From: eisimps@cie.uoregon.edu (Eileen Simpson)
Subject: Re: Seminar
Summary: Be a writer, please.
Organization: University of Oregon Campus Information Exchange
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 07:43:56 GMT

In article <A60194@HB.maus.de> Sem_Hoelscher@hb.maus.de (Sem Hoelscher) writes:
>-A57967@HB
>
>Shacha Eileen!
>
>[es] If anyone wants to know some of what they told us (some comments were
>     hysterical, some very practical, some disappointing), let me know what
>     news group to post it in, and I will.
>
>This one, please, or email, perhaps ...creative, since these are the only
>ones I (can) read. And thanks in advance, I'm very curious!
>
>Oyori - Sem [from now cooler Northern Germany]

Okay, here it is:  Paramount held a script writing clinic as an adjunct to
the Creation Con in Portland, Oregon, USA this summer.  It was a separate
fee and not directly part of the con.

Present:  Ronald D. Moore, Co-Producer; Brannon Braga, Story Editor, Lolita
Fatjo, Script Coordinator.  Lots of neat materials available.

They covered how to submit a spec script to TNG.  To give you an idea of
what they must usually see, a lot of their tips were things like "type your
script," or "buy a script and make yours look like those." "If you do this,
your script will stand out from the crowd." 
Sort of spooky to think what people must send in!

They will only take complete scripts on spec.  No ideas for stories,
outlines, novels, etc.  You must have an agent or sign their release.
Before you grouse about the release understand that NO ONE else will even
look at fan scripts.  They have some rules about the type of envelope
(recyclable) that were pretty obscure, but I think that is too much detail
for here.

Now for the fun stuff.  They had a photo of a room with a BIG white-board
on which there was lots of writing with those washable pens.  Strange names
and then a bunch of "hash marks" under the names.  Turns out this is where
they keep track of the kinds of stories they have had submitted, and how
many they bought in each category.  The purchases are marked with $$.

Some categories and their meanings:
"Most Dangerous Game"--any script where any crew-member is taken to a
planet and hunted by the powerful alien for sport or to see if they are
worthy to live.  No $$ in this category.

"Droids R Us"--the crew goes to the strange planet of masterless androids
who believe Data is God.  No $$ in this category, either.

"Milk Carton"--any episode where any crew-member gets kidnapped as part of
the plot.  (A completely inadequate number of $$ here.  Can you name
the shows this describes?)

"Big Mom"--the crew beams down to the planet where people don't respect
their world, and after Troi moans about being in pain for 40 min., they
figure out that the entire world is sentient and feeling.  (No $$)

"Jack's Back"--a story in which Jack Crusher returns from the grave,
whether by time travel, holodeck, or whatever.  (No $$ in this category,
in fact they view these stories with contempt.  As one fellow said, "He's
dead, Jim.")

"Space Pirates"--self-explanitory. (No $$).

"Space Mummies"--Enterprise unwittingly releases ancient beings who have
been trapped on world/asteroid/ship for long time.  Usually, they are BAD
mummies.  (No $$--which you know is wrong.)

"King Tut's Tomb"--the crew inadvertantly violates an ancient curse and
everyone's gonna die.  (No $$).

"Weird Science"--example: a strange computer virus affects the ship and
Data figures out that the only way to stop it is to get everyone off, and
flood the ship with water.  (No $$).

Sometimes, people submit what the writers thought must be intended as a big
season finale-type episode:  Jack's back as a cursed space mummy and the
only way to stop him is to flood the ship with water.

This is a long posting.  More to follow.



Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc