The Letter M
“Confidence definitely did not get me here! More of, like, desperation.” - Jesmyn Ward
Hi y’all! I’m Mia, a fellow writer of TV and Film and now a Substack writer. K. has asked me to write her first cross-post! You can catch her guest-writing mine on Wednesday, so please visit us at
In true Mia fashion, here are some Musings for you:
Writing. Is. Hard. But also freeing. I don’t know about you all, but for me, the hardest part is between idea and outline. I can come up with ideas like nobody’s business but turning that idea into an actual story with structure, plot, twists, turns, and arcs?... It’s a gift, yes, but also hard work, a skill that must be honed and fashioned over and over again. Like the saying goes, writing is re-writing. Which brings me to a thought I’ve had recently --
I went to a book talk the other night, the author Matthew Salesses' new book had just come out, and something he said struck me. He mentioned that he hoped other writers would take his book, his work, and put themselves in it and make it their own. I had a record scratch moment because isn’t that copying? Plagiarism? Cheating? But then again, it’s also said that there are only three types of stories (man v. man, himself, and nature) and I still can’t get over the moment where I heard Nancy Myers tell Katie Couric that she only has a handful of good movie ideas in her. Like, c’mon, you’re Nancy Freakin’ Myers! But I digress.
When we write, all roads lead to a single thought. That idea. And my ideas overwhelm me. It seems there are so many stories I want to tell but I lack the confidence a lot of the time to put in the work and actually make something out of them. Especially given the current content landscape. There are SO MANY stories out there! Why even bother adding to the pot? And when I get discouraged, I go to sources for inspo. One recently being Twitter. I know. Who knew? Former journalist turned TV writer Natalie Abrams posted a poem recently by Sean Thomas Dogherty titled “Why Bother?”. He wrote, “Because right now, there is someone out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words.” #Inspired
WHAT I WROTE
Recently I’ve been in a little bit of a slump in regards to my writing. But to keep the muscles moving, I’ve dipped my toes back into the writing well now that we’re this deep into 2023. And can we pause and give a slow clap for K's #StaysWorking lifestyle. Truly admire her ability to juggle multiple projects, write every day, mentor folks (it me), and chase a one year old around. I am nowhere near that level of awesome but #Goals. And in true K, code name fashion, I'm currently circling three very unpaid projects: a spec feature romcom, possible new pilot for staffing and hopefully pitching, and something I'll call Adventure Comic.
Rom Com Feature On Spec
Last year as I was coming to the end of a tv gig, I reached out to my reps with a list of loglines I hoped to pursue once I am/was free again. They sparked to one idea, a rom com, and suggested I write it on spec - meaning, write the thing first then we'll try to sell it. It's not IP based but loosely inspired by some happenings that occurred during the 2020 US election. I'm excited about the concept and recently turned in my latest “overview” doc. However, my reps feel like while it has the makings of a solid, good film, there’s “no market” for it. I’m still going to write it though and hey, maybe they’ll warm to the idea once they see it fleshed out in full.
New Year, New Pilot
Because of the lukewarm feelings toward my rom com spec, I’ve also been asked to maybe churn out a new pilot. I have complicated feelings about this because for starters, there are many writers out there (ahem, K.) who staff on the one pilot they wrote 5, 10, 20 years ago. Quality over quantity ammiright? But while I’d like to one day staff on another soapy drama, none of my samples reflect that skillset. Enter, this new pilot. I turned over a four page “overview” doc for a potential new series. It’s growing on me and I’m interested to see where it will go. The only problem is that food is a central theme and now I’m always hungry.
Adventure Comic
So… I think I’m in development? Unsure. But got the greenlight on a piece of IP that an exec and I are excited about bringing into the world. It’s right up my alley and I love the freedom I’m getting in adapting this IP. Fingers crossed it’ll go somewhere. But, because it’s so different than the original text, if it doesn’t move forward, I wonder if I can change the names and pitch it as my own. We. Shall. See.
WHAT I WATCHED
Whew chile! I’ve been laid up in recovery mode so I have been on the watch binge as of late. There’s this filmmaker named Danny Sangra who keeps a “diary” of all that he’s watched on a monthly basis and when I remember, I try to do the same. A wee little moleskin and pen near my TV. But without further ado, here we go! * For the month of January thus far *
Kaleidoscope (Netflix) - love how viewers get different episode orders!
Sex Lives of College Girls (Season 2) - did not appreciate the Kansas jokes
Ginny and Georgia (Season 2) - loved
Alice (film, Keke Palmer) - interesting
Glass Onion - solid followup and Janelle Monae is fire
Best Man Final Chapters (Peacock) - hate that this is the end, may do a rewatch!
Emily in Paris (Seasons 2, 3) - it happened, Lucien deserves a London spinoff IMO
The Menu - no
Journal for Jordan (sup Michael B.)
80th Golden Globes
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - sweet and cute
His Home - freakin’ loved but was hella scared
Velma (pilot) - not for me
Pritty - this was an interesting “animatic” of an unfinished product
ER (Sally Field’s initial three episode arc)
The Banshees of Inisherin - fave “oscar” film I’ve seen so far
KU v. Iowa (rock chalk)
Walker Independence (Episodes 8, 9, 10)
Will Trent (weekly, on going, ABC) - love the style, music, tone, costumes, and production, I think it’s a secret Black show too
Abbott Elementary (weekly, ongoing, ABC)
Ghosts (weekly, ongoing, CBS)
Till - give Danielle Deadwyler her flowers already
The Lost City - better than I thought it was gonna be!
Shotgun Wedding - a fun adventure romance romp and y’all leave JLo alone with all these wedding complex think pieces, not cool
You People - so good
Fremont (Sundance) - quirky, grounded, and heartfelt… haven’t watched an indie in a while
Disenchanted - felt like this was a giant metaphor for postpartum depression and menopause
Truth Be Told (finished S1, started in 2020, yes it took me two years)
WHAT I WORE
I seldom leave the house these days and when I do, it’s to go on my little morning walk or run errands or go to a random, local event I found on IG. So for the sake of sharing, here are some pics I took of my various “lewks” recently. We can’t all be Peper Smith from Katy Keene!
“Going Out”
Wore this number to a local bookstore’s booktalk. Everyone else was in jeans and sweaters but I’d been itching to leave the house and therefore decided to “dress” up a bit.
Shirt / Dress - Zuri
Bag - Min & Mon New York
Tights - Target
Bracelets - Nur
Watch - Timex
Boots (not pictured) - Cole Haan
“Comfy & Cozy at Home”
I wear the same thing for strings of days when I’m at home. This Covid Pandemic got me into the habit of outdoor v. indoor clothes so here’s one of my go-to “indoor” fits:
Shirt - Gap circa 2008
Sweatpants - Roots of Fight (legit the comfiest pair of sweats I’ve ever owned)
House Slippers - Isotoner
Bra (not pictured) - True & Co and cannot stress enough how comfy and supportive this wireless bra is. It’s perfect. But for us chestier folks, it’s not a good “out door out in the world” bra.
“A Walk in the Park”
I have no idea how to actually dress for an outdoor, winter workout, but this combo has been working for me so far during this mild January (where’s my snow?!).
Shirt - Target, shopped the men’s workout section because they’re usually cheaper by $10-$15!
Vest - Uniqlo
Headband - Brooks
Pants - Adidas
Shoes (not pictured) - Nike Quest 3
WHAT I READ
The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses - 10/10 highly recommend. Four stars and all that. It was such a good and quick read combining my love of basketball and “Hollywood.” I hear it's already in the works to be a TV Series. And if you want to avoid Amazon but don’t have a go to “local,” may I suggest Bookshop.org which is “like” Amazon but from, and supports, local booksellers. Win win.
WHAT I BOUGHT
Been on the hunt for an affordable yet "statement" ottoman for my shared living room. While I hemmed and hawed over various options like this one and this one, I finally ripped the bandaid off and impulse bought this little guy. While I wish the color were a wee bit more vibrant, I lack the energy and strength to re-box and return. Think I'm gonna name him "Toad." He's found his forever home.
Also snagged this table lamp to set a chill and cozy mood for dinner. Cue the jazz and oven baked salmon!
WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR
O.K. What I needed to hear, the advice I truly needed recently, actually came from Kristen (a.k.a. K.) herself. I brought up my bafflement of Matthew Salesses encouraging us to “copy” and “apply” previous works but to put our own stories on top of it. In response she said, “Any amount of creativity and work means you MADE something of your own… also people think an idea is the same as actually executing and writing a completed work. They think ‘oh well I have this idea’ and don’t understand why they're not rich or successful because of it. And the reason is because it takes work. Ideas are easy. And because they are easy, it’s also ok if you borrow or are inspired by ideas. Or nuggets… Think about how ideas just come to you in the shower. And it feels like magic. Well that’s awesome. But it’s not the same as the work you have to do when you sit and write.”
IN CONCLUSION
Life is already hard. Write your shit.
Thanks for having me, K!
- M.
I also think there's a fine line between homage and plagerism. Like how sampling works in music. You can totally be influenced by something.