The beginning

"I'm a writer." I said those words on Sunday morning when I met some new people at church and they asked what I do. I didn't start with, "I'm a teacher but working to become a screenwriter" or "I teach part-time...". I said the words, "I am a writer" and I meant them.

Over the past week I've been immersed in writing. I attended the Oscar-nominated screenwriters panels at both the WGA and Creative Screenwriting. I saw two Oscar-nominated movies (The King's Speech and The Fighter - both AMAZING). I listened to a ton of writing podcasts. I attended a three hour television writing seminar. I typed a full-length screenplay in exchange for getting notes on a television pilot. I'm going hardcore.

So on Tuesday when I walked out of the theater after watching The King's Speech I was thrilled to have a voicemail from the literary agent I met with a few weeks ago. I'd sent him another script on Monday and he was calling to invite me to be a part of their orientation process at the agency. Thrilled. Excited. Ready. That's me.

What does this mean? It means I'll spend the next few months meeting with the agency once a week learning about how they work, how we'll work together, and the best path to take my career down. Does it mean I'm their client? Not yet. It means we're having a trial period, on both sides. Kind of like dating. Yep, I'm dating a literary agency.

Some people have asked if this is traditional. No. But nothing about showbusiness is very traditional. If you ask a hundred people how they got their start, they'll each have a different story. If you ask a hundred people for advice on how to begin your career, you'll get a thousand different replies. So for now, this is my path. Wish me luck (though their offices are on the second floor, so no wishing for a broken leg, thanks)!