Sleeping With The Enemy

Signing with an agency is a little bit like having a pimp. Actually, it's a lot like having a pimp, especially if you need the agent more than the agent needs you. Managing that relationship so that you get the most out of it is just as important as signing with the agent in the first place.

I'm preparing another one of my little mini-series, so please bear with me because I need to pull together a couple of things (like my short and that guest room which is now covered in plastic and primer). I think it will be in 3 parts. The first one will be about the function of the agent/manager, the second one will be about how to get an agent/manager, and the third one will be about what to do once you have signed (or been hip-pocketed which is not necessarily a bad or good thing as long as you run your writing career like the Fortune 50 business it is).

I'm also planning posts on pacing (in a cut as opposed to on the page, but I'll talk about that a bit, as well), common story terms used in development and in those screenwriting books (like whatever the hell "rising action" is supposed to help you do), effective character introductions, and what to look for when you are screen-testing actors. If anyone is interested, I've been toying with creating a section that would have different approaches for drafting screenplays to help people with different writing styles learn the form. I've been flipping through a bunch of screenwriting books and I have to say, the actual how-to portions pale in comparison to the amount of "it-oughta-look-like." Sort of like someone trying to show you how to build a car by taking you for a joyride, then laying all the pieces out on a big tarp and yelling "Go!"

The dog is stalking me, so I have to get my ass in gear and head to the dog park before it gets ugly. He keeps jumping up on my leg and trying to kiss me. And he's not a lovey dovey kind of dog so it's creeping me out.

BTW, do not EVER buy dog food made from fish. For obvious reasons. Yuck.