YOU ARE REPRESENTED!!! - I read the email a few times. Could it be?  Since I sold my software company and started writing full-time in July 2022, I had a "phase two" goal of getting represented. What was "phase one?" That is easy - write something worth watching or reading. I've been spending the past two years learning, writing and rewriting.

I won two Native American Media Alliance fellowships in 2023. From Cari Daly in the NAMA Writer's Lab, I learned how to write a TV show.  I wrote my first "from scratch" TV show with the help of my mentor, Kris Crenwelge (staff writer on Spirit Rangers and True Lies.) Technically Soccer is a Ted Lasso-like dramedy about women's soccer and Artificial Intelligence. Didn't think those two topics could be one story, huh?  I often come up with ideas by thinking of some of my favorite stories but then adding, "But what if?"  For example, the Ted Lasso series is about the struggle of an American football coach trying to coach in the UK premier soccer league - but then I thought, what could be worse than being someone who knew nothing about soccer?  What if the person knew everything but wasn't what Ted had going for him? What if the coach wasn't even human?

As with every new venture, doubts started creeping in when I learned about the "writer's room" of a network TV show. First, a new writer is often considered a "gopher" or secretary - only allowed to take notes and get coffee. Trying to get onscreen credits can take YEARS!  The pay is amazing - especially after the writer's strike. A beginning writer hired to be on a sitcom staff might start at $7,000 a week - yes, per week!  But the hours can be long, and there is a good chance you won't get to write any episodes. After you have paid your "dues" and get a few onscreen credits and story editor/producer credits - it doubles to $14,000 a week. Growing up, my best friend wanted to be a flight attendant - but I wanted to be Sally Rogers, the funny writer on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Why didn't I pursue this earlier -- after completing UCLA's two feature screenwriting programs? Personal tragedy led me to become a programmer and software designer for the steady income, but I never stopped writing. My business meant flying over 200,000 miles a year - and I've written three young adult books, four new scripts and five TV pilots from some of my previous scripts and two original TV pilots. Whew! 

I'm a contest junkie and entered some of them in contests and was a Nicholl Fellowship and Austin Film finalist with five different scripts.  Recently, my feature scripts have been doing well - I've gotten two requests to "read" my scripts, and one of them, Last Woman, was a semifinalist in Final Draft's Big Break 2023 contest.  But TV? I've entered most TV writer's fellowships: Disney, NBC, Warner Bros, Fox, and CBS Paramount+. These are mostly diversity programs, but I haven't even gotten an interview. I think my age is a red flag - even though my Young Sheldon script had a good enough scorecard to boost my Coverfly rating. Who wants a grandma in a writer's room? Doubt set in - maybe I can't write TV?  So I entered my Young Sheldon in Scriptapalooza TV and won 2nd place!  Wow, my first time winning money!!! I knew it was a good script - it is about Sheldon's father dying, which should happen soon, according to Big Bang Legend.  

During the past year, I've gotten coverage for my scripts, taken three workshops from Carole Kirschner, including How to Pitch a TV Script that Sells and recently written software, SmilingPitch.com, that enables me to track my submissions and query producers. What is phase three?  Yup, sell something. I'm ready, I'm prepared. I'm proactive and aim to send out 5 queries a week to producers. I have about 20 projects, 14 of them have Accolades on Coverfly - and three have made the Red List. I'm ready.

All doubts are gone. I'm a TV writer. I'm a feature screenwriter. I'm a young adult novelist. I'm represented!!! I'm earning income writing. The back of this mug, which I purchased at my first writer's conference, says - "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit."  That's me - a professional writer! Never give up, never surrender!

Goals and Dreams

 As we near the end of the year, I look toward 2024 and start thinking of my goals and dreams.   After winning the Native American Media Alliance fellowship TWICE this year, I have a dream to win Disney, CBS/Paramount, NBC, Nickelodeon, and/or Warner Brothers in 2024. If I got selected - that would mean a year in Hollywood - and possibly getting hired to write for a TV show.  When I started this new career a year ago, I made a  three-phase plan.  Phase One was to write and rewrite lots of "inventory" of good scripts and then submit them to contests and fellowships during Phase Two.  

I've done well on the contest circuit, including being a finalist in The Austin Film Festival with my script. Kira and Henry.  I traveled to Austin for a few days to pitch my script, Blood Moon Wolf and meet and greet - but the BEST part was seeing my lovely niece (Stan's daughter) Andrea.  As I talked to her oldest son, Alec  - I realized that the last time I saw him was 20 years ago, when he was about 9.  After my mom died, I arranged a trip for my Dad and Aunt Madenia, to travel with me to visit Austin and see Andrea's family - but we haven't been back since. What a fun trip this was for me to see my gorgeous niece and her sons and handsome husband. 

The AFF - Austin Film Festival was amazing! I was first focused on pitching.  I had snagged a pitch ticket on Friday in the 3rd session. I completed Carole Kirschner's course, How to Pitch a TV Script that Sells and learned how to write and deliver a pitch - a method to "sell" a screenplay.  I was terrified, but it was amazing.  I had not allotted time for the laughs my pitch got.  I left the session - not as a winner, but elated that it went well, and so many came up to me after and said I should have won.  I truly felt like a winner. 

The AFF is also a writer's conference with tons of panels and roundtables to attend.  As the holder of the precious 2nd Rounder badge, I got to pick some special "finalists" only roundtables.  The two I wanted to meet the most were Megan Alderson, Creative Development Executive, Pixar Animation Studios and  Liz Kelly, Creative Talent Development Executive, at Disney.  I wasn't able to snag Megan's panel, But I did get a spot at Liz's roundtable. But I couldn't find her - the volunteer from AFF said that she hadn't shown up, so I sat at the closest table to the door - extremely disappointed.  I had come all this way and didn't see the two people I wanted to meet.

But then the BEST thing about AFF happened.  My table was led by Larry Postel, a non-represented screenwriter living in Dallas. Larry’s story is unique in that he has managed to have four original spec screenplays purchased, produced and released since 2020. He told us his secret; he sent out query emails after doing lots of research on who would be a good producer for his scripts.  Research?  That is my middle name!!!  Emails?  That is my life!!! I left walking on air and found a new direction.  

So Phase Three starts.  I want to sell a screenplay.  Another Carole course (How to Get the F* Unstuck)  that I took carefully taught me not to have goals that I can't control.  Times are tough in the entertainment industry after two long strikes.  There are backlogs of scripts, shows, and meetings. TV writer's rooms are filled. Everyone is too busy for emerging screenwriters like me. I can't control someone buying one of my scripts. So, as Carole taught me, I set a goal to send out 5 weekly queries. I will carefully write and record 5 pitches, write 5 query letters for my top 5 scripts and then read the trades, research producers, and send.  I finished my query pitch for Blood Moon Wolf, and I'm rewriting my pitch documents and creating pitches for my top 5 scripts. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx_8Ja4anZU7427aV5A98VQUPYtmdfWJc

I made a YouTube of my trip to the Austin Film Festival with my visit with Andrea.  https://youtu.be/MOxjDbqX0sQ?si=YX0JXhxwjpnIavJw  - it is a little long, 28 minutes; beware!

I have now reached 68,000+ views on my YouTube channel! I do not have many subscribers, but I'm happy to get many views. Be sure and Like and Subscribe to be notified of the AFF video.  Next month, I will talk about my script, Kira and Henry and how I grew up thinking I could fly.

Kissing Frogs

I'm a Star Trek fan - not at the Trekkie level, but I often quote the Prime Directive and First Contact when it comes to letting people be themselves and trying not to disturb them. Up until this morning, I would almost have a panic attack at the thought of networking. I’m an introvert, but when the situation dictates, I can come out of my comfortable cocoon and transform into a social butterfly – but that was in a prior career when it meant survival.

I’m taking a course from the Hollywood Game Plan author Carole Kirschner, and last night’s bonus episode was The Ultimate Guide to Stress-Free Networking. Carole inspired a new perception of confidence and attitude about “getting out there.” Being a super techie, I created my Contacts database this morning to hold my Native American Media Alliance fellowship cohorts, along with the producers, agents, and managers with whom I have made “first contact.” I have 56 records so far. In my prior career, I had over 11,000 – so I have a ways to go.

Another homework assignment was to make a list of my screenwriting objectives, and my highest priority is to pitch my entry to Nicholl’s, Last Woman at The Austin Film Festival in late October. Like the producer of The Godfather, Allen Ruddy, I worked in technology before devoting myself full-time to screenwriting - and I like to write scripts about sci-fi and technology going wrong - or, as we like to say – “unexpected results.” I was lucky to learn the craft of screenwriting from the ultimate source of frightening Sci-Fi: Jack B. Sowards, who wrote Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan. He was my instructor during my Advanced Screenwriting Program at UCLA. I don’t know the name of those things that went in the ear that ate the brains in that movie, but this blog is about frogs. Yes, frogs.

I was born and raised in California; my mother’s family moved to Anaheim in the late 1800s. I grew up in Escondido, and when we’d go to Disneyland, my parents couldn’t tell me because I’d get so excited - I’d throw up. I’m that big of a Disney fan.  I think it was a Disney movie that coined the phrase, “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming.”

A few years ago, I wanted to sell my software company and write full-time.  I met with 24 companies that wanted to buy mine - but things never worked out. I’d tell my husband, “Well - that was another frog.”   I had pretty much given up until one day, an investor asked me to call a young man who was getting started in the business and needed help.  Networking – oh no!  I didn’t want to help a competitor - and all this frog-kissing and running my company was stressing me out - but I did it anyway. We had a wonderful chat.

It was a shock to discover that we had attended the same high school in Escondido - even though we ran companies thousands of miles away - in opposite directions. Even weirder was when I heard his last name, and we figured out his father was my brother’s best friend.  It got even stranger - the next month, we were each returning to Escondido - it was his grandmother’s 90th birthday and my parent’s wedding anniversary.  We agreed to meet, and he ended up being the prince I was looking for, and even though I’m not uber-rich - his company bought out my stock by paying me enough each month to enable me to write full-time. Now I’m looking for a princess or prince to be my manager, agent, publisher, and/or producer, - so I’m ready to start networking and pucker up to kiss more frogs!