II. Disclaimers, Caveats, and Comments
One of the things that I stress is that people who ask advice should take into account the experience and background of the people they get it from. So the first chapter of this book is who I am. And I suggest you search the internet for my credits. I would list them here, but I would have to update the book every year to keep it current. Besides, this book is likely to have the standard “Author’s Bio” somewhere near the end, so you’ll see some of them there. But, take my word for it, I’ve done a lot. I say this not to impress, but to put my words into perspective. At the same time I would never say that I know absolutely everything about writing or the industry; nobody really does. And I never have taken a class in either of those areas nor have I read books on them. Everything I know is based on my pure, practical experience.
I try to be honest and fair with this knowledge, but that comes with a price. The intent is that I firmly believe that a new Writer needs to arm herself with knowledge of the realities of the business. I can’t and won’t sugar coat it. I try to be encouraging and supportive, but the best thing I have to offer is honesty. Keep in mind that I am only the messenger. I’m not trying to be negative. And, in fact, much of you will read here is extremely positive. Some of it is, in fact, darn near optimistic and idealistic. A few of the anecdotes, for example, have stories that are sure to inspire and motivate you. Just keep it in perspective and don’t forget the task at hand. One day you’ll have your own anecdotes to with which to inspire. You have to get to that point first.
When reading this, keep in mind that though I have worked in many mediums, I am primarily a Television person. Television, Film, Animation, Digital Media, Stage and more, are distinct arenas, with different rules and interactions. I have written in all those areas, yes, but my primary area of expertise has been in the episodic world of Television. Remember that as you assign weight to my advice.
One of the problems with the Entertainment Industry (henceforth to be called simply the “Industry”) is that there is very little quantifiable logic. It’s a very subjective business and extremely unique to each individual. So what you should understand is that what I say here may be contradicted in the next book you read. It doesn’t mean I am wrong or the author of the other book is wrong. It means that we have had different experiences and have drawn different conclusions. Research the authors of those books as I would expect you to research me. Again, you have to keep the knowledge within the context of the person it comes from.
Speaking of experience, in these many years of work, I’ve had more than a few. Experiences, that is. I find myself in the rather surprising position of having anecdotes about my life that others ask me to retell. So throughout this book, there will be several places where I will just stop everything and tell an anecdote from my own life.
These anecdotes may or may not have something to do with the chapter you are reading. And in these stories, when I have something nice to say about someone in the Industry, I will use their name. If it was a negative experience, chances are I won’t. Why? Two reasons: One; just because I had a falling out or a bad experience with someone doesn’t mean that they are a bad person or, even, that they were wrong. Your experience with them might be the complete opposite. And, two; I am still a part of this Industry, so I have no intentions of burning bridges anytime soon. In general, just consider the anecdotes to be mild distractions. There’s a lot of stuff here and I don’t want your eyes glazing over and rolling back in your head while you read it.
So when you reach an anecdote (clearly marked), you can either skip it and stick to the relevant information, or take a break and read it. Your choice. There will not be a test on the anecdotes.
Now, having just written the word “anecdote” more times in this chapter than I have ever used it in real life, let us proceed.…
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