Live To Write Another Day (10 page)

Up until now, most of what we’ve been discussing is writing original material on spec. “Writing for hire” or “writing on assignment” is when you either get paid to write someone else’s story or when you pitch an idea and the buyer pays you to write it (as in the TV example in the previous chapter).

Writing on spec is your lifeblood as a writer, not just because you’re creating intellectual property that has inherent value, but even more importantly because you’re creating writing samples that can help you get
work for hire—which is far more likely to happen than selling a spec script.

If this comes as news to you, do a little survey of the movies playing down at your local multiplex or on the cable box in your living room. You’ll find that most of them are not based on original screenplays. Most are based on material from other mediums: novels, comic books, myths and fairytales, old television shows, or they’re remakes or sequels of other movies. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll also find that many of the movies that
were
based on original scripts were actually developed after the ideas were either pitched or assigned to a writer (not written on spec).

Likewise, in television, almost all episode ideas are pitched before they’re written, either by writers working on a show’s writing staff or by freelancers like me on
The Invisible Man
. Even pilot episodes, which form the bedrock of a series and must be created entirely from scratch (except when they too are based on other material) are mostly sold as pitches first, with a few exceptions.

In the interactive world, where I’ve spent a healthy chunk of my career, virtually all development is internal, particularly at video game companies. They simply don’t take pitches from the outside. All creative ideas are generated from within, so the only way to write a narrative script for a video game (if you’re not an employee of the company)
is
to be a writer for hire.

So what does all this mean? For one thing it means when you work for hire, once again, there is no draft for you. Just like when you write with a partner, it’s a
we
thing, not a
me
thing from the moment you sign on. It also means that you have to be mentally prepared for the various work requirements, conditions, and expectations that come along with each project. You won’t have the luxury of exclusively operating in that wonderful creative cocoon of your own mind like you do when you work on spec. You will, however, still have the one invaluable thing you will always need to pull off the job—your
process
.

Every experience will present you with new and unique challenges, so the more you hone that process, the more tools and techniques you develop for yourself, the better equipped you will be to handle each and every assignment.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old business adage: “The customer is always right.” As a writer for hire you’ve got to operate under this same principle. You’re the businessman, the shopkeeper selling the goods and the customer is your note giver.

I’ve had some great experiences throughout my writing life, working in many different mediums. I’ve made a lot of wonderful friends, lifelong friends in some cases, and have worked for many producers, directors, creative directors, and executives for whom I have the utmost respect. But I’m not going to mince words here. It’s not always easy. In fact, most of the time there is at least some level of tension involved in this relationship. How can there not be if the note giver is
always
right?

Not that you don’t fully engage with them, doing everything in your power to shape the notes and create the best product you possibly can every time out. It’s just that when push comes to shove, they’re paying you for your services, so it’s
their project
, not yours—which means that you also have to be incredibly tolerant when they are unclear, unexpectedly change their mind, or flat out tell you they’re not satisfied with your work.

Sometimes tension exists in the relationship simply because the note giver isn’t comfortable with the job. After all, not everyone is built to deal with writers and the painstaking process of developing ideas and creating written material (not even some writers). Sometimes there are other things in the mix that cause problems, none of which has anything to do with you: production deadlines, personal issues, intra-office politics, etc.

Other times it has
everything
to do with you. Maybe you’re not cast right for the project. Maybe you just missed the mark on this one. It happens. Nobody’s perfect.

And then sometimes…well, unfortunately sometimes you end up working for people who are just downright nasty about the whole thing and out to make your life miserable.

Trust me, no writer worth their salt has ever been able to fully escape this fate. I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty ugly behavior over the years, on the part of both individuals and companies that have hired (and sometimes fired) me, none of which I care to recount, much less remember. All I can tell you is that you’ve got to develop a thick skin when it comes to this, shall we say, darker side of the profession.

There
will
be times when you feel that you’ve been treated unfairly. That’s just part of the deal, another unpleasant fact that you’ve got to accept, courtesy of your writer gene. The important thing to remember is:

It’s the integrity of the work that matters most, even in the worst of situations.

It’s the dedication to your craft, the commitment to yourself as a writer, and the fidelity to your process that will keep you going through these rocky moments.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the things that surprised me most about film school was the rather stunning revelation that there was no
secret sauce
to being a good writer. Though there are definitely much better writing programs and much better teachers out there today than there were back when I first got off the bus in L.A., I still believe that this is fundamentally true. Creative writing of any kind is so cerebral that even when you’re actively taking classes, the most impactful learning happens when you’re
actually writing
, not when you’re in class.

One thing you can and should do to take full advantage of that classroom experience, however, is develop the skills that you’ll need to be successful with the note givers you’ll encounter after you graduate. So if you’re a writing student, whether you’re in college, graduate school, or some other specialized writing program, my advice is that you approach your coursework as if it were a job. In other words:

Don’t be a writing student. Be a writer for hire.

While you will probably be developing original stories in your classes, the teacher and the other writers will also be influencing your work from very early on in the process. This means that, once again, this is a case where you don’t have the luxury of keeping the story to yourself for weeks and months and years. Again, there’s no draft for you because you are
required
to discuss your ideas with the group and then use their feedback to develop them. Sounds a lot more like writing for hire than it does writing on spec, doesn’t it?

Now, I realize you’re not getting paid for this work. On the contrary, you’re
paying
them
for the opportunity to acquire essential knowledge, but the forum is not all that different from the one you’ll experience when you get hired to write something in the real world. There’s a primary note giver, and then there are others who will also be contributing ideas you’ll have to consider. So instead of being insulted by inane comments, or arguing with your teacher or your peers, or being frustrated by the fact that no one is “getting it,” why not work on some of the skills that you know you’ll definitely need to have in your back pocket later on?

In case some of this stuff has already slipped your mind, here’s a little review: First, try and approach the project like it’s
theirs
, not yours. Get yourself into an open frame of mind each and every time you walk into class. Understand that the story never stops being told, and that the note giver is always right. Then, focus on your note-receiving skills, see how nimbly you can use the conversation about your work to shape it into the story that
you
envision. Above all, show the people in the room that you value their opinions and make them your allies.

If you can find a way to step into these writer-for-hire shoes throughout the course of your next writing class, my guess is you’re pretty likely to get your money’s worth.

Have you ever gone to some local mom-and-pop type store, caught a glimpse into the back of the shop, and seen something you didn’t quite expect? Maybe mom’s got this amazing wedding dress she’s designing back there, or pop has some kind of mad scientist chemistry set that he’s using to invent a new kind of super glue. These are their passion projects, the things they work on a few hours a night after everyone else goes home.

As a writer working for hire, you’ve got to have this same mentality. No matter how successful you are, you can never get complacent.

You always need to have a passion project going on in the back of the shop.

Why is this important? Because spending the majority of your time and energy working on something that isn’t one hundred percent yours will eventually take a toll on you, as will the constant burden of receiving and executing the associated notes. Having a project in the back of the shop, a project where there
is
a draft just for you, will feed your soul in a way that no work for hire ever can, even if it’s just a sweet little snack for you to enjoy a couple times a week. At the same time, this work will also help you continue to develop your own voice, which like any other muscle will begin to atrophy in the absence of exercise.

Finally, on a more practical note, this extra effort will not only result in the creation of another piece of original material you can potentially sell, it will also give you a fresh new writing sample, and as any working writer will tell you, you can never have enough samples.