Hi Lovies,
This week’s lessons are getting more involved with the rules of writing! So last week we worked on the study bible and fleshing it out. Now we are working on how to begin writing the script. Shonda explained her process for coming up with the details of her script and how to pitch it to network execs.
I can’t express how excited I was to learn that she was a nervous mess when she did her pitch for Grey’s Anatomy. From the story she shared, she was awful, but they purchased her story anyway because she did the work and made her pitch amazing. It gives me hope, because I know for sure I will be nervous when the time comes to make my pitch. Yes, I said when and not if. I am speaking this into existence baby! Yeeeeees!
I learned a lot about structuring your script. It was a real experience when she shared how she kicked around the idea of Scandal for a YEAR before she actually sat down to write it. She was creating the scenes, getting down to the core of the story and eliminating any bad ideas, before she wrote one word. It was unreal to hear that because I do something similar and I always thought I was taking too long to write my stories. Now, she did say she wrote the pilot in four days! That I am unsure if I can do. I need more time to write everything down and get it out of my head, but given her tools, it may be possible to cut my normal writing time in half.
Do you know what a beat sheet is? Well. I didn’t until Miss Rhimes kicked the knowledge. Now that I know better, I promise to do better. My beat sheet will be prepared to flesh out my ideas and beats of the story, then I will work on my outline making it detailed. Once that is complete I will be ready to write!
Well Lovies, as you can see I have a ton of homework to do. I’ll catch you on the flip side and fill you in on my progress next Sunday.
Lisa W. Tetting 