Pen Sunday | #013 | You Never Make It
Sunday | Aug 14 | 2022
Question: “What stage or era in your life did you realize you had a real shot at being a professional writer? You’ve mentioned the WarnerBros program but was there any time before that when you felt you would make it?”
Answer: “You never do. You never think you’re going to make it. So you keep on writing and writing, and that process of writing improves your writing, and so [the short version] I teamed up with my writing partner. And we started writing together. Frantically. So we met every day. Every day after work [on] nights, weekends, holidays, script after script after script. And every time we finished one we’d go, ‘okay let’s write another one, let’s write another one. Maybe we can make one that’s better and better and better.’ And the first one, ironically, is the one that got us a job on “Just Shoot Me” but we had written, I don’t know, six or eight more after that. We were never convinced it was good enough.
Then when we got on “Just Shoot Me” having written all those scripts gave us a little more confidence so that we wouldn’t get fired off “Just Shoot Me.”
We got hired and we worked and worked. The first ten to twelve years of your career, you really don’t know what you’re doing. You’re relying on older, more experienced writers to help guide you. And you listen ‘yeah, ok, you’re right, ok’ and then you get to a point, at least I did, halfway through my career, ‘okay, I know how to do this now. I know how to write. I know how to write.’ And then you start writing more and more. And then you get to a point you get so good you go ‘ok, I don’t know how to write’ that’s when you know you’re a writer, when you realize ‘maybe I don’t know how to write, I’ve gotten so far that I now can question things that I do.’ And realize, maybe I don’t know what I’m doing. So you’re never really convinced—— if you’re gonna be honest, you’re never really convinced that you’re any good.”
—— Michael Jamin (in response to a question I asked on his podcast, Screenwriters Need to Hear This, episode 40. 12:12)
Michael Jamin has been writing for television since 1996. His many credits include Just Shoot Me, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead, Wilfred, Out of Practice, Rules of Engagement, Lopez, and Tacoma FD. (IMDB)
On Writing || 9th place
Writing is easy. Becoming a writer is hard. Akin to a mid-80s garage band wanting to make it big, there comes a time when writers must step out of their garages and prove to the world “I can write.”
This process, one that involves submitting to contests, publications, magazines, etc, is a grueling cycle. And can take a very, very, long time. For myself, so far, it’s gone like this:
Spend x amounts of time and energy on writing a project.
Submit this project to a contest or mentorship. These typically cost money, and you won’t hear back for 3-4 months.
About 1-2 months into submission, realizing all the flaws with the project you submitted. It’s not good enough. And now your hope has shifted into preparation for the “no” you know you will receive.
Understanding you aren’t good enough, you begin working on a project again.
Repeat steps 1-4.
With that being said, two weeks ago, I submitted a sci-fi pilot to Diverse Voices Spring 2023 Mentorship Program. I don’t know how I officially did until January. But as part of the submission, I received a page of feedback from one of the readers of the program.
I got positive, reassuring feedback, (which I’ll share after I hear my placing in January), and Coverfly’s ranking/rating system, resulted in my pilot being ranked #9 on Coverfly’s top ten sci-fi pilots of the month. An accomplishment that while minor, is still a piece of good news. And in this industry, with so much waiting, unease, and anxiety, especially for someone like me, whose career hasn’t really even begun, the good news is always welcome.
The pilot is called Queen Kamari:
After completing an arms deal in exchange for a rare energy source, a brilliant inventor uses her newfound power to construct a robot to help her conquer the Caribbean island she calls home.
Pen Sunday|
|| soundtrack sunday
|New Additions
|| mood sunday [5]
in closing /||
The reflection of my past week, as I thought over my career and the words of Michael Jamin, led me to the idea that I’m still not working hard enough. Not taking any of this seriously enough.
I wonder, how hard have I really worked? What’s the hardest I’ve worked for something in my entire life? Have I ever truly been tested? Applied myself?
I’m unsure. These aren’t the kind of questions answered in one newsletter or over one weekend. But they are important ones.
And until I decide on an answer, my current best option is just to keep writing. Keep writing. Keep writing. Keep writing.
See you Sunday,
——Solomon Lovejoy
P.s) Football season is around the corner. Summer’s officially ending. Go Vikings.