New Year, New Articles and a New Schedule

A belated Happy New Year to all! If you're still managing to hold to your new diet or exercise regime, consider yourself a hero - I just don't have the patience.

So, what to expect from the blog in 2023? Well, there will be more screenwriting pieces up this year. I personally think I've focused a lot on the industry angle, and have strayed from talking about craft and offering practical writing advice. While that was part of this blog's goal, as stated before, I do want to share what I've found works for me and what I've learnt over the last few years as I've had to re-adapted to writing after the pandemic left me in a state. I'd also like to review some more screenwriting-related literature I've been reading, and not simply how-to books either.

What may not have escaped more longtime readers of this blog is that the output has sputtered some - the usually bimonthly pieces of past years have trailed off, with bigger and bigger gaps between uploads. Last year, I got swamped with gigs and this year, I have a big slate of specs I'm aiming to get through before the summer. Some in  genres i've not tried before, so that's both exciting and fraught. As a result, regular blogging will have to take a backseat: no way I can juggle this and all that new creative work at the same time. 

HOWEVER, be assured this does not mean you'll have to wait for several months - I will be endeavoring to prepare more pieces in advice and upload, ideally, once a month or so moving forward. Possibly every other month - just have to see. It will come, that I do promise you.

(Not) Writing in the Time of Covid - And why you should not feel bad

Hey. Been a while. Longer than I had promised or planned for.

Funny how fast things change. I had articles in mind, projects I wanted to talk about, things I wanted to say as lockdown went into effect. But then, reality came in, and before i knew, March 31 became April 15, and then May 1. Time became a blur, broken up only by biscuits and watching back old Two Fat Ladies episodes. I just, for as much as I wanted to, couldn't find the will to write. I wasn't depressed persay, but I just couldn't type, or scribble. I just wanted to lay back and let the world run by.

My story is not alone, and sadly, many writers are in worse straits than I. Family, finances, food, relatives getting sick and then, sadly, not making it - it's heartbreaking how in 2020, so many social evils are still permitted to run through our society, hurting the vulnerable. These are tough, scary and unpredictable times, and you know what - there's nothing wrong with just waiting.

There isn't. At all.

AT. ALL.

Anyone who tries to guilt and call you a failure because you're not writing is, to put it mildly, a complete and utter tool. You owe no one anything - the industry will still be there, and it will still be, when you want to get back up. Right now, the focus should be on you - getting through, looking after yourself, and, most importantly, not stressing yourself or giving into harmful mindsets. If your idea of coping is playing games or watching movies or playing with your kids or pets, or even just laying back on cushions and chilling to something smooth on iTunes, do it. You are not committing a crime: you're just getting by.

And it is easy to think that all there is is darkness - news and the social media cacophony of the ignorant and the doomsaying can be crushing. However, there are, and is, bright spots: the timescale for a vaccine/treatment has been shrinking, down from 18 months, to 12 to potentially within 2020 (obviously, a cure existing and being widely distributed are different things, but still), in addition to the titanic research effort around the globe; global recovery rate of victims is 4x the death rate and has passed 1 million; the job market will now see the use and need for work-from-home, meaning certain sectors could be greatly levelled in favour of people with circumstances that would make office commutes difficult (financial, family, disabled); there's greater awareness of the challenges facing freelancers, and there's has been greater calls for not just support, but potentially rethinking the system and what securities they have. Plus, public sanitation and hygiene is probably the highest it's been in forever, and companies/local governments will have to maintain that if they want anything to happen economically so, again, another plus.

I know it's cold comfort for some, but we don't help frontline workers or the vulnerable if we only ever think in the purely negative. And, just as importantly, we don't help ourselves. Don't feel guilty for not writing, and don't feel guilty for being anxious. We all are. These are times humanity has not had to collectively live through since before the middle of the last century. But, like the tides of the sea and the consistent satisfaction of a chocolate digestive dipped in tea, there will always be a tomorrow.

Take care.

Diary of a Spec Script - All new blogging series

First, Happy New Year everybody! Hope everyone had a safe and happy night of partying.

Now, one of the things I pride myself on with this blog is that I'm able to offer an active, relatable perspective on screenwriting, from someone actively building a career in it. With it, aside from the usual story advice, I'm also talking about what the industry is like; how to conduct yourself; what your expectations should be and where you can go to get things done. As I learn something, I share it with you.

I figured, therefore, what would be the next logical step in giving you an on-the-ground perspective on screenwriting? I've already talked about networking, momentum, decorum and being placed on schemes - what's next? Then it hit me: document the writing of a script. An active documenting, rather than something hazy and retrospective. Take the reader through the ups and downs, successes and blockages, that come with writing something. Sometimes I'll write like a jackrabbit; other times, a tortoise.

The gameplan is to cover the whole process: research and gathering ideas; building the story engine; treatments and outlines; redrafting those; writing the actual script; redrafting that; getting notes; actioning them until, finally, the script can be sent out. The blogs won't be of a consistent length: sometimes I'll have a lot to talk about and discuss; other times, not.

This won't be so much a long screenwriting lecture, or even a definitive guide on how to write a pilot - there'll be elements, but my goal here is more to demystify the process for newcomers and show you what can happen as an idea turns into something visible. While books and even pro screenwriters can talk about the process, I don't think there's yet a major work on what it's actually like to go through the days it takes to write something. Plus, it allows me to interrogate my own process and consider what it is I could/should do different or better in future when I write.

 Will this cut into other content here? No. Other blogs will come out as well on different subjects. It also will not be a daily thing - at least, not for the first stretch concerning research. Might be every few days, in fact. Once we get into some writing, it will become more regular. 

Intrigued? Ready?
Ready.
Let's do this.


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More Pablo and Bang2Write - Ringing in 2019

So, belated Happy New Year to everyone. Hope 2018 was good to you, and here's hoping 2019 has more in store. It was quite a whirlwind year for me, with many highs and lows, but I managed to get my first few baby steps into the business, so hooray! 

So, a few announcements. First, I can now confirm I've written a second Pablo episode for the next series. In total, that brings my episode contributions to 2, and very proud I am of them. It's been an entertaining and highly educational experience. Andrew Brenner and Paper Owl Films were really cool to work with and knew exactly what they wanted. If and when there's a Series 3, I'll be all too happy to jump back in!

Next, I have contributed to jack-of-all-trades writing website Bang2Write with their little miniseries, What 22 Industry Pros Don't and Do Want. The articles are what they sound like: readers, producers and development folk in both film and TV as well as in books give their two pence on what they do or don't like when they see a new piece of work come in.


 

 
First up, here are the DONT'S.
And now, the DOS.

I'm also in very early stages of a new ten minute play, to be potentially produced by the Oast's Sandra Barfield (who helped bring Cull to life last year) but as said, it's still early days. Beyond that, working as always on new specs and honing my craft.