Writing Assignment Tracker I

Two posts in one day.  Like waiting for the number 19 etc.

So here’s my new blog topic.  I’ve recently been lucky enough to be engaged to write the screenplay adaptation of a popular novel (I won’t go into more details of the project at the moment).  I’ve just received the final copy of the contract from my wonderful agent Sean Gascoine, in which the terms of the engagement were broken down.

I don’t believe these terms are confidential, so I thought it would be instructive to my blog readers to see how an assignment like this is broken down, both in terms of steps and time allocated.  I’ve typed it all out below. 

I started work on step one (first draft treatment) this week.  My intention is to keep a record of the timings on this project, and any other notes which feel appropriate, in this blog.  A real-time writing assignment tracker, as it were.  See if we end up ahead of or waaaaaaay behind schedule, and see where there was perhaps too much or too little time allocated in the contract.  Maybe at the end I’ll be able to say what it was all in aid of.

Hope you enjoy.

Step	Name	Time Allocated	Estimated Date
1.	First Draft Treatment	1 month	15/11/12
2.	First Draft Treatment client comments	3 weeks	06/12/12
3.	Second Draft Treatment	10 days	16/12/12
4.	Second Draft Treatment client comments	4 weeks	13/01/13
5.	First Draft	12 weeks	07/04/13
6.	First Draft client comments	8 weeks	02/06/13
7.	Revised First Draft	4 weeks	30/06/13
8.	Revised First Draft client comments	2 weeks	14/07/13
9.	Second Draft	4 weeks	11/08/13
11.	Second Draft First Set	6 weeks	22/09/13
12.	Second Draft Second Set	6 weeks	03/11/13

Wow.  That’s over a year’s work.  Hadn’t thought it was that much.  And I was planning on getting a first draft out by Christmas...

Any comments on this basic proposal at this stage?  I presume we all agree that just because it says 1 month for the first draft of the treatment, doesn’t mean I need to take the full month, does it?  I’m almost done.

Well, we’ll see how it all goes.