No Lavender Knight Chapter III or Musings of a Streamer this month.
Time got away from me. Laziness held me hostage. Unemployment depression destroyed me. Insert other half-hearted excuses, but the truth is I didn’t work on either. My focus drifted towards other projects. My scriptwriting obsession called me away.
Back in April, I stumbled onto the Disney Entertainment Television Writing Program. Ambition made me think I could jump in without preparation. I started work on original pilots (something the application mentions not to do, they wanted something already finished). I enjoyed those pilots so much, I created a complete season treatment for one, and a detailed breakdown for the second episode of the other. High on hubris, I thought I created incredible television scripts!
Surprise, they were not good. Who would have thought?
After I sat on the pilots for a few days, I read them and realized I am not ready for the program. I humbled myself without feedback. My pilots need more time to cook, and I need more experience writing scripts. My errors mirrored those I’d criticize students for. Entry into the program is difficult. They want staff-ready writers for their shows, something I’m not.
I need stronger outlines for the pilots. Scenes need to be cut. Characters goals need clarity. Dialogue needs to be sharper (curse my theatre background for long flowery monologues). Descriptions need stronger imagery. General grammar and spelling need improvements. In short, my two scripts need refinement to make them worth reading and submission ready.
While working on the scripts, I began reimagining The Lavender Knight. After listening to Gundog, an episodic audio novel by Gary Whitta, I fell in love with the format. I wondered if I could do something similar for The Lavender Knight. It already follows an episodic structure, without the audio. However, the early versions are quite rough. Chapters 1 and 2 need full rewrites before I can even think about recording. I also want to finish the entire story before I start recording.
So, announcement?
The Lavender Knight will find life as an episodic audio novel. The timeline for when isn’t quite clear to me yet. I need to create a plan. Ask for a few favors from friends for music and other audio needs. I do want to continue sharing the rough drafts. There is a ton to consider as I travel down this path.
So, that’s my unproductive, productive writing journey for May! We still have a week to go. Who knows what changes may happen?
Now, back to my pilot… I just thought of a scene with my main duo.
Jesús M. Rivera 