I sit here, totally fatigued.
You know, I”m not knocking coal miners who get up in the dark and go home in the dark, or construction workers or people working in the corn fields plucking god’s harvest… But sitting in front of a laptop for ten hours a day trying to come up with original, creative ideas… Is physically fatiguing.
Mind you, I’m not complaining.
The new gig is going well — it’s nice to be out of the house where I was working from my home office for the last six months. That’s my usual scenario. I work from the home/office plugging away on the screenplays and the book proposals (which finally were looked at and we’re moving forward to sell them to publishers) and the random television job here and there… But eventually, I crave the personal interacation and the challenge of working on a crazy, time-sensitive TV project.
Which is what I’m doing now.
There’s nothing more satisfying for a writer than offering your creative opinion on creative issues and being told you’re doing a good job. Writers, being very self-conscious about their craft, are always looking for that approval. And I’m no different. It’s one of the most naked careers, if you know what I mean. You are out there, vulnerable. If someone doesn’t like your idea, they’re taking a swipe at the person within.
It’s going to be a crazy few months, though. I’m helping develop the show’s creative aspects this week, then the Executive Producers pitch the final concepts to the network. Then, upon their approval, we start staffing up pretty quickly. Two months from now I will already be in another state preparing for the shooting of the show. It’s a fun experience — going away to camp (sort of) where you’re living in a hotel and working crazy long hours. But since it’s only for two weeks, your adrenaline can last long enough to get you through it, and home again.
Then, I sit around watching TV for a week. Because I deserve it.
Meanwhile, I’m on this crazy schedule now. Up at 6:30am, off to the gym, back in time to shower and eat breakfast and make it to work. At work from 9:30 to 7:30pm if I’m lucky (if not, closer to 8:30pm) and then home and in bed before you can say “Top Ramen”.
Like I said – no hard feelings towards the coal miners. I mean, they do get that black crap all over their face so you have to give them props for that.
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