Jeremy Does NOT Like Rae’s Script
“Okay, what did you guys think?” Jeremy huffed as he rolled my pages into a cylinder and tapped them on the conference table. Everyone sat in silence. I did not feel well.
“Where are you with this?” he inquired. I felt like he was testing my ability to assess my own work.
“I’m still putting together a first draft. It takes me four drafts to make a first draft.”
“And this is a feature, right? I’m asking because you kill the protagonist on page 10.” He wasn’t being funny, but people laughed at me anyway.
“He’s not actually the protagonist. I just want the audience to think that.”
“I recommend getting a stronger handle on the rules of drama before getting too fancy with the audience. If you sent this to a producer, they’d close the script on page 10 and figure they were dealing with someone who didn’t know how to write a screenplay.”
“Ouch.” It was all I could muster. I didn’t dare tell him I am a producer, and I think the script is pretty fucking awesome.
“I’m not saying that to discourage you. I’m saying it to encourage you. How do you feel when you write?” He probed further.
“Like I never want to do anything else ever.”
“Then you’re a writer. Keep writing.”
* * *
And that was it. Chance blown. Opportunity missed. There was no way I could face him again after that, certainly not to tell him how I desired him. The worst part was that the whole exchange was captured in a recording that would outlive me.
THE END