Monday, August 23, 2010

The Writing Week (Vol. 3) part 138 - Went to Agents

Last week was a big step forward. I got the final approval from the executive we've been working with in LA to go forward with the most recent draft I turned in. (By final step, I mean going out to agents and the producer whose company we've been working with.)

Of course, before we could show it to anyone else, we had to do a final typo check. The exec and I each went through with a fine-tooth comb to make sure every "t" was crossed and "i" dotted. Combined, I think we found a grand total of 15 to 20 instances of a missing period, missing "s" at the end of a word, or word reversals where we had to flip two. Not too bad, all things considered, but more than I'd like anyone to find. And, if nothing else, the final edit also gave me a last chance to double-check my word usage and tweak blocks of dialogue or action in which I might have used the same word (i.e. "station" or "chance") twice in the same section. 

I got the script in late Thursday night - after hours LA time. On Friday, we went out to agents at two of the biggest houses (specific agents who knew to expect the script for their weekend reading). Whether either looked at it this weekend is as good your guess as mine, but at least they had it in hand. A friend popped into town unexpectedly for the weekend, so I didn't have much chance to get anything else done. On the other hand, what had been accomplished was pretty good, so a weekend off wasn't completely uncalled for. 

Finally, the production exec mentioned a lawyer she thinks could help me, so I got the opportunity to look over his client list. All of the news - the lawyer, the agents, the progress we're hoping for in the coming weeks - is quite encouraging. Granted, nothing's a guarantee, so there's absolutely no reason to get ahead of myself. The best thing I can do now is to focus my attention on another project while I wait (and do my best not to actively wait at all). Would that we all get here - and beyond - someday.