May 2021

In my last post, I discussed the three-stage plan for 2021. I had entered the second stage of that plan in February, largely because of all the work I did towards the end of 2020 and in the beginning of 2021. Since February, the plan has changed. 

I spent most of February & March retooling two existing projects (massive Anthology movie screenplays) into two mini-series with multiple episodes. 

In addition to that, I did the world build on the third and possibly final season of a TV series. The pilot episodes for the first two seasons were written and rewritten last year, with a bible (series guide) completed for each season. 

All three seasons can either stand-alone, as their own individual series, or they may be viewed as a three-season series. The three-season series is the ideal scenario but I like to have options when pitching stories.

When I wrote the pilot for the second season, I was completing a promise I made to myself a decade ago. The story idea was originally intended to be a movie, but over the past decade, I began to see it more as a series. I wrote the pilot to be a one-hour, stand-alone movie. 

The bible I wrote confused a writer friend because he read the bible before the pilot.  I messed up his feedback in two ways: by not giving him only the pilot first, and by not rewriting the bible before sending it to him. The bible I wrote did not properly re-incorporate the main character from the pilot's influence via her diary on the main character of the series.

The main character in the bible is different from the main character in the pilot episode. My friend made a solid suggestion: focus on the main character in the bible and incorporate the main character in the pilot into the backstory. That advice made me think of the original movie I had in mind. In that story, the lead from the bible I just wrote was the lead throughout the story, and the lead from the pilot was a tragic opening to the movie and a background character afterward. I wanted something different. 

So, had I sabotaged my original idea and story flow to write the pilot? The opening from the pilot is just as it was in the original idea I had for the movie. I could leave the opening and move the rest of the pilot to another episode. But the thing with that is this character shows up later through her diary. I could give her her own stand-alone episode later in the series. Or I can make the minor adjustment to the bible that led to my friend's confusion. 

As is, the second main character of the series takes up the reins of the show in episode two. I like the way I have done it because it is unconventional, while the other way (my original idea and my fellow writer's suggestion) follows a more conventional, expected story path. 

A conventional pilot would be easy enough to write. Though I know it would be less impactful than the current pilot. If I did change the pilot to resemble the plot of the original movie idea, the pilot would lack the traumatic bite of the current pilot. My instincts had me veer from the conventional to write that specific pilot. I will refrain from rewriting the pilot into the conventional path for now, as I have entered a new phase that requires my attention presently. 

Moving on. In late March, Chuck and I began work on the rewrite of a story we first wrote back in 2019. This marks the third rewrite in a year. The overall story arcs of the series have not changed that much. We had imagined multiple seasons taking place at different time periods. The original pilot had too many storylines and not enough clarity for a pilot. We had to gut it and try to rework it into something more dynamic and memorable. That was completed this week. 

Now I am in the afterglow period, which always feels weird and reminds me of the days when I had completed a play and had that actor's urge to jump into a new character as soon as possible. As a writer, that means going into a reset mode. Priorities change based on need. And after a pandemic year, I need some change in my life. 

I've just received my last dose of the Pfizer Covid 19 vaccine so I am at max immunity. That is a great feeling. It's liberating. I am proud of myself for doing the right things during the past year to keep my loved ones, myself, and others safe. I recommend everyone to get vaccinated. 

There are times when I can't stand people. The past year revealed some ugly truths about this country and I was very angry with some of my fellow Americans. Getting vaccinated felt like the most important civic duty of my lifetime. To know that I am helping myself and everyone else at the same time makes me proud. And all it took was two pricks, some pain in my arm, and a bit of a headache for an evening. 

Over the past month, as I worked on the rewrite, I decided to postpone work on one of the two mini-series projects for the foreseeable future. After a pandemic year, I am ready to make more changes in my life than just a change to my writing plans for the year. So I have removed one of the mini-series from stage two of my writing plan. I need to prepare for taking the steps needed to achieve the change I desire. 

I will continue to work on rewrites as well as the reimagining of one mini-series in Stage Two. In July, I will begin the transition from Stage Two to Stage Three. Here, the other mini-series has been moved, but I am open to postponing that until next year. In Stage Three, the project I currently value most is the third season of the TV series I began work on last year, completing the pilot episodes for two seasons. Being able to pitch three seasons of a series as one anthology series or as three separate stand-alone series is vital. 

Beyond that, I am always open to new projects and opportunities for the rest of the year. I may save the new novel series I have been wanting to do for another year or so. After a recent rethink, I am willing to push at least two projects into 2022: the new novel series, and one of the mini-series. I need to be more receptive to change and opportunities now that I am free from the clutches of the pandemic.