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I am constantly watching series and wondering how the writers have the courage to accept their paychecks.

I sit and rewrite episodes all of the time.

Anyone else do that?

SB

I don't often get to watch telly, but whenever I do I'm surprised how much it has dumbed down over the last few years. I dread to think what it's going to be like in a few years time if this trend continues.

I don't watch the stupid ones more than once. Doesn't seem to help, though. The ones I like a lot mostly get cancelled too soon. Currently I watch Castle, the various incarnations of NCIS, Bones, and Lost Girl. When Haven, Eureka, and Game of Thrones are available I watch those, too.

Unfortunately, my husband likes reality TV, stuff like Survivor, Wipeout, Swamp People, Sons of Guns, and "The Dumbest" video shows, so I have to suffer through a lot of that for the sake of marital harmony. When they're on I try to ignore them. Instead, I sit on the couch with my laptop and write. But I try not to obsess about "fixing" the shows when I don't think the writing is good. Been there. Done that. Already wasted too much time playing in other people's sandboxes.

I am with Silverbullet and Cogito, and in fact often I catch myself thinking that if, after such a long time, Enterprise (but, more importantly, Trip and T'Pol) are still alive in the pen of many writers and in the minds of many readers and many fans, evidently there was a huge potential both in the series and in our two beloveds.
Now, this fact ... adds it shame to the often shameful way the episodes were scripted and directed with, or is it in itself reason for glory for the creators, who, though, most likely, have given life to everything almost unconsciously, and (that's a matter of fact) have not been able to develop this potential? And I prefer to believe that maybe all this hasn't been entirely their fault.

Other than NCIS, I don't watch the newer shows (I recently began to watch Game of thrones, jury is still out on that one). Instead I watch the "Retro" series.

A favorite of mine is Frasier. I adore the character of NIles on it. David Hyde Pierce is a great physical and stand up comedian. He is a joy to watch.

I watch MASH too. It was a fun series.

There are certain characters that I have come to love in those old series. (I haven't seen any loveable characters in any new series)

When the Western channel was running the old Maverick" Series I watched it for James Garner.

I doubt if the writing was any better in those old series but the characters sure were better.

SB

I enjoy Castle, though once is enough for each episode for me. I have no urges to fix that show. They're handling that long drawn-out romance just fine, in my opinion. They recently injected some angst, and my interest pricked up. IMO they needed some.

I used to watch True Blood, but it just got so bad in the last couple of seasons that I don't plan to look at it this year. I don't even care enough about any of those characters to want to fix them. Also, I haven't read the books they're based on. I tried one, but it didn't grab me.

I was watching Terra Nova, even though I thought it was pretty weak. I've been watching "Big Bang Theory" too, at least when it's not one I've already seen. Other than that it's just news and the news parodies (Daily Show and Colbert Report). And that's too much television already. I know there's some good stuff out there, but I figure if I'm still interested I'll watch it someday when I've got more time. That's one thing about today's world -- that sense that you must watch something or it's gone is much diminished. I wonder if shows that might otherwise survive get canceled because the audience figures -- meh, I can see it later.

Distracted wrote:Already wasted too much time playing in other people's sandboxes.

I sure hope you don't include your time playing in the TnT "sandbox" in that. It won't have made you rich, which is a damned shame, but it's brought a lot of pleasure to your readers.

Thanks, Cogito. I don't regret a minute of it.

Hey, you honed your skills for your own writing. Not to mention your work ethic for some rather awesome productivity in your case.

I think it never hurts to build up one's ego (and toughen it, too) before going out into the dismal world of publishing, either.

Yeah. I'm just beginning to realize that.

I would hardly call your virtual seasons a waste of time, Dis. In fact I would have called it a waste of talent had they never been written.

There's so much in my head that I want to write that I begrudge every minute of free time I have, but I don't regret writing my TnT fiction. I just wish I didn't have to sleep so I could work and keep my husband happy and run a household and raise my kids AND write everything I want to write. Most days at least one of them has to give, though, and it's frustrating. Didn't mean to imply that writing fanfic is a waste of time. Alelou is right. There are a lot of benefits to it, not the least of which are the friends I've made along the way.

Writing, for me, is bloody. I have serious Dyslexia. I edit all of my posts to the thread. It usually takes abut 15 minutes to do so. I transpose letters, words.

A story of a few thousand words is Hell. Try as I might I still miss many mispellings because I am blind in one eye, and my vision is not so great in the other. That along with the dyslexia.

Running toires through the spell checker helps but that to misses things that it believes is a word when it is not.so there are mispellings in my stories. Not to mention Grammer, Puncuation. Bleah

Still, I want to write. for me it keeps my mind functioning.

I want to be original, hard as hell.

Not much of an excuse is it

SB

If I don't write, I get cranky. It's that simple. I have to do it. I must always get a dose of writing or gardening to stay happy. Both are creative acts that I find supremely relaxing.

I don't find writing relaxing so much as a release.


I dump many more stories than I have put up. I am my harshest critic (not at all unusual for writers)

I sweat Blood over stories. Then I pump out one in about 15 minutes that is very popular (Oh Mr. tucker) Go figure

Nevertheless writing is not relaxing for me but it is a necessity to keep my mind fairly agile at my age.

SB