5 More Things I wished Amateur Screenwriters would JUST. STOP. DOING.

One of my most popular pieces on this blog was about five things I wanted newbie writers to stop doing. These were bad behaviours, choices and general non-nos that only guaranteed a one-way ticket away from the industry. My goal with this blog is to, hopefully, inform and aid newer writers in their decisions and save them time by avoiding doing the really dumb stuff. Stuff so dumb you'd think no would ever do that, and yet, a casual look in screenwriting groups and forums always yields these fruits.

So, just like Hollywood, why not cash in with a sequel?

STOP PROMISING STUFF TO PEOPLE THAT YOU CAN'T GIVE

I get it - you want to make a big impression. Collaborate and network with as many people as possible, say yes to as many gigs as possible because hey, credit's credit. You want to be the best, the fastest, the smartest, the deepest, the hardest, the wisest, the most honest, the--

CUT IT. Just, cut it there. 

Overpromising with your time and skillset is a surefire to mess up what ground you have gained, and what relationships you have built. One needs to be open at the start of their career, but you have to be realistic. As it's unlikely writing is your day job yet, your time on it is limited and precious. If you know that all you will have time for is one or two specs, focus on them. Don't try and write five or six shorts or a webseries, deplete your personal life and leave a bunch of people unhappy. Likewise, when you meet people in the industry, don't babble about something this is far, far away from being ready.

STOP GAMBLING EVERYTHING ON ONE CHANCE

Everybody wants the Cinderella story. I get the appeal: one lucky roll of the dice, one turn of the wheel, one magic ticket to everything you ever dreamed of. You pour your all into one script, convinced that this will be your ticket forward, and then submit it to the most prestigious contest or open call you can. The one that promises mentoring, commissions, money! The answer to your every problem, surely?

And when you don't make it through, it feels like the pits and you question why you even bothered. 

Look, disappointment is natural and it's an important feeling - there's no shame in being hurt. But don't build your entire writing schedule around just this one shot: network, look for other opportunities and, as I've said many times, keeping a rotating portfolio of projects to work on. You can have a script or contest you want above others, but getting rejected from the BBC Writersroom or Austin or the Nicholl is not the end of your career and proceeding to then throw tantrums about it online is no better. Give yourself a bit of time, relax, and get back on.

STOP ADAPTING IP YOU DON'T OWN

Fanfilms, even fanfiction, can be a lot of fun to write, but that's not what I'm talking about. Time and again you see people on forums ask how they can make a movie or show based on a still-copyrighted IP, or how they can pitch to said copyright holder (usually a big studio), as they already have, and I want to really emphasize this, written a script based on it. Before any kind of agreement.

I hope alarm bells are going off in your head after reading that: you just threw away days, weeks, months, on something that you are highly, highly, unlikely to be able to do anything with for years, if not decades. Is there a way to get the rights to something? Yes, you can contact the IP holder (like an author) and ask about how much the film/TV rights are, but usually this is purely at a pitch stage.  Without a body of work, without some kind of proof of your ability, this is a complete waste of time and your priorities are all wrong. Write original material, make people excited about YOU.

STOP SPAMMING PROS WITH YOUR SCRIPTS

Everybody wants mentors and everybody wants contacts. You want to get better and you want to know people. Sometimes, a pro writer can be open, whether through a reading service, a mentoring programme or just simply be conversant on social media. Or you do what I suggested with networking and reach out to development staff. Sometimes you may get luckier and find you and they get along and think on the same wavelength. So you take the shot and send a script. Only problem: you forgot to ask. 

Please people, always ask first. It's not hard. Pros are busy and that they are giving you their time is something to respect. Never, ever treat anyone in a way you yourself would not want to be treated.

STOP KILLING YOURSELF WITH OVERWORK

Hey, like poetry, this rhymes with #1. However, there is a difference between the two: this one is solely about you and your time, not what other people want from you/you need from them. 

A lot of writing advice, however well-meaning, tends to posit that the true writer, the true artist, is a single-minded machine and much devote every moment they can to working on their magnum opus. Typically, this comes from the perspective of someone who hails from a middle/upper class background and has the time, income and even support to do that. If you don't have that safety net, don't. It's not worth it. Write at your speed.

Well, wasn't that a mouthful? But I hope it's helped you. At least, it may have saved you some embarrassment.

BBC Doctors Writer's Scheme - An Inside Look

The biggest news of 2021, for me, was my successful completion of the Writer's Scheme for BBC One's Doctors. The long running medical drama about the goings on at a Birmingham GP surgery has been running since 2000 on weekdays, delivering five half hours of daytime drama a week. It's also become known as a 'gateway' show for those seeking to get into TV drama: a fast and cheap show with a good amount of freedom to pitch stories on. 

How do you get on it? 

The writer's scheme (or shadow scheme, as it was known in the old, old days), which is what it sounds like: a multi-week bootcamp, teaching you the ropes of the show as you develop a mock episode. You succeed, you get to do one for real. The other BBC soaps/continuing dramas also use this system to find new talent. 

But HOW do you get on that? 

Well, you have to be referred to it. Usually by your agent, but it can done by contacting a producer or script editor on the show directly, pitching one of your drama scripts and sending it in to see if they'll bite. Choose your best script, naturally, but if i had another bit of advice to give: give them something lean, of a modest budget and with a strong heart and sense of community/relationships. A VFX extravaganza with a lot of action won't do you any favours.

What's the actual scheme like?

I'll take you through each step, with a date stamp. In between each one, I had a phone meeting with my script editor, to talk over notes and discuss the best changes. Timeline wise, the official line is six weeks, but due to COVID and other production issues (remember, the script editor is working on real episodes while also doing your trial) this can fluctuate.

12/08/21 - Today, I delivered my first pitches. Doctors is divided into two components - the day story (the B plot, which is what you pitch) and the serial story (the story arc, which the storyliners work out in advance). You as the writer are told to submit several short pitches (about one or two lines) for the day story, an incident for the team at the Mill to deal with. The emphasis is on the character drama, however, not the novelty or rarity of the disease a character has. You're not writing The Strain here. You've basically got a 15 mins short film within the episode, so it has to be tight and emotional.

19/08/21 - Now that the pitch has been selected (one about an autistic boy and his son trying to figure out a path in life now that they are both older), I worked on a treatment. It's a 2 page document that outlines the whole story, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Because it's so short, it's really vital to make the emotional beats really clear - being vague or ambiguous is not good here. You also need to bear in mind that, well, one of your characters is a doctor - there are things medical professionals can and cannot do. Your script editor will point things out, but be sure to do some revision first.

(Quick time savers for you - they cannot hand out pills just like that; they cannot just leave the surgery save for house calls and double check which doctor has which specialties.)

 

31/08/21 - Treatment is approved, so went off and did a scene breakdown (basically a beat sheet of the entire episode, with both plot lines). What's interesting, when I look back at this stage, is appreciating how even 'quaint' or 'low-key' dramas, ones that are more relaxing or simple compared to the big flashy shows, still rely heavily on effective twists and structuring. Yes, Doctors has twists and surprises, because it's a drama. You cannot wing your way through this - 30 mins can be an eternity if done wrong.

14/09/21 - Breakdown got a thumbs up, with some notes. My script editor opted to go to script draft, so after writing, the first draft has now shipped. Getting into the actual script is a new challenge - unlike most TV drama scripts, the continuing dramas/soaps have different formatting. Instead of Final Draft and all the usual rules, Doctors' drafts are done in Word with a different set of guidelines - among the main ones is everything is centered right instead of the middle like FD; action lines are far, far more detailed as, given the show's tight budget, you have to be clear about everything needed in a scene; and you have to provide a cast and location breakdown at the front of the script - how many people, which regulars, non-speaking roles, bios. If it's in your story, you have to mention it here.

28/09/21 - First draft notes received a few days back, now completed rewrites on the second. By and large, my script editor was happy with the progress. The main notes were mostly relating to character voice accuracy (a common pitfall that can be remedied by just binging episodes on iPlayer) and the tone of some scenes. Only one scene needs drastic altering as it wasn't working and felt out of place.

The interesting thing is, while you are given a bible and clear guidelines to follow, once past the first draft you're allowed to be a bit looser with them, if the episode demands it. A character you may have had forced on you in the serial outline (since a Doctors episode is split between two plots, as discussed above) can be taken out. The goal of the first draft is just to see how everything you've created (for the day) and been asked to put in (the serial) work together, and see where the balance is off. It's more flexibility than I had expected, to be honest.

19/10/21 - And after a short phone chat with my script editor, I got the go-ahead to do a real episode! Starting back from square one, of course, but I was amazed at how quickly this came together. In total about two months, so longer than the official length, but not by much. Honestly, I'm still surprised I got greenlit for the real deal on the second draft.

One of the best takeaways from all this has been learning how to turn around something fast while working to a high standard and deadline. While I prize myself as a fairly quick writer, this served as a reminder not to take shortcuts or assume too much with your work. Detail and clarity are king. Where it goes from here, well, I'll just have to wait and see.

Hope that was interesting for you. Any questions, sound off below!