Miles to Go Before I Sleep

Much of the inspiration for my participation in NaNoBloMo--or whatever you want to call this blog-a-day thing I'm doing--comes from a very enthusiastic, very encouraging professor, who has a blog of his own here.

He's not a writing professor. I don't want to blow his cover--he's not as much about putting it all out there on the internet as some of us--but you could say his class was kind of a semester long membership in the Girl/Boy Scouts of Hollywood. Not exactly how to start a fire or tie a knot, but how to keep going when you're down on yourself, how not to blow your first big check on a Porche. That kind of thing.

Here's the thing--which you'll notice if you visit his blog: He has enthusiasm to BURN. I think maybe that's how he heats his house on cold winter nights--just throws a brick of enthusiasm on the fire and watches the flames roar. So even though it goes very much against my own instincts to be optimistic or look towards the future with anything other than a cynical sneer, I will now attempt to enthusiastically outline my goals:

1. A kick-ass term paper about the roles of Cary Grant in the films of Hitchcock. Length: 12-14 pages. Best qualities: Thoughtful, well-researched, coherently reasoned, and hopefully, an entertaining read for my poor D.A., who has to plow through a couple hundred pages of Hitchcock papers before the semester is over. Due: 11/29. Current status: Strong first draft, needs a polish and citations.

2. An excellent second draft spec for "Grey's Anatomy." Length: 55-60 pages. Best qualities: Continue to nail the voices of the characters, while heightening the drama of the storylines I'm weaving through the episode. Plotting that is tight, engaging and even a little anxious making. With, ideally, some humor thrown in for good measure. Due: 11/29. Current status: Half a first draft.

3. An interesting pilot script to submit for the Josh Schwarz Fellowship. Length: 55-60 pages. Best qualities: Funny, smart, original and coherent. Due: 12/1. Current status: A partial outline.

4. A promising first draft of my thesis script. Length: 100 pages. Best qualities: Heartfelt, hilarious, engaging. Due: 12/11, with a possible extension to 12/18 if I ask nicely. Current status: Fully outlined, 25 pages written.

If I'm absolutely honest about it, I should probably trim one of the things off the list--and the pilot is the only thing even remotely optional. But I can't help it--I've been working on story for so long, I just can't bring myself to pull the plug. But it's been weeks since I didn't have a continual pile of things to do, and sometimes it occurs to me, I can't keep this up, can I? But then I again, I also never thought I'd have 25 posts in 25 days.