Start Small-Dream Big
Laura Toffler-CorrieWhen I was studying writing in graduate school, I had every intention of starting big. I didn't want to begin my career by writing for my hometown Daily Gazette. I wanted to write a best selling novel, screenplays that would become movies starring Leo, Nicole and George, exposes in Vanity Fair, features for the New York Times. Right away. First. That was the dream. But it didn't take long before I woke up.
The first writing job I ever had was with a guy who had ideas for a movie but needed a writer to turn his pearls of creativity into an actual screenplay. A professor of mine at NYU was nice enough to recommend me to him, and of course I said YES!
During m first meeting with Tony, he explained that he wanted to do something current and marketable. Now around this time, the big box office hit was Steven Spielberg's 'GOONIES,' which if I remember correctly, was generally about a group of geeky kids who find buried treasure with a fantasy element, etc. Tony wanted to produce something like GOONIES but not quite the same. He leaned forward and looked earnestly into my face.
"Can you do that?" he asked.
I smiled wide and nodded vigorously. I got out my pen and pad and waited in eager anticipation. And that's when he started to talk and he didn't stop.
"It's about a girl, no a boy, maybe a girl," he waffled. "Who finds a treasure, like in GOONIES, but different. Like in Egypt, except not. There should be a bunch of kids who are dorky, but cool. They should be about twelve years old, except more like fifteen, especially in flashbacks, when we flash forward to the backround in the foreground...and there needs to be a treasure map...maybe diamonds...I'm not sure...."
After about three meetings like this, I couldn't take it anymore. I laughed tensely and told him that if he wanted me to write anything coherent, he needed to make up his effin' mind. He didn't laugh back. At the end of that session, he wrote me a check. I never heard from him again, nor did I ever hear of his opus: GOONIES-NOT REALLY. I was disappointed but relieved. I made a copy of the check and framed it. It was my first paid writing gig after all.
About a year later, I managed to get my screenplay to a prominent entertainment lawyer, a 'player' in Hollywood. Only a few days later, I received her jubilant phone call from L.A.
"Your screenplay! I love it! I'll get you meetings! Everyone knows me! Fly out. Now!"
Seriously. So I jumped on a plane. But what she failed to mention, however, was that even though everyone knew her, nobody actually liked her. I met with one big agent. He was nice, but passed. I then spent the next few days chasing her down. Finally, she set me up for a lunch meeting with a "fabulous up and coming producer on the hunt for new talent and material." This turned out to be french for 'a woman who knows less than you, but dresses better.'
After many more stories of this nature, except stupider, I fought my overwhelming discouragement and decided to try a new tactic: writing for magazines. My first job: The local Gazette, writing a sexy piece entitled, 'Drainage Problems Plague Main Street.'
I felt low. Is this what I went to graduate school for? Was this the closest I would get to my dream of being a 'real writer?'
But then, slowly, things started to turn around. 'Drainage' articles turned into more interesting articles, and one day my editor asked me if I wanted to interview Bobby Kennedy Jr.!
I was so excited that I went out and bought a new tape recorder for about $60.00 (she was only paying me $40.00 for the article). Not to mention a whole new outfit!
Granted, the focus of the article was on watershed issues in Westchester (he's a big environmentalist), but it was very cool. Also, for some reason, at one point, Bobby veered off topic to tell me a little known story about his uncle (meaning JFK!) and a family gathering.
So, finally, after years of crap, I was starting to build a portfolio. I wrote for bigger magazines and finally decided to go back to full length fiction. That's when AMY FINAWITZ was born, and the rest, as they say, is history...so far.
The moral, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, is don't be afraid to start small, get your hands dirty, and, or, feel stupid in front of acquaintances and relatives at cocktail parties when they raise their eyebrows in scorn and say,
"So, I hear you're writing small time crap. When are you going to be a big time writer?"
Tell them that right now you're a small time writer who doesn't give up, and that you will be a big time writer very soon because that's what 'real writers' do.
Reader Comments (3)
"Tell them that right now you're a small time writer who doesn't give up, and that you will be a big time writer very soon because that's what 'real writers' do."
YEAH!
Awesome, and hilarious as ever.
Laura,
This makes me smile. I love the pricey tape recorder.
Caragh
Thanks Caragh and MaryBeth. :)