Last week I had posted on here and Twitter about my consulting services because spec and pilot season is here. Now is the time TV writers and aspiring TV writers are polishing their spec and original scripts. A few people contacted me to read their work and one of them sent me a script that I had to turn away immediately. Well I told her that I would be happy to help her once she fixed one major problem.
She had the name of the show wrong! Yes. I thought it was a typo in her email when she said, “Will you please read my Downtown Abbey spec”, but it wasn’t. Side note, even getting the name wrong in an email is bad-you are showing who you are as a writer-get it correct. We ALL make typos-any writers who say they don’t are liars, that said, get the name correct. So I opened the PDF and it said DowntoWn, not Downton. She also included the synopsis and the query. It get’s worse, when I pointed it out, she got angry and corrected me. Okay so I won’t be helping her.
I am not trying to make her feel bad if she is reading this blog, but rather share a story to everyone because this is beyond important. You must get the name correct. I am not a showrunner-someday maybe/hopefully-but today am just someone trying to make it as a writer, so to her I don’t matter, but you know what? I do matter, we all matter. This is a small industry, even if it doesn’t seem that way. Mistakes are fine, but really don’t spec a show that you don’t even know the name of. All that tells me, and anyone reading your script, is that you don’t watch that show and don’t pay attention to details. Why would I read any further?
Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach 