From Stacy McKee, writer of "Raindrops..."
Originally posted on 9/25/05
I have never been as ridiculously nervous as the moment I handed in my first official draft of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head."
We're talking sweaty palms, heart palpitations - I was downright petrified. Partly because that's a little of what every writer goes through when they offer up their work for public consumption (and - let's face it - possible ridicule) - but mostly because I was the youngest, least experienced writer on staff at Grey's Anatomy - and this was my very first professional script EVER.
Yeah. I'd group it right up there with that time in third grade when - convinced the math test I was about to take might very well ruin my life - I managed to vomit all over my teacher, my test, AND the cute boy with dimples sitting at the desk right in front of me… (Andrew Montgomery, if you're reading this, I sincerely apologize.)
But (luckily) "Raindrops" didn't face same reception I endured in third grade (meaning - despite my insecurities, there was little reason for me to retreat into my office and hide under my desk) and - in the end, it was pretty incredible watching my episode come to life… both in front of the camera - AND behind the scenes.
I was struck by how even the tiniest detail on the page can have a tremendous ripple effect for the production team… For instance: Peanut shells.
I had written into my description of Joe's Bar in "Raindrops" that peanut shells "littered the floor." Now, except for a brief moment when Joe collapses, we never actually see the bar's floor. The description was, for me as a writer, there to evoke an ambiance - to give an idea of the TYPE of bar Joe would run… But I quickly learned that if it was on the page, it would be on the set.
I'll never forget sitting in our production meeting and discussing how - since the bar's floor was actually carpeted and not exactly visible - maybe I could lose the peanut shells on the floor? No problem, I said - not a big deal. So now, if you read the first line of the script, it describes: "Lighting is dim, bowls of peanuts clutter the counter, dart boards & beer signs line the walls…"
But if you look carefully, the peanut shells did make it onto the counter top.
There I was. Suddenly sitting on set - listening to Patrick Dempsey say lines I had written… in the middle of the night, cameras everywhere, with rain pouring down - not from the sky, but from the rain machine rigged up just for this scene - this scene that I had written. Me - the new kid with butterflies in her tummy and (still) a violent aversion to math tests…
This blog post was originally posted on greyswriters.com and an archive of the posts can now be found at ABC.com.