Task: Agents

Of the various tasks on the original list, I am avoiding writing about some of them because I haven’t actually completed it yet, and I need to get on the ball. With this one, it may not be worth finishing.

Back when it first happened, I felt like it was too soon to seek an agent because no one would be interested in me. Someone else told me that what I had at the time (four or five screenplays) was a decent body of work, and it might be worth asking around. Not sure where to start, I went to the Writers Guild site and printed out their agencies list, then started making phone calls.

It turns out what I had was not nearly as important as what the list had, which was an abundance of places that didn’t really do literary, only talent (actors); lots of places that were not taking on new clients, or not before the end of the year, or not without referrals, or all of the above.

So, it was slow-going work and not very rewarding, but I was planning on calling through the entire list when I got the Intel job, which kind of derailed me. That’s okay, taking the contract was probably more productive.

Also, a lot of the information that you get has a surprisingly short shelf life. The other thing that happened right before the Intel job was that I attended the 2009 Willamette Writers Conference. One of the speakers there, Rima Bauer Green, did have a literary agency, and I liked her and thought I should look her up.

I probably waited two months, maybe three, but not much longer than that. When I went, the site was gone, and internet searches only found a few mentions in old blog posts. Granted, it was a bad economy, which is probably why a lot of those agencies were not accepting new clients, but to be an invited guest in August and a missing person in November is a little scary.

Anyway, the WGA list is not as helpful as you might hope. Perhaps my first instincts that it was too soon for an agent were correct. I may return to the list, if for no other reason than to check my notes, but it is not my main priority, or even in the top 3. Still, if anyone knows a well-connected agent, can you refer me? I promise I’m brilliant and productive.

30 minutes walking outside
Pushups
Luke 3 – Luke 9