project I’d put at the top of my list to work on.
CURRENT STATUS: Since I have a detailed Story Treatment for the pilot, I think I could likely complete that with 25 hours of work or less. The synopses of the remaining 12 episodes of the season would likely take much more time, even though they’re in decent shape.
PROSPECTS: My back-of-mind plan was to shoot the pilot and use it to sell the concept to the Comedy Network. I think they’d love it.
I did talk to the guy who I’d like to direct the pilot episode, and I did attend a 5 day course on Series Writings at last year’s Summer Institute of Film & Television. This sitcom was the project I brought to the table. I thought that folks would be so impressed that they’d try to steal the idea. Instead, the instructor was, shall we say, lukewarm to the concept. The other students were supportive — but I don’t think the story lit their fires.
Truth be told, part of this Blogus Ressurectus is due to those students: now at the 6-month mark from our course, some of them have written with updates on where their projects stand. Great progress from them; for me, not so much.
I think I’ll get some collaborative writing in this weekend, when My Friend the Comic (MFTC) comes to visit. She has an upcoming spot on a radio show, and we’ve often worked on her material together. If I get a joke or two into her appearance, I’m happy. Other than that – I think I’m going to plunge into my sitcom work again.
Small note of pride: I was looking for excuses on how to ‘re-purpose’ some of my other things I had to do tonight into fitting into the ‘writing’ category, to give myself a free pass today. But I resisted the urge. Momentum maintained.
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