SCRIPT NOTES

Ever hear the expression "The check is in the mail."? That's usually what someone says to you when they owe you money, but can't pay up. If you think it's in the mail, you go away. What about notes? When a producer tells you he will send you notes next week... and the week after that... and after that... when do you figure he's bullshitting?

A-list producer sent me an email in January. Wished me a happy new year and said the notes were coming the following week... we're in February. This all started in September. So yesterday I wrote my agent an email and said basically let's move on. I explained my feelings, blah, blah, blah. She FORWARDED him MY rantl and asked him what's the deal? Good thing I didn't call him "a procrastinating Hollywood asshole", huh?

A-list producer writes back that he's working on a UK funded script in Hollywood... is swamped... but I'm on his mind and so is my script. He doesn't want us to get discouraged and give him UNTIL NEXT WEEK for the notes. Are you laughing yet? My agent writes me and says "What do you think?" Now she knows him well in L.A. and he is an A-list producer with major screen credits... he's no schmuck... do I wait or do I go?

My agent and I decided to wait this out until March. We just got a huge blizzard here in NYC. So when the snow is gone, I should have those damn notes. Yup and the check is in the mail.

Meanwhile, I finished my comedy script and sent that to my agent. She prefers snail mail and a hard copy (I do too). I hope she likes it. If it makes her laugh, I will be happy.

I recommend an awesome book on screenwriting by Max Adams (a woman! name sounds like an old man) and she's a produced screenwriter who has also won numerous writing awards, namely the Nicholl Fellowship, which all screenwriters know is the biggie. Her book is called "The Survivor's Guide to Screenwriting". It is hilarious and will answer all your writing questions. Read it if you can.

So my new goal is to try and read every screenplay that has won an Oscar for Best Writing. Learn from the best, right? Before tackling the old ones, I just read "Brokeback Mountain" in script form (it's nominated this year). It is amazing on the page. Heartwrenching with richly described characters (Ennis's love for his wife and girls, but his love for Jack is stronger and destroying his life.) The script is available to read on a nifty website called www.simplyscripts.com They have everything there! I plan to read "Munich" (164 pages!!) and "Good Night and Good Luck" too. All for free. I love the Internet.

This is a great time to read with snow drifts keeping us prisoners in our apartments this weekend. This is an old school snow storm, people. The kind we remember as kids. So enjoy... and keep reading and writing!