![]() Well, things are moving slightly, which is exciting. Bing & Moo stage play is back from my friend's friend's Dad (bless him), with some lovely comments and great feedback. Just waiting for a luvy in Australia, then I'm on to my 2nd cousin twice removed (in theatre, darling). This networking business is convoluted, and I'm going to end up owing lots of people drinks even if I get nothing made... still, drinking's never something I've shied from! After that, it's on to Hampstead theatre (well, after some re-writes). In itself, that process takes months, but they are brilliant for UK writers (there are many other London theatres that do similar, so I'll keep them in reserve). Got a new writing agreement in, which is exciting. On the back of Collider, with a US Prod Co who likes my work! Yay, positive feedback! ALSO got the collaboration agreement for the comedy, and that story is slowly taking shape. Presently though, I'm obsessed with Sequestration Manor. I've had a huge dilemma on whether it should be a horror (which is my inclination) or a drama (which is where the characters want to go). I've decided to outline 2 versions, one for each, and see which works. I've got a new writing buddy to help with this too, which is great. She's got huge talent, so I'll enjoy going through her script as well as welcoming her feedback. All good stuff! FOUR exciting writing projects on the go at once, which rocks! IT is getting in the way because there's so much to write, but I must remember that the mortgage won't respect my artistic sensiblities and just leave me in peace
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Soooo, from this writing weekend, we've joined a group Facebook page, and a couple of people sent me direct Friend requests.
One of the things Philip Gladwin urged is to begin networking, citing degrees of separation will toss up unexpected people 'in the industry' to help progress our careers. AND that nepotism is about the only way to succeed! STILL - I haven't told my 'FB' buddies about my writing. An great mix of people; from my travels, from work, even from school... my only criteria for an 'accept' is that we've got drunk together (and I've enjoyed the experience). My bezzy-mates are there too, and offline they know my secret. SO, back to the new friend requests. I declined (politely). Not because there are photos of my daughter, and my friend's kids. Nor because we hadn't got trollied together... Rather because I don't want posts on my personal FB relating to my writing! How crap is that? I just don't want to talk to these people about it. Why? I think because I just don't want to pretend to be something I'm not (yet). I can see I need to work on this though. To my mind, that makes me like a really crap Superman. IT geek by day, writer by night, weather allowing in my underpants (but minus the phone box). Great weekend with Philip Shelly and Philip Gladwin in London on their screenwriting workshop.
Lots of good technical tips, and lots of practical 'contact' ideas for networking. The aim is to take the pain out of it - so Billy No-Mates doesn't sycophantically approach an actor, grovel and try to become best mates, with the hope of getting something 'read'. No! The target is the producer! Or the script editor, who one should track down via IMDb, find out where they live, then stalk. If being a sycophant fails, resort to Trolling. NO, that's completely untrue, I just made that up! Obviously. They gave us good information on making and keeping contacts, and gently establishing a name without grovelling or intruding on these people of power. Both days were great - the technical nitty-gritty, and the initiation of a writing persona of repute. The low point, for me, was the Pitching exercise; the horrific realisation that I will need to sell myself (my work, rather than my body - I think) to these demi-gods. Still, I feel inspired and motivated to crack on with my writing now, AND to find a partner to pitch for me! Apparently you're not allowed to do that, you have to step up yourself, but I'm sure I can wangle something... Now, sadly, I have an IT project to prepare for, so not much writing work this week. Saw a lovely post about Fawlty Towers on Facebook. Dunno if it's a spoof but Ian Main was incredibly offensive in his rejection of the show - at least I haven't had anything that bad! I shall ignore any ongoing press that advises it was a spoof and console myself with this. J.K. Rowling etc...
Anyway, things are looking up. My Bing & Moo stage play is on round 2 review - my friend of a friend's Dad (I owe him a bottle of whiskey) and another mate who works in theatre (darling) in Australia! I'd completely forgotten about her profession until she posted on a recent production - good old Facebook. Sequestration Manor is shaping up very nicely now too - a huge amount of thought and re-writes, but I'm actually liking the story flow now and getting more confident about it. AND I have the TwoPhil's London workshop this weekend, which I'm looking forward to immensely. Got a lovely (private) Facebook page with lots of other 'aspirationals', so we can jolly each other along. AND I've got a comedy script to work on, as a co-writer. Swings, roundabouts and roller-coasters pave the way to writing success - I think the key is to keep enough speed, with new ideas constantly on the boil, so that when you reach the bottom in a trough, you've got the momentum to push up to the peak again (got that analogy from O level geography! Good, innit?). Well.... I published COLLIDER to the Black List and got it reviewed... poorly!
The script is not at the standard necessary for production, and the mythology/concept becomes convoluted and may have difficulty appealing to a wide audience Back to the drawing board? Probably. Got three other scripts approaching the stage of first review, so I'll get them out of the way and consider how COLLIDER could be improved... and if it's worth it? Think I'll take if off the Black List for now anyway and mull if there's anything else I could do to it to get it to a 'pass' level. Trouble is, every comment like that makes me think it's probably all shite! Get to the next step, think something's tasty, then learn that actually it's bollocks. I don't mind the learning curve, I am more than happy to put in the graft, but I need to feel like it's attainable and not a constantly shifting goalpost that's beyond my abilities. Then again, what else am I going to do? I'm pretty hooked on writing, so I sort of have to carry on anyway. Oh well, by the time I reach 60 I'll have an entertaining library of (unpubp ![]() I have a friend, who's friend's dad is a writer for tv and theatre - and friend of a friend (of a friend)! Marvelous, lovely man! He's read the stage play for Bing and Moo and come back with all sorts of great feedback. The most useful? Screen is shot in 'takes', with time in between to set things up... stage is one continuous event. Well der! Until he spelt it out like that, I hadn't thought of that, not really. What a plonka. It really is very different to writing a screenplay, and I need to strip out my (bossy) stage directions and let the dialogue flow! Draft 1, with re-writes (I can't really call the version I sent him a draft) is approaching completion. Just wonder how many times I can ask him to read it? Poor man. IF I ever make it as a screenwriter, I promise I shall be as kind to aspiring writers as people have been to me. ![]() I'm not great with comedy... probably because I don't find much (on the screen) funny. I won't slag off TV comedies that have my friends in raptures, but they leave me totally unmoved and bored. Ab Fab raised a titter, great concept, but my funniest film would be Fargo and I'm not sure that counts? How long ago were they made?? Nothing since then - really? Well, a director's got in touch asking me to co-write a comedy. I've warned him straight away, I'm shite at comedy! I start off trying to be comic, then veer into serious territory. Still, most of the 'funniness' is already there, and it is up my street (see Fargo comment), it just needs tidying up. So I've said yes, of course. Even if it doesn't progress, I feel that perhaps I should be able to write a comedy that I would find funny so it's good experience if nothing else - and hopefully a credit on IMDB. |
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July 2019
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