the unaired pilot was a million and one times better than what we say. once again proving FOX doesn't know how to market Joss.

Or proving that Fox just needs to be more hands off and let Joss do what he does best.

I can see the problems with the unaired pilot, though. I mean, the original version involves taking out the initial Faith-beating scene and replacing the first deleted scene (the long, long, long hospital one). Bit boring. Then it gets confusing. Never a good combination.

I didn't find any of it boring or confusing.

That whole TV writing thing? Not as easy as it looks. Making my rookie attempt, I salute the people who do it well, and sadly? It'll even be a little harder to say "Dude, I could do better than that!" in future. Which is too bad; I *loved* doing that. But, you know, omelette, eggs, yada, yada, yada.

Pfah. I'm a horribly sluggish beta, but IMO when your rookie effort is done, you'll still be able to say "Dude, I could do better than that!" Only by that time you'll have tangible proof of doing it better.

Maybe not better than the shiniest gods of the doing-that pantheon, but better than a lot of the writers on what Hec and I call the low channels (you know, the places where the universally beloved Raymond and the King of Queens and their ilk hang out). Which is still not one bit shabby for a rookie.

And now I'm all curious to see Joss and Tim and Jane et al's rookie efforts. Were they all that right from the start, even as infant screenwriters, or did they have to work at it like the rest of us mortals?

erika, what's this about your ROOKIE TV WRITING EFFORT? I'm so woefully behind, I can only be called "Buffista" because I still remember my password.

That whole TV writing thing? Not as easy as it looks. Making my rookie attempt, I salute the people who do it well, and sadly? It'll even be a little harder to say "Dude, I could do better than that!" in future. Which is too bad; I *loved* doing that. But, you know, omelette, eggs, yada, yada, yada.

Recapping cured me of a lot of that, right quick. I mean, if I can't make it interesting when the story is already there for me, then I should shut the hell up. I don't, but that's because they pay me to be wordy, but in the lands of should, I would.

If I get my way, I won't have to do that anymore(But when have I ever got my way? The twelfth of never, mostly.) Cindy, I'm writing a spec. But I'm a total newb, so it may never come to anything. But TV-writing? Not easy. But it does work my freakish knack for mimicry.

Oh, I'm not saying I could do better. I judge TV purely on if I'm being entertained; that's what I'm paying people in adverts and DVD to do for me.

Joss wrote a screenplay called Afterlife back in the early 90s, it's about a secret illegal underground (literally) mind wiping and personality transfer operation. Ping me if anybody wants a copy, it's fun comparing early Joss.

That whole TV writing thing? Not as easy as it looks.

If it makes you feel any better, it does eventually get easier in some ways.