They say the only thing more difficult than writing a beginning is writing the ending.  It would seem I have dug myself a hole with that one.

With all my focus on pilots, premieres and cliffhangers, I have unconsciously suffered a disease that should be remedied right away.  I cannot write endings.  Sure, with TV pilots that is probably the last thing writers worry about (let’s face it, it is all about getting the show to go on so you can get paid), but with every other form, it is of the utmost importance.  So, as my brain jitters to trying new things, I realized I have not remotely exercised my brain to have closure. Freud would have a field day with that sentence.

Since my current project is to tackle the feature-length script world, the planning stages–and basically my entire thought pattern–have to shift gears.  It would not surprise me if all television writers suffered commitment issues with their craft.  When a day’s work involves taking a portion of the greater whole and lengthening it, the one part you are left out of is ending the damn thing.  In an era where networks are constantly ending things for you, it’s no wonder pulling off a good series finale seems impossible.  The upside to this is learning to be flexible, but really, who cares about that when you are still starting out as a writer?

So, I go into my next project with a very difficult task on my hands: pulling in my focus and planning an entire story.  I am aware of how juvenile this sounds, but much like life, it takes guts to willingly change what you know as a writer.  Completing a story and letting it go…

Emphasis on the completion part.

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