I'm starting

Tonight I went to the taping of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This isn’t the first time I’ve gone, it won’t be the last. We already have tickets to take my parents next week to the taping of the season finale. But tonight, as I sat there, I realized something. I wanted to be down on the stage. I wanted more than anything to be a part of the hustle and bustle, the frenzied movement, the action. I wanted to be one of the writers bringing new pages to the actors, whispering about new jokes. I wanted to be one of the showrunners talking about sweaters and pacing and where everyone should stand. I wanted to be in the muck. 

I’ve started the process. I’ve studied television episodes and broken down screenplays. I’ve timed scene lengths and transcribed dialogue. I’ve written joke after joke and spent hours just sitting here at my desk thinking of the perfect title or the perfect line. I’ve put in some time. A lot of time. 

I’ve written spec scripts and original scripts. I’ve watched more television than most people should. And now I’m working to move beyond all that. I’m working to go out into the real world, if you can call Hollywood the real world, and put it all into practice.

Today I mailed out 56 query letters to agencies around town. It’s a start. It's scary but I needed to do it. Because I’ve realized, more than anything, I want to, I need to, be down on that stage, not up in the audience. I need this. Now. So I’m starting…