First, Last and Always

At 5:15pm this afternoon I left the offices of FremantleMedia without shame. A major breakthrough! Thursdays are feeling great already.

How can this be?, you ask. Let me explain. On Mondays we brainstorm the story arcs for the whole week (the week in question being over six months ahead of what you saw on TV tonight). Then comes the scene-by-scene plotting of the episodes. On Tuesdays we plot Monday’s and Tuesday’s episodes (the First and Second). On Wednesday we plot Wednesday’s and Thursday’s (the Third and Fourth), and on Thursday we wrap up the Fifth. Thursday is, therefore, a half-day in the office.

A weird part of the process is that every time an episode is plotted someone is sent away to write it. On Tuesday morning there are seven or eight people plotting the First. This morning there were three of us left in the room building the Fifth. I only stayed in the office all week because I was given a task on the Fifth. When I’m given a task on the First, I’ll be free to go home on lunchtime Tuesday.

The upshot of all this is DAMN, I wish I’d known! I can easily stay back late if I know it’s not going to be EVERY night. The clouds have parted and glorious sunshine is warming the cockles of my dark, clumsy heart.

And now, back to my trainee-quality attempts at storylining (“argh, it smells!!!”).