by Dean Orion
Up until now, most of what we’ve been discussing is writing original material on spec. “Writing for hire” or “writing on assignment” is when you either get paid to write someone else’s story or when you pitch an idea and the buyer pays you to write it (as in the TV example in the previous chapter).
Writing on spec is your lifeblood as a writer, not just because you’re creating intellectual property that has inherent value, but even more importantly because you’re creating writing samples that can help you get work for hire—which is far more likely to happen than selling a spec script.
If this comes as news to you, do a little survey of the movies playing down at your local multiplex or on the cable box in your living room. You’ll find that most of them are not based on original screenplays. Most are based on material from other mediums: novels, comic books, myths and fairytales, old television shows, or they’re remakes or sequels of other movies. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll also find that many of the movies that were based on original scripts were actually developed after the ideas were either pitched or assigned to a writer (not written on spec).
Likewise, in television, almost all episode ideas are pitched before they’re written, either by writers working on a show’s writing staff or by freelancers like me on The Invisible Man. Even pilot episodes, which form the bedrock of a series and must be created entirely from scratch (except when they too are based on other material) are mostly sold as pitches first, with a few exceptions.
In the interactive world, where I’ve spent a healthy chunk of my career, virtually all development is internal, particularly at video game companies. They simply don’t take pitches from the outside. All creative ideas are generated from within, so the only way to write a narrative script for a video game (if you’re not an employee of the company) is to be a writer for hire.
So what does all this mean? For one thing it means when you work for hire, once again, there is no draft for you. Just like when you write with a partner, it’s a we thing, not a me thing from the moment you sign on. It also means that you have to be mentally prepared for the various work requirements, conditions, and expectations that come along with each project. You won’t have the luxury of exclusively operating in that wonderful creative cocoon of your own mind like you do when you work on spec. You will, however, still have the one invaluable thing you will always need to pull off the job—your process.
Every experience will present you with new and unique challenges, so the more you hone that process, the more tools and techniques you develop for yourself, the better equipped you will be to handle each and every assignment.
The Note Giver Is Always Right
I’m sure you’ve heard the old business adage: “The customer is always right.” As a writer for hire you’ve got to operate under this same principle. You’re the businessman, the shopkeeper selling the goods and the customer is your note giver.
I’ve had some great experiences throughout my writing life, working in many different mediums. I’ve made a lot of wonderful friends, lifelong friends in some cases, and have worked for many producers, directors, creative directors, and executives for whom I have the utmost respect. But I’m not going to mince words here. It’s not always easy. In fact, most of the time there is at least some level of tension involved in this relationship. How can there not be if the note giver is always right?
Not that you don’t fully engage with them, doing everything in your power to shape the notes and create the best product you possibly can every time out. It’s just that when push comes to shove, they’re paying you for your services, so it’s their project, not yours—which means that you also have to be incredibly tolerant when they are unclear, unexpectedly change their mind, or flat out tell you they’re not satisfied with your work.
Sometimes tension exists in the relationship simply because the note giver isn’t comfortable with the job. After all, not everyone is built to deal with writers and the painstaking process of developing ideas and creating written material (not even some writers). Sometimes there are other things in the mix that cause problems, none of which has anything to do with you: production deadlines, personal issues, intra-office politics, etc.
Other times it has everything to do with you. Maybe you’re not cast right for the project. Maybe you just missed the mark on this one. It happens. Nobody’s perfect.
And then sometimes…well, unfortunately sometimes you end up working for people who are just downright nasty about the whole thing and out to make your life miserable.
Trust me, no writer worth their salt has ever been able to fully escape this fate. I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty ugly behavior over the years, on the part of both individuals and companies that have hired (and sometimes fired) me, none of which I care to recount, much less remember. All I can tell you is that you’ve got to develop a thick skin when it comes to this, shall we say, darker side of the profession.
There will be times when you feel that you’ve been treated unfairly. That’s just part of the deal, another unpleasant fact that you’ve got to accept, courtesy of your writer gene. The important thing to remember is:
It’s the integrity of the work that matters most, even in the worst of situations.
It’s the dedication to your craft, the commitment to yourself as a writer, and the fidelity to your process that will keep you going through these rocky moments.
Don’t Be a Writing Student—Be a Writer for Hire
As I mentioned earlier, one of the things that surprised me most about film school was the rather stunning revelation that there was no secret sauce to being a good writer. Though there are definitely much better writing programs and much better teachers out there today than there were back when I first got off the bus in L.A., I still believe that this is fundamentally true. Creative writing of any kind is so cerebral that even when you’re actively taking classes, the most impactful learning happens when you’re actually writing, not when you’re in class.
One thing you can and should do to take full advantage of that classroom experience, however, is develop the skills that you’ll need to be successful with the note givers you’ll encounter after you graduate. So if you’re a writing student, whether you’re in college, graduate school, or some other specialized writing program, my advice is that you approach your coursework as if it were a job. In other words:
Don’t be a writing student. Be a writer for hire.
While you will probably be developing original stories in your classes, the teacher and the other writers will also be influencing your work from very early on in the process. This means that, once again, this is a case where you don’t have the luxury of keeping the story to yourself for weeks and months and years. Again, there’s no draft for you because you are required to discuss your ideas with the group and then use their feedback to develop them. Sounds a lot more like writing for hire than it does writing on spec, doesn’t it?
Now, I realize you’re not getting paid for this work. On the contrary, you’re paying them for the opportunity to acquire essential knowledge, but the forum is not all that different from the one you’ll experience when you get hired to write something in the real world. There’s a primary note giver, and then there are others who will also be contributing ideas you’ll have to consider. So instead of being insulted by inane comments, or arguing with your teacher or your peers, or being frustrated by the fact that no one is “getting it,” why not work on some of the skills that you know you’ll definitely need to have in your back pocket later on?
In case some of this stuff has already slipped your mind, here’s a little review: First, try and approach the project like it’s theirs, not yours. Get yourself into an open frame of mind each and every time you walk into class. Understand that the story never stops being told, and that the note giver is always right. Then, focus on your note-receiving skills, see how nimbly you can use the conversation about your work to shape it into the story that you envision. Above all, show the people
in the room that you value their opinions and make them your allies.
If you can find a way to step into these writer-for-hire shoes throughout the course of your next writing class, my guess is you’re pretty likely to get your money’s worth.
Always Have a Project in the Back of the Shop
Have you ever gone to some local mom-and-pop type store, caught a glimpse into the back of the shop, and seen something you didn’t quite expect? Maybe mom’s got this amazing wedding dress she’s designing back there, or pop has some kind of mad scientist chemistry set that he’s using to invent a new kind of super glue. These are their passion projects, the things they work on a few hours a night after everyone else goes home.
As a writer working for hire, you’ve got to have this same mentality. No matter how successful you are, you can never get complacent.
You always need to have a passion project going on in the back of the shop.
Why is this important? Because spending the majority of your time and energy working on something that isn’t one hundred percent yours will eventually take a toll on you, as will the constant burden of receiving and executing the associated notes. Having a project in the back of the shop, a project where there is a draft just for you, will feed your soul in a way that no work for hire ever can, even if it’s just a sweet little snack for you to enjoy a couple times a week. At the same time, this work will also help you continue to develop your own voice, which like any other muscle will begin to atrophy in the absence of exercise.
Finally, on a more practical note, this extra effort will not only result in the creation of another piece of original material you can potentially sell, it will also give you a fresh new writing sample, and as any working writer will tell you, you can never have enough samples.
SURVIVAL GUIDE SUMMARY
12. Writing for Hire
Things to Remember:
•You need great writing samples in order to get work for hire, which means writing on spec is essential.
•When you work as a writer for hire there is no draft for you. It’s a we thing, not a me thing, from the very beginning.
•Your process is more important than ever when writing for hire. It’s the one thing you can always fall back on to get you through the rocky moments.
•When you work as a writer for hire, the note giver is always right.
•As a writer, there will always be some degree of tension involved in the relationship between you and your employer. It’s okay. Just accept it.
•If you’re taking a writing class, approach the work as if it’s a job. Don’t be a writing student, be a writer for hire.
•Always have a passion project going on in the back of the shop. It will feed your soul.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
•What can you do to make the working relationship with your employer as productive as possible?
•Which are the most important battles to fight with respect to the work? Choose wisely. You can’t win them all.
•How can you use your creative talent to solve any issue that arises between you and your employer, writing-related or otherwise?
•Which is better for the project (and for your career)—to be effective or to be right?
•If you’re a writing student, what are the ways in which you can effectively turn your class into a work for hire? What do you want to get from your teacher? From your peers? Write down some goals.
•How can you shape the notes you get in class into something that is consistent with your vision?
13. Art vs. Commerce
Many years ago, my wife and I were in Paris and visited the Musée d’Orsay, where we were lucky enough to catch an extraordinary Vincent van Gogh exhibit that had a very profound effect on me. It was a modest collection, only about fifteen or twenty paintings located in a very small room, so it wasn’t so much the volume of the work that made such an impression. It was the fact that they were all self-portraits.
I’m sure that putting the exhibit in a somewhat claustrophobic room was a very intentional decision on the part of the curator. You couldn’t help but feel an unbelievable rush of emotion the moment you walked in there. There he was, arguably one of the greatest artists who ever lived, staring at you from every direction, the sorrow in his eyes, the pain he suffered throughout his life so palpable. And to think that this incredibly gifted man went to his grave without ever having the satisfaction of knowing how immensely valuable his work would soon become. It’s hard to imagine a greater injustice.
I don’t bring this up to be a buzz killer again, but to simply illustrate the point that:
Financial success is one thing and artistic success is entirely another.
Van Gogh was clearly a brilliant painter, but the fact that he never achieved financial success in his lifetime obviously doesn’t diminish his artistic achievements in any way. The two are not joined at the hip. I think the same could be said of writers and writing. We’ve all heard the stories of the great Hollywood scripts that languished for years and years before someone finally championed them and made them into classic films, or the great authors who experienced financial hardship before achieving both critical acclaim and financial success. Believe it or not, for every Mario Puzo or J. K. Rowling that’s been lucky enough to break into the public consciousness, there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of other writers who may not be rich and famous but whose work is truly exceptional, as well as worthy of being enjoyed by far more people than will ever have the pleasure of being exposed to it.
Furthermore, financial success is completely objective. You can touch financial success. You can literally count it and define it in terms of dollars and cents. It’s different for each individual of course, but it’s still the result of a concrete, mathematical formula. For some writers, it may simply mean getting paid any amount of money to write (i.e., financial success = receiving anything greater than zero for writing), while other writers may not consider themselves financially successful unless they make at least six figures a year from writing. Still, any way you slice it, financial success is a clear, tangible thing. Writing success, on the other hand, is entirely subjective. It’s something that no one can touch or count.
So all other things being equal, including talent level, why are some writers more financially successful than others?
This question has a two-part answer. First, achieving financial success isn’t really all that different for writers than it is for any given population of people in any other profession. There are just things some people do well that eventually results in more money in their wallets—the way they present themselves; the way they interact with their colleagues, their clients, and their associates; the way they're able to gather a supporting cast around them. This is all stuff you can learn. Sure, some of it’s instinctual, but for the most part it’s all about being good at the business of being a writer.
Second, as any successful businessman will tell you, sometimes you just have to be lucky. This, obviously, is not something you can learn. You have to be at the right place at the right time—and in the case of writers, with a well-executed idea.
Which brings us back to writing success.
Writing Success = Writer Gene + Process
I always get a kick out of hearing people say that they wrote a feature-length screenplay in six days. I don’t know why it’s always six days and not five or seven, but for some reason it is. When people do this, they want you to think either (A) they’re some kind of genius, or (B) that they were so blessed by this moment of divine inspiration, the thing just came bursting fully grown out of their brain, like Athena from the head of Zeus.
The truth is that no one can write a screenplay in six days, not a good one anyway, and certainly not a great one. The only way to write anything great is to have both the talent to write it and the drive to spend as much time as it takes to make it the very best it can be. In other words, the formula for writing success is:
Writing Succes
s = Writer Gene + Process
Achieving writing success is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about continuing to hone your process so that each successive piece of work over the course of your writing life grows and improves over the last one. It’s about going deeper into all the aspects of the craft. It’s about developing your command of the language. It’s about being more efficient, learning from your mistakes, and becoming an expert in each and every medium that you choose to write in.
Most importantly, writing success is something that can only be measured by your own internal yardstick. Only you know what you’re capable of. Only you know how far you can push yourself, how many ideas you can come up with, how well you can execute them, and how many times you can rewrite that script over and over and over again. Writing success only happens when you can look yourself in the mirror and honestly say that you’ve done everything in your power to make a story work, that you’ve tuned that radio in and brought that signal through as clearly and completely as you possibly can.
That’s not to say that achieving writing success is totally divorced from getting the positive feedback of others. Let’s be honest, it would be pretty naïve (not to mention, a little delusional) to claim that you’ve written a successful story if you haven’t received at least some modicum of external validation. But I think it’s also fair to say that the feedback you receive is ultimately only one factor among many that determines whether or not you feel you’ve fully realized any given piece of work. The real test is how well you stack up to that internal yardstick, whether or not you’ve reached the highest of bars you’ve set for yourself and satisfied the fairest, wisest, and most discerning of critics—you.
When you’ve done that, I believe you’ve achieved success as a writer. And when you can do it consistently, I believe financial success will follow.