Back to L.A....

I have been traveling about as much as anyone would want, but with a lot less purpose. This weekend (only Monday - plenty of time to dread it) I'm headed to Los Angeles. Why? Book signing? No. Sight seeing? No. Research? Nope. Visit with old friends? No. Meet with assistants to assistant producers who will sit bored while I pitch them my stories at a huge writer's cattle-call known to the world of wannabes as Sreenwriter's Expo so that they can forget who I am as soon as I leave the chair and the next desperate writer sits? BINGO!

Now, you might say "Steven. Why go if you're down on the whole thing days before you even board the plane?" Well, mon ami, there's a perfectly good reason...No, not that*. I mean, I've paid for it already.

I did this last year and got a couple of people interested in seeing more - they emailed me the following week asking for pages from my script, etc. That was interesting for a short while, but it turned into nothing which is essentially what it was at the start of things. I thought I'd be going with a bit more purpose - more polished scripts, great story ideas, more knowledge of what, exactly, I want out of the trip. I was wrong. I have one extra script, one polished idea. I'll also take along a couple copies of my latest book since several people seemed disappointed last time that I hadn't brought any along.

The hard thing is that I know my chances are microscopically slim. I don't live in L.A. That means no connections. It also means no TV since you kind of have to be in LA to work on TV (with rare exceptions). So I'm trying to convince these assistants to the assistant producers that they should gamble the budget of a motion picture on something by an unknown, untried writer.

On the other hand, if my movies were to get made, I'd guarantee you kickass entertainment.

Hardest part of writing a screenplay? Pacing.




* There's always a chance, no?