Monday, March 11, 2013

List of Possible Factors Contributing to Successful Completion of Television Pilot

As previously mentioned here, I wrote a TV pilot. In three days. Impressed? You should be (seriously, be impressed; you've no idea how much I seek your approval). Being that my success in this matter defies the very conventions of writers everywhere (that is, deferring any actual writing until it becomes absolutely necessary, and then procrastinating), I have compiled a list of possible contributing factors that may have been influential to my success. They may also have nothing to do with it. But lists are my favorite!

Also, I'm going to present this list in such a way that it appears to be a fool-proof method by which anyone may produce the same results, specifically write a TV pilot in three days. I don't mean to imply that there is any guarantee this will work, but the inference might mistakenly be made.

A Fool-Proof Method by Which Anyone May Produce a TV Pilot in Three Days. Guaranteed.

  1. Clean your space. I don't mean tidy up a bit, I mean tidy up, sweep, dust, dishes done, bathroom hairless, sinks unclogged and living space feng shui'ed. 
  2. Tell everyone what you're about to do. Text, email and tweet this madness; make sure everyone knows you are unavailable, even in emergencies. 
  3. Stock the kitchen. I don't mean have a loaf of bread and some peanut butter on hand, I'm talking real oatmeal, spinach salads, pasta, fruit, granola and yogurt - you're not going to send yourself into a sugar coma and sleep for hours, so you need actual sustainable nutrition. You need to stock up because...
  4. You're not leaving the house. "But I write better in nature," "I like my coffee shop," "I need an audience;" no, you don't. You're going to sit there, at your desk, on your couch or in front of that window that overlooks the lake until you are finished. Then, and only then, may you rejoin civilization and be among its people.
  5. Want it. None of this works unless you really want it. Want it like you need it, like it's the one thing that is going to give your life meaning. Okay, maybe not your whole life, but the next few months at least. Because you're going to be editing this thing for the next few months (don't think about that right now; just get it done). 
That's pretty much it. I mean, I don't know; this could have been a fluke, but that is pretty much exactly what I did and it worked. Ultimately, and contrary to everything you've read up to now, I'm not actually advocating this as the one true way to go about it. I think what I'm saying here is I found a system that made sense to me and has brought success. Other systems haven't worked, this one did. Find your system. Figure out what works for you; just figure something out, because it's too important and you want it too much to just not write it. 

Want it. Write it. Do it. My way - wait, no - your way. Yeah. Your way. 


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