For one, I was able to speak with him about my demon thriller project. All in all, he liked the idea, but he had some big questions about it. Unfortunately, those are some of the very same questions I still have on it, which I know I have yet to answer. When I submitted the synopsis to him, it was still pretty loosely detailed, even at two pages long. That said, I should have been able to answer more of his questions about the rules of the world when we spoke than I did. All I had planned out was on the page. That was my (rookie) mistake. Even though the outline was barebones, I should have been able to discuss the project in greater detail with him when we talked a couple weeks later.
Many of his questions were on the rudimentary rules regulating the characters' interactions and abilities, especially since there's an obvious paranormal element involved. The nature of the outline and action also raised some questions as to what the overall tone of the piece would be. At one point, t gets very sci-fi, and I can see where his concern that it might be a divergence from the rest of the piece would be. Suffice it to say, I have my work cut out for me over the holiday week ahead.
The main question I have for my manager, though, and point that I was quite happy to address, was what - if anything - I had missed out on by not being in LA. Recently, I've been beginning to doubt my decision to remain in New York, especially when my script is (slowly) circulating. When we spoke, I flat out asked my manager if I had missed potentially major opportunities and meetings by being on the east coast when my post-Apocalyptic spec first made the rounds in Hollywood. He emphatically said, "no. You missed the chance to shake a couple hands, but we can get you all of those meetings next time you're out here. And there aren't really any (writing) jobs to be had at the moment (for younger writers), so you didn't miss out on any work, either."
Whether that statement is true or not - and whether you agree with it or not - the effect was one of pure relief. In short, he told me that I didn't have to come to LA until it was time; that time had not yet passed, and neither did my opportunity to break in. 2012 can still be my year.
