9
I first started writing for my own fun in the Summer of Nineteen
Seventy-Five when I started a book called ''The Infinite Voyage,''
about three astronauts on a one-way mission into outer space and
their unique encounters with each chapter. It was kind of patterned
like an episodic television show. Once Sixth grade had started I'd
set it aside as I had to ration my limited hand writing ability for
school work needs. Two years later I almost wrote another story
after seeing the original Star Wars movie and wanting more adventures
in that universe, but even though I got a page and a half in, Seventh
grade was around the corner and it was soon abandoned.
During High School my creative writing side got an outlet for various
English classes where I would write little stories that would fit in
about four pages. Typically Twilight Zone like tales where,
in reading the stories years later, I realized I didn't understand
what was at the core of a Twilight Zone story. And then I
wrote nothing creatively for the next two years.
Then I discovered text editors for the TRS-80 computer, and
printers, and my desire to write returned with vigor as I started to
pour-out short stories on the keyboard and jot out notes for stories
to get to at some future time. Once done I'd print-up these
tales and pass them to Jeff and other friends in Colorado and they
were kind enough to say that they were 'interesting'. Sometimes the
mere title of the story generated all the interest and then all I
could hope for was that the story itself didn't pale under the wow
factor the title had evoked.
By the Fall of Nineteen Eighty-Three, I had exhausted all of the Star
Trek fiction books to read, and while I had gone on to read
regular Science Fiction books by established authors, I hated leaving
the Star Trek universe behind with pining for the next movie
my only option. Out of desperation I picked up the two non-fiction
books by the Star Trek people, Gene Roddenberry's co written
The Making Of Star Trek and David Gerrold's The Trouble
With Tribbles. Both books were revelatory as television shows
were transformed in my eyes from these magic lengths of film that
came out of nowhere and ended up being shown on television, into hard
slogs of behind the scenes grunt work all inspired by the initial
writer's premiss and subsequent scripts.
I thought to myself: I could do that!
The only problem was there were no Science Fiction television shows
to write for. Since Star Trek's run, various American shows
had started only to disappear a handful of episodes later. If I was
going to write for an on going Sci-Fi show, there was only one I knew
of: Doctor Who. A show which coincidentally premiered on the
day I had been conceived (now get that disturbing image out of your
head). I had stumbled upon showings of it on the local Boston public
television station in the Fall of Nineteen Seventy-Four. I watched
it off and on since and was quite familiar with it. The only problem
was it was made in Britain and I had no clue how to get in contact
with them to even see if they'd entertain an outside writer's ideas.
Ideas, I had plenty, as I'd already come up with about five in
the Doctor Who universe that ended up on my get to
list. But how to contact them?
By the following February, flush with cash from my job at the
software start-up company, I heard of a new Science Fiction
convention in Denver and one of the guests was going to be one of the
former supporting cast members from the show! While it was deemed a
'media convention' and therefore not considered worthy to attend by
the literary science fiction people, Jeff's girlfriend was going and
had a room to stay straight through the full three days, so I talked
her into letting me crash in her room as well, I wasn't proud and
would be willing to use the bath tab or floor of the closet nook for
my bed. She agreed if I didn't mind being her ride up to Denver
as I had a car and she was between having one at the time. The
wheels were in motion and I got my three day ticket at the door upon
arriving Friday afternoon.
While waiting for my chance to somehow pounce on the innocent actor
and ask him how to get in contact with the show's producers, I roamed
the convention panels, less sitty-talky and more sitty-watchy, I not
only found there was interest in Star Trek and Doctor Who
but even in those American science fiction shows that had lasted a
handful of episodes before being canceled. Guests were here as well
for those shows and 'media rooms' displaying two or three episodes of
that obscure show as well. Like with my first visit to a convention
at Omacon, I found myself drawn to these 'media rooms' and glimpsing
the long running show that could have been.
Finally came the time for the actor to have his discussion in the
main room and I duly waited by the door to get in. Unlike the media
conventions of today where a room would sit a thousand people and
you'd be lucky to stand in line for three hours to get some standing
room at the back, the early years of 'Star Fest' was a line of twenty
people at the door fifteen minutes before the main room guest
started. Once going, then more people would trickle in and once the
time slot was over there might be a total of two hundred or so people
to clap by the end. It was at the ending that one of the staff
members of the convention revealed my chance. He reminded people of
the autograph signing they were now going to have down the hall.
This line was much longer, mostly comprised of the people leaving the
main event room and running to get in line down the hall. As a
result the stragglers in back of the room were the closest to the
doors out and thus the first at the front of the autograph line. As
I'd had a seat in the second row, I now got to wait a bit over an
hour for my chance. We were able to get a photo of the actor while
waiting in line if we didn't already have something for them to sign
and I got one as I waited, using it 'as cover' to hide my true
intentions for being in line for the actor. When my time finally
came and I met him I quickly said, ''Hi, I'd like to write for the
show, do you know their address?'' A bit surprised that I wasn't
specifying what acknowledgment I'd like written on the photo, though
not completely surprised, he simply used the back of the
photo to jot down the main BBC television center address and I
thanked him!
Address in hand, I bummed around the last day of the convention,
waiting for my chance to drive home and get my letter to the 'Beeb'
started. Jeff's girlfriend wanted to finish till the afternoon so I
watched some more obscure television shows in the 'media room' and
even wandered the room of kitsch & such before I finally got back
to mother's mobile home that evening and pulled up the text editor.
My first letter was to simply confirm that this was the correct
address to contact as I was interested in writing for Doctor Who.
A few months later I got a reply back from the producer himself,
John Nathan-Turner, with the correct address and a quick reply saying
that he was, indeed, interested. So I spent the next two weeks
writing up pitch pages of the three premises I thought were most
likely to appeal to the show while not exceeding their budget, and
sent them off with high hopes.
By the turn of Nineteen Eighty-Five I got a note back from John
Nathan-Turner saying he'd appreciated my story ideas but couldn't
follow-up any of them up as the series had been put on hold
indefinitely...
And thus ended my aspirations of being a television writer and I went
back to writing narrative tales of my own interest for the next year,
posting them on Jeff's online site to create a short story
collection.
Soon other writers wanted to be included.
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