Wednesday, March 16, 2011

"Good enough"

This'll be a short one today. I read a truly nasty terrible script this past afternoon and I can't even use this blog to process my outrage because it hits so many topics that I've already ranted about here.

So I think I'll just offer this word of advice - maybe you've got a contact who can get your script into an agency or a production company. You might even have a contact high up in development or even at the agency levels.

All the friends in high places don't do you much good if your writing is shit. A Pass is a Pass. Sure, politics might force that Pass to become a very gentle pass, or even a face-saving lukewarm Consider - but don't count on your connections to save you from your own incompetance.

Don't give someone in power a shitty script just so you can give them A script. And deciding that a script is "good enough" is often an excuse for laziness.

8 comments:

  1. I always find it ironic when people misspell 'incompetence' when talking about someone else.

    I've done it myself. I'm just sayin'.

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  2. Nothing impresses people more than pointing out the typos in a blog entry.

    Just sayin'.

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  3. Or, Mr. Bitter, instead of being snarky to your readers when they bring your attention to a typo, you could say "thanks for pointing out my error", or perhaps just say nothing at all (remember Thumper's mother in "Bambi"?). When I pointed out a mistake you made in a post, you didn't respond, and just fixed it. A decent, quiet way to go, imo.

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  4. I think you'll find most bloggers in agreement with me when I say that I have little patience for "typo police," particularly those who cop an attitude in their corrections, as if to say "Gotcha!" I don't recall which typo you're referring to, Ursa, but I would bet you were respectful and pointed it out in an "Oh, by the way" manner.

    But if a person's only reason for posting is to scream and shout about a typo - and do it with a little bit of snark - then the LEAST they should expect is snark back.

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  5. Yes, I did try to post it as quietly and nicely as possible. It was a sentence just after remarking on your tribute to a friend: http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspot.com/2011/01/youve-gotta-have-friends.html.

    ps, please pardon the use of the word "snarky" in my earlier post today. I dislike using it, but wasn't sure of a decent replacement.

    pps, I take your point - snark does sometimes require a bit of bite back.

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  6. I read the first sentence and immediately asked: How did this script get to you?

    Then you answered the question.

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