schachism…

OK. It’s a big ask but my hope for end of March is to complete the final act of the pilot.  It will come in far too long, which is why I really want to hammer through so I can begin the process of revising and culling.

There is a lot to write but we’ll see how I get on:

• 302 Squad Discovery
• Mission to the DMZ
• Tying up the Topoli, Voldorov, Rhodes, Hague and Williams arc
• Temple Mount Catastrophe
• Philips/Hollis confrontation
• The Brink of War
• The final battle and coup

If I can get all that written in March, I’ll be a very happy boy.  It’s asking a lot, but might as well give it a go.

More good progress made in Jan (particularly while on my skiing trip).  Moving into the final act of the pilot now and bringing the three plotlines together into a finale.

My thoughts have already turned to revising and I have some ideas about culling the content in Act 1 to save on time and speed up the story.

So I was a good month behind in terms of writing after getting nothing done in November.  If someone would pay me to not work then I’d be sorted.  Nonetheless, December brought with it a week trapped in a house due to snow.  The result was several scenes completed inc,

• Topoli/Hollis first meeting
• Ground Zero
• Vasquez interrogation
• Hollis’ return
• Phillips introduction
• OTT sparring

47 pages written, so not bad going.  Script is far too long, even for a 3 hour two parter.  However, will press on with getting it completed before trimming it down.

Finally got some time to get some writing done this weekend.  Only 7 pages, but better than nothing.  Hoping to crack on over the evenings this week.

—————————- Excerpt —————————-

TOPOLI
How’s that drink treating you?

HOLLIS
It’s… fine sir.

TOPOLI
Can’t stand it?

HOLLIS
(shaking his head)
Not really sir.

TOPOLI
(smiling)
That’s probably for the best. There’s only 2 bottles of that left in the world.

Hollis looks down into his drink and chooses to try just a little bit more. He remains distracted.

TOPOLI (CONT’D)
Captain. Can I ask you a personal question?

HOLLIS
Of course, sir

TOPOLI
Well, it’s less a question and more an impression.

Hollis nods.

TOPOLI (CONT’D)
You didn’t vote for me, did you?

For the first time, Topoli has Hollis’ complete attention.

HOLLIS
I… errr.

TOPOLI
It’s ok, I don’t mind.

HOLLIS
No. It’s not that.

TOPOLI
So you did vote for me?

HOLLIS
No. I…

TOPOLI
It’s fine. I’ll head down to the hall of records and find out.

Hollis looks shocked, but catches Topoli winking.

TOPOLI (CONT’D)
Joke.

Key Scenes (draft):

• Hollis and Topolis first meeting
• Ground Zero
• Vasquez Interrogation
• Rachael Phillips Introduction

Probably covers about 10-12 scenes.  My hope is that I can work for several hours each weekend to hammer through these.  Recently the main issue has been work getting in the way.  Need to be get a bit more disciplined.

Act 1 was finished in draft form in late September. Currently about a quarter of the way through Act 2.  Main problems are time, currently.  Going to attempt to set more realistic goals for individual scenes for the weekends.

Unsure yet as to whether the pilot would actually work as a tradtional double-length feature or mini-series style a la Battlestar Galactica (2003).

This blog is really just an idea I’ve been playing around with for a while.  I’d like to document my progress in creating a new TV series concept from the ground up.

I also began to consider the many opportunities for writing stories that, while not a part of the series proper could still be useful in helping me both improve my writing skill and better grow the fictional Universe into more than just the confines of a TV show.