Jaws in Space by Charles Harris (Review)
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán
It's February, and up-and-coming screenwriters everywhere are transitioning from the coziness of the holiday season to the period of mild panic that is preparation for Fellowship Season 2020. Tack on the new year's resolutions to submit to more competitions this year, and you've got yourself a writer on the verge of pure pandemonium. In the midst of this mayhem, condensing the premise of that 90-page epic down to a mere two sentences for a logline can seem impossible.
Author Charles Harris comes to the writer's rescue with pitching wisdom and logline guidance in Jaws in Space: Powerful Pitching for Film and TV Screenwriters. Between the pages of this handbook, readers find the detailed roadmap to their personal writer's journey, complete with tips and tricks on every aspect of the pitching process. For those endlessly seeking the ultimate logline cheat sheet, fret no more, Harris has got you covered.
Why I Liked It:
One major thing this book provides, above all else, is clarity for the writer. Harris does an amazing job of pinpointing a lot of the things that are notoriously vaguely mentioned in passing during film school and competition submission feedback and explaining these concepts down to the letter. Namely, the logline and the query letter. Gone are the days of the Google search for guidance; Harris answers every possible question the writer might have and then provides the images and exercises to back it up.
I particularly appreciated the step-by-step breakdown of how to successfully pitch your script. Harris takes the time to explain every single thing the writer must do to prep, network, and eventually pitch to an executive. He then takes the process a step further by explaining the thought process of the executive during a pitch and what cues to look for and build upon. The frantic guessing is completely taken out of the process and replaces the familiar, perpetual writers' fear with confidence.
The most important chapter in the book, in my opinion, is "The Response." Here, Harris provides a slew of potential responses, both positive and negative, that the writer might receive following a pitch and why they might have gotten them. Swallowing pride is a major keystone of being a creative. This chapter explains in detail how to do so with grace and provides a level of closure the writer might not receive in the room. For that, I am extremely grateful.
Constructive Criticism:
I found very little to criticize in this book. The information was very cut-and-dry and sincere. Harris genuinely wants the reader to succeed! However, it's apparent that the book itself is primarily film-industry focused. The "Festivals and Markets" and "Pitching at Cannes" sections, in particular, had extremely valuable information geared toward networking for feature writers specifically.
However, I believe that all of the concepts presented are important for writers in all mediums to know. Pitching is a necessity across the board, and TV writers can still make major gains networking at film focused events. The industry is fluid; writers should be too.
Famous Last Words:
This book is the perfect companion for the writer at any stage of professional growth. Harris takes the mystery out of the pitching process and provides guidance for the writer at every stage, starting with logline creation and carrying through to what to do post pitch. As a writer who loves mystery as a genre, but hates it as a professional stumbling block, this book is a godsend. Read. On.
* This book was rated on a five star scale system with five stars being the highest ranking and one star being the lowest ranking.
For more from this author: Charles Harris
About the Writer
Mercedes K. Milner is a Co-Founder and Administrator of the Write or Die Chicks and the Writer’s Group Coordinator. She is a staff writer for the WODC Blog and she heads the Reading on Writing column.