July 17, 2006
We all have distractions in our life that keep us from getting work done. Spouses, children, jobs. Uh, blogs. E-mail. Hmmm, sunshine, rainbows, butterflies, dogs, workouts...

That's not what I'm after today, actually.

As you know, I make a living writing, so I've got a bunch of ongoing projects, large and small. Big analytical business report that's swallowing my time and energy. A book review to write today. I need to do an interview or two for a health article for a local newspaper. I'm wrapping up an article for Bankrate.com. I've got a technical journal I edit and will have to get to work on the next issue in the next week or so.

Then, of course, there's the ongoing novels. I'm trying to pull together promotional stuff for THE DEVIL'S PITCHFORK including having the website revamped. I'm trying to finish the third novel in the contract, ANGELS FALLING, and I need to at least get some better ideas about the 4th book under contract.

I'm living a dream, in many ways. I make a living (no, I'm not trying to rub it in--pay attention, there might actually be something to think about here) doing something I love and I'm getting paid to write novels.

But from time to time, I think, "I should try writing a TV script. Or two. Or three. There's a lot of money there. I've never tried a TV script. Maybe I can break in to that. I'll pick up Lee Goldberg's book and read about that, and I'll really study a couple TV shows and I'll put together 2 or 3 sample TV scripts, maybe for, hmmm, Psych and House and, what else do you watch... yeah, a problem there, what else do you watch... Bones. Yeah, maybe..."

And than there's the voice of reason that says, "You aren't busy enough? You barely watch TV. You just had to scramble to come up with three shows you actually watch, and the fact is, you've never even seen Psych all the way through, you rarely watch House and you only saw about half the season of Bones. You've got a novel to finish and another one to write, a huge business report that you're behind schedule on that's worth anywhere from a half to a third of your yearly income, plus other regular clients to satisfy, and you want to GO OFF HALF-COCKED WRITING SPEC SCRIPTS FOR AN AREA EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO BREAK INTO THAN NOVELS????????"

Focus, is what I'm saying. I have finite time and energy and I'm very, very busy. This, "why don't you write a TV script," or "maybe you should try a nonfiction book" or "how about a screenplay" or... is my own version of my mind turning away from the work I have in front of me, a little grander version of blogging, if you will.

That isn't to say that if I had a really great idea for a "Bones" script that it might not be a bad idea to write it. Except I don't know a hell of a lot about script writing, my agent doesn't handle scripts (although she does have a film agent she works with), and the one time I tried my hand at scriptwriting I found the formatting to be a major headache that took most of the fun out of it.

Does that mean I never will? No. I think it's good for writers to stretch and try different things. And God knows there's a lot of money floating around out there in TV land compared to books and magazine writing. But it's an infinitely smaller market, too, and the stakes are pretty damned high as well.

The point being, I guess, is that when you're reasonably successfully juggling 10 flaming torches, there's not any really good reason to think you should add a bowling ball or chain saw to your repertoire.
Best,
Mark Terry