The Writing Process... A Mystery

I was recently asked how Dan and I write screenplays together. "Do you just sit down and write?" she asked. Well, yes and no.

Yesterday we started working on yet another zany comedy. I know, we just finished a screenplay last week but we enjoy having a project in process. It's fun for us, not merely "work." We write-a-holics feel empty without a project going; two or three is even better. 

We'd had the concept for the new one sometime last year. Brief notes were tucked in a file called "script ideas." Lots of things trigger ideas. Often life itself with its challenges, quirks and craziness. Airspac'd, about the trials and tribulations of today's air travel was sparked by, yes, flights from hell. 

So we went down to AJ's, our favorite pub, with folder and notebook in hand. AJ's was quiet on a Sunday afternoon. We took a wooden booth, ordered beers and cups of homemade chili and got to work. 

I read over our old notes. Hmmm. Some of it it didn't resonate any more. What were we thinking? The main arc of the story was OK. We just needed all the details. We sat there for a few minutes staring at each other. Inspiration had left the building. 

We decided to focus on identifying our main characters. Who are they? What happens to them? How do they intersect? After a couple of hours brainstorming we had them nailed down, names and life situations included. Along the way we also created tangental characters, decided how to open the movie and we had several ideas for plot complications. All scrawled in cryptic handwritten notes. 

All our works start the same way. A pile of notes and half-formed ideas swirling in our heads. We'll probably draft up the first few scenes on the computer, then go back to brainstorming. Sometimes the process of actually writing description, action and dialogue sparks ideas for the next scenes. The characters come alive and start to "speak." 

It continues to amaze me that out of such meager beginnings, a full-fledged, 120 page plus screenplay will eventually emerge. It can't be forced yet you have to be disciplined. Once underway, it simmers in the back of your mind constantly. Often we wake up with ideas. 

It's not all pleasure. Sometimes we're stuck. Sometimes we argue. We have different visions for how things should go. We hammer them out and often the result is better for it. 

Check in with us in two or three months. With any luck, we'll have another funny, entertaining work ready to shop around.

The great agent hunt-or talking your way through doors...

Well, after almost two months of moving-moving-moving, we were able to devote some time yesterday to finding an agent. Our hope is to sell a couple of screenplays so we can work on producing Poplar Hill and Merseybeat to Music Row, a bio-documentary featuring legendary producer Chris Huston. He used to be Dan's producer and sound engineer back in the day in L.A.

We dug out the file--fortunately I hadn't packed that one in a box (we have about 20 boxes left to unpack--ugh), and Dan got to work. One agent has had two of our pieces for months. He made a call to the always cordial assistant, was told to call back and then when he did, they were out to lunch. Ah, the time zone dance. Just when you get ready to call, it's lunch time in L.A.

Another agent was receptive--she called right back after Dan left a message--but said she was too busy to take on anything new, although she thought our projects were "terrific." She is interested in our almost-finished newest one, though. Up the Tracks is more action and drama than comedy, so maybe it will be to her taste.

We've been working on this for a while, sporadically. Dan is great at "talking his way" through doors. He builds a rapport and most people ask to see our stuff. We've gotten some good feedback but we haven't found that "special person." Gosh, it's almost like dating.

We lucked out early and found a good entertainment attorney. We work well with him--and consider him a friend. Ideally an agent would also be a friend, become the third leg of the stool, so to speak. 

Like Dan says, the "easy" part is writing--the hard part is the business end. Who knows what the outcome will be. But if we don't try...

Are we fools...or what

My husband, Dan, and I, Liz, decided a couple of years ago to start writing screenplays.

We both had a lot of experience--Dan as a songwriter and me as a business and fiction writer.

As happens in mid-life, we saw a lot of peers pass away--and realized that it was time to do what we want with our lives. We'd both raised kids, done the homeowner-worker-bee thing, been responsible adults for the past twenty-five years. 

One of our friends runs a funky old inn and there is quite a motley crew that lives and works there. They operate close to the edge but are some of the funniest, most accepting and upbeat people you could meet.  Every visit we'd hear a funny, tragic or heartwarming episode. Or all three. "This would make a great reality show," we said. Then we thought, what about a screenplay?

So Poplar Hill was born. 

Now we're on our fifth screenplay (page 90). We write comedy: action, zany, romantic, dramatic. We can't help it. We tried to write a thriller and ended up with a romantic comedy, albeit black. An agent told us our work was "witty and well-written." 

Naturally we were met with a lot of skepticism, mainly by family. (Of course) They consider us pipe-dreamers.  They won't even read our work. Strangers do, though, and we've had a couple of script readings that were thoroughly enjoyed by the participants. 

Recently we moved 1200 miles to a better--and warmer--place to make our dreams happen. We are working on getting an agent and plan to produce Poplar Hill as an independent feature.

We also have plans for a bio-documentary.

This blog is about our journey--the tale of two fools who love and live to write.