Slammed by Slamdance

Looong weekend. Decided on Friday that I'd try to get a spec pilot ready for the Slamdance deadline on Monday. I'd written one back in June but just wasn't happy with it - all plot and limited characterization. I had a much better idea for an A story using the same setting and characters, both of which I think have some real long-term viability, so I broke the story on Saturday and started pounding it out last night.

Progress was pretty limited on Saturday. I knew what I was writing, but got bogged down in a transitional scene. Finally gave up and hit the sack. Parker got me up bright and early this morning and I got right to it. Ripped right through my transition problem and the remainder of the screenplay in about seven hours. At the end, I had a really solid draft. Needs to be punched up and the third act needs another minute or two, but it's pretty solid for 12 hours of work.

The problem is that it's solid but not superior. That's to be expected for a weekend rush job, of course. It needs a day of repose and reflection, and ideally some coverage before it sees the light of day. I could submit it, but it's no winner. All I'd get is some paid coverage back (and from what I've heard, the Slamdance readers might not be super-detailed.) Better I hold it back and get it polished up for the agent search which starts in earnest in September. One spec + one spec pilot = time to find an agent.

The great thing about my weekend efforts is the end of the writer's block with which I've been suffering. I've been vacillating over that damn 30 Rock spec for a month. I was pretty sure I'd figured out last week how to get through the story block but was worried I still had a bigger problem. After this weekend's slam-fest I'm feeling more confident.