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Submitted for Your Consideration
November 2007
Bitten by the Bug
Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual Women in Film and Video Conference in Washington, DC, for screenwriters. What, you may ask, is a freelance writer and novelist doing at a conference for screenwriters? Well, you see, it's like this. After I finished the first draft of my third Sam McRae novel (and even as I try to sell the second one), I suddenly got this idea for a television series. I'd been toying with the idea of writing screenplays, anyhow, and I had the time, so I took a month and wrote a rough draft for a pilot episode. Around the same time, I found out WIFV was putting on this conference, and they were going to do things like script critiques and pitch practice sessions. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, so I signed up.
I have to say it was a wonderful and eye-opening experience. As one who has been to many a mystery writers' conference, such as Malice Domestic and Bouchercon, I was struck by how different the film and television businesses are from publishing. There are interesting similarities, too, but the differences made the experience very much like visiting a foreign country. Maybe a place like England, where I speak the language, but the slang and culture differ from the U.S.
Now, screenwriting is a highly competitive business -- even more competitive, I've been told, than publishing -- and that's really saying something. As the conference proceeded, I could see that it was hardly an easy career path, particularly for women, and that there were many reasons not to follow it. However, one of the best moments for me was listening to actors read the first six pages of my script. I'd never heard anyone read my writing (other than myself at book signings -- and believe me when I tell you I'm no thespian), and I was nervous about it. But when I heard the actors bring the characters to life, it was truly an electrifying experience. As satisfying as seeing my book on the shelf at the local bookstore? Yes, but in a very different way. It was almost intoxicating. I could really understand then why someone would jump all the hurdles and hoops it takes to write plays or scripts for a living.
Although I intend to keep writing novels, the WIFV conference seems to have awakened a dormant desire to see my characters brought to life in a visual medium. So, who knows... maybe between books I can write a script or two. And maybe someday, with a little work and a little luck, that series I've thought up will get the green light. For better or worse, I seem to have been bitten by the screenwriting bug.
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