Discussions, Discussions, Discussions

The good news is the vampire movie is now a wrap and officially in post-production. We might actually get a name for this thing before it’s released!

It’s funny, I’ve been involved in writing scripts in a lot of different situations. I’ve been involved in two projects: a two-episode West Wing and the comedy Phat Girlz, neither of which I got a writing credit for (of course, with Phat Girlz that was probably a good thing). Everything else I’ve been involved in has never been produced. All those scripts have lived and died in Hollywood development hell. Only one, Crimson Snow, an original action/adventure script of mine, still has any life left. It is on life support.

So it is great that a little project, even this vampire rewrite I did, will actually see the light of day. Okay, even if it is a direct to DVD special. It will probably spend more time in the scream-fest circuit than in Blockbuster. But hey, there are different levels of success. I still have my “Guaranteed-to-get-someone-an-academy-award” set of scripts in my desk drawer, waiting for Spielberg or Hanks or SOMEONE to express their interest.

One day.

And meanwhile, the great thing about writing scripts is that even if they are not produced you get paid. And you get a credit for your efforts.

If you were writing books and you put “successfully wrote 27 unpublished novels” you’d have “LOSER” stamped broadly in bright red ink on your query.

However in scriptwriting you write “Action/adventure script optioned by Small Time Pictures; Rewrite without credit of comedy Flubbabbuba by Who Knows These Guys Entertainment…” and you are a successful, working and earning screenwriter.

What a business.

Meanwhile, although I have no writing assignments this moment, I’m in “discussions” on several projects right now. Of course, “discussions” are exactly that. Lots of people do lots of talking and most times it comes to nothing. Still, with any luck I’ll have a paying gig soon. If not, it’ll be time to start back on that spec script I keep wanting to finish.