Sofluid - Confessions Of A Screenwriter

The meaning of success: how positive thinking can help you succeed...

2012-01-22T13:59:00.000Z

happy new year!

Gosh, is it 2012 already? Where did the time go?!

I've been a little quiet over the past few months on this blog. It's been a very busy but productive and positive time.

I celebrated my 26th birthday (I had to pause and consider my age just then - doesn't quite seem real that I'm in my mid-twenties now!) I celebrated Christmas and welcomed my family from Australia to stay throughout January.

I also got a new part-time job in November, leaving behind my full-time work and allowing my Writesofluid script reading and editing business to blossom.

what is success?

Even if you feel you have not made any progress in the past year, you probably have; you just need to dig deep enough and appreciate any positive changes in your life (and sometimes even negative ones) for what they are and how they have affected you/changed you for the better. Success comes in many forms; learning new skills, making and maintaining relationships, advancements in your career... The list is endless. Success is what you make of it.

making changes

Changing my job was a big step for me; I was leaving behind full-time employment with a company I had worked for since I left school in order to start a new working life which would enable me to better balance employment/self-employment with "life". I had been running my script reading and editing business during my spare time (evenings and weekends) which was resulting in very little "me" time. I took the plunge and am very glad I did; it's been going really well so far and I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.

scrap new year resolutions

Often January is full of New Year's Resolutions; diets, plans, goals and positivity. But this positivity can soon fall flat when those best-laid plans fall by the wayside and you're left feeling like a failure. This is why I prefer not to make any major resolutions in January and instead focus on continual improvement, positivity and well being.

don't dwell on things

For me this year is about continuing to work hard, continuing to aim higher and continuing to look after myself. As a long-term sufferer of anxiety and related afflictions I have learnt that dwelling on negativity never does anyone any good. As writers we need to set goals but I find that setting too many goals or goals that are too advanced can result in low motivation and even a complete lack of confidence/activity.

you have a choice

I prefer to set achievable goals and to banish any negative goals such as those dangerous "If I don't do X by Y date then this means it's not worth me trying". Check out the article I wrote for the London Screenwriter's Festival on "Positive & Negative Deadlines" for tips on making positive deadlines for yourself. Whenever I feel down about any big goals that are not yet achieved, I make a point of reminding myself how far I have come already and I choose to appreciate this and use it as positive reinforcement.

continue being positive

2011 was a learning curve for me and also a life-changing year; all brought about by me choosing to make changes to my personal life and my career. This year I would like to: continue my personal development; build on the success of my script reading and editing endeavours; continue to write and to take advantage of career-enhancing opportunities; continue learning new skills and using these skills to help others.

over to you...

How was 2011 for you? Do you appreciate how far you may have come/how much you may have improved? Will you be continuing to think positively about your progress and are you making positive, achievable goals/deadlines for yourself this year?

Thinking about a career in screenwriting? Live Q&A!

2011-11-21T19:06:00.001Z

Are YOU thinking of a career in screenwriting? Perhaps you're already on that exciting road and want some questions answered by a panel of professionals?

Tomorrow (Tuesday 22nd) from 4-6pm GMT there will be a live Q&A session on The Guardian website.

I'll be there alongside industry experts to help discuss your options and give advice.

See you there!

The first ten pages of a script...

2011-11-08T14:27:00.001Z

... They gotta be GOOD to get you noticed!

The Red Planet Prize has just launched its 2011 competition. Entrants must upload the first ten pages of an original 60-minute script for TV along with a short synopsis. This can be a single play or a pilot for a series.

So, your script will be judged initially by its first ten pages! It is essential that you craft them well in order to get through to the next round; a request to read your whole script. You'll also need to send in a logline and synopsis with your ten pages.

Whilst it's tempting to write just the first ten pages, it is advisable to have a whole script ready; not only will you have a decent whole script (so often the remainder of a script is nowhere near as good as its first ten pages) but you will be able to make sure that the opening sets up the rest of the screenplay successfully.

The checklist:

Are we introduced to the world/setting? What do we learn about the setting from the opening which informs the story (era, country, rich/poor, social status etc)?
Are we introduced to the protagonist/main characters? What do we learn about them from their description/dialogue/behaviour (age, family status, personality)?
Are we introduced to the need/want/problem?
Is there a hook? What happens (of significance) in the first ten pages? Will the reader be left wanting to know more?

Do:

Craft the scenes well. read my advice on treating scenes with respect
Be subtle; less is more. We don't need to know everything in the first ten pages
Think about how the opening will translate on screen. Read my blog on good opening film scenes
Intrigue the reader; leave them wanting to know more

Don't:

Insert a high-octane action scene/shock factor scene right at the beginning just for the sake of it; assess whether it serves the introduction to the plot well and whether your screenplay will continue in the same vein
Start with a cliché or a flashback. If you must use flashback make sure to set up the now first
Be misleading; especially in the sysnopsis. Don't keep things from the reader just because there is a twist at the end of the script
Use expositional dialogue to explain back story, setting, situations and so forth. It can be very off-putting to a reader and doesn't do you any favours given that you are trying to promote your skills as a writer. Read my tips on avoiding expositional dialogue.

The Red Planet Prize will award the winner a £5,000 cash prize and entry to a mentoring scheme, which currently hosts more than 40 new writers found through the initiative. Will YOU be one of these writers?

The deadline for entries is 16th January 2012, so get writing!

I'll be available to give feedback on your loglines, synopsis' and first ten pages. I may even do a special offer! Be sure to "like" my Writesofluid page over on Facebook for all the latest news. You can also see my script reading and editing services page on either of my websites, here and here.

London Screenwriter's Festival

2011-11-04T14:06:00.000Z

This weekend just gone I attended the London Screenwriter's Festival. In fact, it started a week today - how time flies! Here's a pic of me right at the end of the festival looking surprisingly fresh-faced despite feeling very tired indeed!

Pic taken by the multi-talented Leilani Holmes

Writing, script reading and editing work can sometimes be very solitary, especially if you're a freelancer working from home. Social networks such as Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and the blogosphere become your main source of networking and self-promotion. That's why it's so important to get out there and meet like-minded people.
The London Screenwriter's Festival may sound expensive, but the sheer amount of knowledge being shared, the networking opportunities and the pitching/development opportunities are priceless. Time and time again I heard delegates say that they felt they had recouped the price of the ticket in the very first day alone.

Sadly, I couldn't make it on the Friday due to being at work. I missed the legendary Edgar Wright and some other fab sessions, but you know what? It's cool. Because the delegate's private social network will contain videos of most of the sessions. That's right; with your ticket you get access to a private social network with the opportunity to message and chat with other delegates and speakers AND watch videos of sessions from the 2011 festival on top of those from the 2010 festival! Edgar Wright is already up on there, so I'll be kicking back on the sofa tonight with it and a nice cuppa tea...

My weekend at the festival was filled with learning, new acquaintances, chatting, confidence-building, eye-opening, camaraderie and above all INSPIRATION. I felt inspired by the speakers, the volunteers, the delegates; their passion, their positivity, their confidence when pitching. I'd opted not to pitch this year but felt that I learnt a lot from the exciting Pitch-Factor session in which delegates had 1 minute to pitch their ideas to producers and be in with a chance of winning a cash prize. I can honestly say that they were all fantastic!

My favourite sessions were Keeping your writer's voice: creative compromise in the real world with John Griffin, Emma Frost and Georgia Lester and Adapting a novel into a screenplay with Olivia Hetreed and Kate Leys.

As a writer and an aspiring script editor/story consultant, I found it fascinating to consider both sides of the equation and to hear about how script editors and writers work together efficiently; or not as the case may be. Robin Sheppard's session on Strategies for powerful collaborations with directors also touched upon the importance of good relationships.

Here's a selection of "golden nuggets" I took from the sessions I attended:

Keeping your creative voice

Accepting all of a script editor's notes abdicates your responsibility as a writer. Do so and you will lose the creative spark that drove you to write it the way you did in the first place
However, resist all the notes you may risk being fired
Compromise is key

Adaptation

You need to have something to say about the story that no-one else does/can
Find the spine of the story; what's driving it and what are you responding to?
The central character in the story may not be the one driving the story!
Don't try and please the author because your responsibility is to create a film
It is perfectly within your rights to create a new character or merge two characters if necessary
Using "inspired by" as opposed to "based on" can relieve you of a lot of hassle!

Don't wait to be discovered

It's important to know how the industry operates
It's all about marketing; need to know how to sell yourself and your project
Europe are crying out for screenwriters. If you have another language, even better!
Look for a USP (unique selling point) in a script/project
Think outside the box; work on the trailer for the movie!

Distributors & sales; what the numbers mean

Reviews can be essential for smaller films; bad ones can cause films to be taken off large cinemas
Audience is key; simple fact is that certain target audiences won't make you money (older generation)
Piracy websites can ruin distribution companies/success of a film. Films need to sell to cover print runs!
Lovefilm also affects distributors and as a result it won't sustain the film industry. iStore is the only one that doesn't take too much of a percentage of the rights
Comedy budgets mostly go on the big names who star in them

Common Pitfalls

Scripts that are too long (120 pages+) put peole off! Some agents will not even read them if they are that long
Etiquette is key; write polite yet concise emails. No one-worders and certainly no rambling/life stories!
Online presence is becoming ever more important. maintain your websites, don't slag people off and, most difficult of all, don't let it distract you too much from actually doing some work ;)

Copywriting

Not too dissimilar from screenwriting; skills cross over
It's all about summarising things in as few words as possible yet conveying it in the most effective way for its market (not unlike loglines and synopsis', then!)

To conclude, I'll direct you over to a blog entry I wrote for the London Screenwriter's Festival blog on Positive and Negative Deadlines. Now that we're all raring to get on with writing and advance our careers, it's important to take time to evaluate the goals we are setting ourselves and to make sure that we don't fall into the trap of making negative deadlines.

Twists in the tale...

2011-10-19T12:21:00.001+01:00

I love a movie with a twist. Absolutely love it. That bit when you realise Teddy is a patient in Shutter Island... That bit when you realise Grace's family are the ones doing the haunting as opposed to being haunted in The Others... That bit when you realise Malcom is actually dead in The Sixth Sense...

Subverting expectations...

I love the subverting of expectations, the "oh, why didn't I realise that!" moment and then the time spent after the film dissecting what you've seen and piecing all the evidence together. It's clever.

Trying too hard...

The problem writers have (and I am also guilty of this) is trying too hard to create that effect in a screenplay when, in reality, the screenplay doesn't necessarily call for it. You crave that twist factor and can then get really caught up in that twist and forget what the screenplay was about in the first place. I've had to ask myself in the past: "Is the twist integral to the story I am trying to tell?"

Out of the blue...

What I find as a reader is that twists often don't have the intended effect. Either you already suspect said twist because the cover-up isn't very successful/the lead up isn't subtle, or the twist occurs completely out of the blue with no set-up and no clues. How can the audience appreciate the twist if there's no logic to it? In The Sixth Sense, we believe that Malcom is alive because the way his character is followed and portrayed leads the audience to believe no different. It is only after the twist that you start to think about Malcom's behaviours and his interaction with the world around him and begin to realise that things weren't quite so straight forward after all.

Withholding information...

Sometimes twists are used to reveal previously withheld information about a character in order to subvert your perception of the character. So, you may want the audience to hate a character and then realise that they were the good guy after all. Whilst there is no reason why this cannot work, you have to ask yourself whether this does your character any favours, especially if you paint them in a really bad light throughout the screenplay. If the audience doesn't empathise with the character at all, how can they then change their opinion after the twist? They may end up feeling cheated. It's important to think about the different layers of characters and make sure to offer up information from which the audience can make their own decisions. Often the most clever twists are set up in a way that is open to interpretation; the challenge is then to lure the audience into a perceived sense of logic. Easier said than done.

Using flashbacks...

Sometimes information is withheld from an audience only to be introduced later on via flashbacks. This can work if the flashbacks are properly structured to gradually reveal information, but more often than not a whole new side of the story is revealed in one go and out of the blue. This can backfire on a writer as the audience can feel cheated. Sometimes, the witholding of information does the story no favours. Consider whether the information you are holding back is purely for a shock factor/twist later on in the screenplay. How much richer would a character or plot be if the information is revealed right from the beginning? How does the witholding of information versus giving the information right from the beginning affect the plot development?

Questions to ask yourself when considering a twist in your screenplay:

Is a twist essential to the plot?
Have I considered the set-up and the plot development in relation to the twist?
Does my twist happen out of the blue?
Have I built up to the twist/made the twist believable?
Does my twist occur as a flashback? Is it essential that it occurs through flashback?
Have flashbacks been structured in a way that gradually builds up to the revelation?
Does the twist have the desired effect or does it leave the reader/audience feeling cheated?

It's tough bringing a twist to the tale... But well worth it if it's done well!

Are you working on a screenplay with a twist in the tale? What challenges have you faced in the writing of such a screenplay and what steps did you take to overcome them?

LSWF's 4 Nights In August comp SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED!

2011-10-05T16:58:00.001+01:00

London Screenwriter's Festival's 1-page screenplay competition had a whopping 241 entries!

I was a reader for the competition again this year and, boy, there were a lot of great entries! This made it a very difficult task to sift through them all and shortlist them. We ended up with a longlist of 39 entries who made it through to the second read stage.

Today, the SHORTLIST of 12 finalists were announced! Is your script through? What did you think of the competition this year? What did you learn from it?

The screenplays in the final 12 are all very diverse and I'm just as excited as they must be to discover just WHO the winner will be...

Next up is the film challenge! The winning script will be made public at 9am on Friday 7th October, along with a title card, and film-makers will then have until the 21st October to make film from the winning script!

SO exciting!!!

A Series of Fortunate Events: My short story, published tomorrow by Ether Books!

2011-09-29T13:58:00.001+01:00

I've popped my head out of my mounting pile of script reading work to announce some exciting news: my second short story, A Series Of Fortunate Events, will be published tomorrow by Ether Books!

Here's the cover:

If you'd like to read it, you'll need the Ether Books app. Sadly, it is not yet available on Android but it is in development, so watch this space!

You can get hold of this feel-good story for just 69p! Why not give it a read on your way to work? (Train/bus journeys work best for this, although do be careful not to tread on any snails or small children if you are walking. I most definitely do not condone reading it whilst driving - have someone read it to you!)

If you like my story please do give it a rating and, if you're feeling creative, a review! You can do so here.

Hope you enjoy it!

WIN tickets to the London Screenwriter's Festival!

2011-09-10T12:43:00.000+01:00

The London Screenwriter's Festival 2011 is fast approaching (where has the time gone?!) and I am delighted to be a part of the Literary Department again this year as a script reader. We have a fantastic writing challenge for you this year and some AMAZING prizes...

Fancy winning TICKETS to the London Screenwriter's Festival?
How about £250? A pile of goodies?

Wow, pretty cool, huh? But that's not it.

Fancy having your script PRODUCED? And not once, but MANY times?

I'm not kidding when I say ALL these prizes are available to the winner of the London Screenwriter's Festival's screenplay competition!

Produced MANY times, you ask? Yeah! The winning script will be made available to any film-maker out there to produce, film and upload to YouTube as part of the LSF filmmaking challenge! So YOUR script will be interpreted/produced multiple times. Exciting!

So, what do you have to do to win this amazing prize? A one page script. Yup, that's it. Easy, right?

Or is it? This is a unique challenge to all you writers out there. The theme: Four Days In August. I'm sure you're all aware of the life-changing riots that took place in London, Birmingham and Manchester last month.

What began as a peaceful march in relation to the police response to the shooting of Mark Duggan by police officers on 4 August 2011, a riot began in London. In the following days, rioting spread to several London boroughs and districts and eventually to some other areas of England, with the most severe disturbances outside London occurring in Bristol and cities in the Midlands and North West of England. Related localised outbreaks also occurred in many smaller towns and cities. Police action was blamed for the initial riot, and the subsequent police reaction was criticised as being neither appropriate nor sufficiently effective. The riots have generated significant ongoing debate among political, social and academic figures about the causes and context in which they happened.

The London Screenwriter's Festival wants YOUR stories reflecting your thoughts on the events.

Consider what happened before the events, what happened during them, and afterward? Who was involved and how? Why were they involved? What was the impact on their lives and of the lives of the people around them? And what does it mean to them, to you and to us all?

The one-page limit will be a great challenge; saying the most with the least. How will you get across your story in just one page?

Deadline: Midday GMT, 30th September 2011. So get writing!

For more information and FAQs, see the official screenplay competition page on the LSF website.

GOOD LUCK! :)

Good opening film scenes...

2011-08-28T16:37:00.002+01:00

I went to see Super 8 at the cinema last night. I was impressed.

Super 8 really is a Goonies/ET cross. A thoroughly engrossing adventure story; it's thrilling, funny, scary, and it'll even bring a tear to your eye.

Right from the beginning I was enthralled, not least because of it's brilliant opening scene.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The scene opens with a grubby factory scene overlooked by a giant wooden board detailing how important health and safety is. Giant numbers indicate how many days it has been since the last factory accident; over 700. Only there's a guy up on a ladder and he's removing the numbers. The whole scene takes on a sombre and depressing tone, not least because of the miserable factory setting but because of the juxtaposition the sign offers up: the swirly writing about the factory safety suggests an upbeat, positive tone which is clearly only there for the purpose of looking good to visitors.

This scene only took a matter of seconds, but was enough to tell us all the major facts: this is a factory town, there's been a serious accident or even a death, and everyone is miserable.

Cut to the next scene and we instantly know what it's about. A wake: someone's died. A boy on a swing: bereaved. A visitor chucked out: must have had something to do with the accident.

So often when I read scripts the opening is drawn out, clichéd or both. There's usually a landscape or a location but nothing that really tells us anything about the plot or the characters. Then there's the dreaded waking-from-a-dream scenes or those that show us a main character starting their day.

Your opening scene needn't be explosive or crazy, but it will be much richer if it supports the story or a character within the story. The audience are hungry for information - how much can you tell them in one scene?

Consider what your screenplay is really about. Does your opening scene tell us something crucial about the plot? If you're showing a character, does the scene reveal something crucial about the character that is relevant to the plot?

When you are writing your first scene, consider the fact that this scene is crucial to the success of the whole screenplay. Start off well and you'll capture readers' attention. Capture readers' attention and you'll be one step closer to getting your script recommended.

On being a script reader

2011-08-26T13:26:00.001+01:00

I love script reading.

I love reading scripts, analysing scripts, writing script reports. But more than anything? I love helping people.

I love nothing more than to help writers develop and improve their work. I love to encourage writers whilst being honest and constructive. It's not always easy - but it would not be in a writer's best interests to be lead to believe their work is excellent when it may not be up to scratch. But despite this, I try my utmost to encourage writers and to give them the tools they need to get their work to industry standard.

I am a writer myself - I know what it's like to write draft after draft, thinking it's brilliant only to discover from feedback that, yep, it needs another draft! But these things take time.

I love script reading so much that I will devote far too much time to writing reports and communicating with writers. Sure, I'll get faster as time goes by, but the quality of my reports and the help I offer to writers will never be lessened.

I can wholeheartedly say that I'd be just as happy being a script reader and editor than I would be if I were to become a successful writer. Maybe I can achieve both?

Script reading and editing is something I feel passionate about - something I want to continue to do and to become ever more professional at doing. I've worked hard to train in scriptreading, proofreading and copy-editing. I've read for some fab people already including The London Screenwriter's Festival and Hollywood-based Screenplayreaders, not to mention countless writers who have approached me individually.

Are you a production company or screen agency looking for script readers? I'd love to hear from you. Or perhaps you're a writer looking for some feedback? Don't forget, you can gain plenty of feedback from peers free of charge. But if you're after a tailored service, some professional feedback or proofreading/copy-editing services, you can check out my services page on my website here.

We all struggle to get where we really want to be career-wise. Things get in the way, especially those pesky day jobs. But we'll get there if we try hard enough. All we need is passion, determination and perseverance.

What are your career aspirations? What are you passionate about? How will you achieve your dream career?

Making your own luck...

2011-07-01T22:30:00.001+01:00

Getting a job can be a nightmare, especially if you get stuck in a loop. This happened to me way back before I even discovered screenwriting and script reading/editing. All I wanted was an office job - me, sitting at a wee desk tip tapping away on a computer and answering the phone (perhaps even in French)... But no. "Office experience required." Well how the flippity flop am I meant to get office experience if I can't even get an office "experience" (ergo:job) in the first place?! Grrr and harrummph. What to do?

Well, for a start, there's no point in dwelling on it. Secondly, you can make your own luck. I worked in a warehouse which had a desk area. And there was no manager at the time, and a lot of paperwork and officey things that needed doing. So I stepped up and volunteered to do all of the "officey" stuff. I had a desk, I was doing officey things... hey presto! Office experience!

Needless to say my desire to get an office job didn't last long. Before I knew it I'd discovered screenwriting and editing and had fallen head over heels in love with the industry. But then I faced another barrier: no experience or qualifications! Doh! Luckily, you don't really need any experience to write; you just do it! But to get yourself noticed and, indeed, to get script reading and editing jobs within the script and publishing industry you will most definitely need to build a good reputation and gain a few skills along the way.

The Anonymous Production Assistant had a query from a reader recently about no-experience CVs. Not absolutely no experience, but the wrong experience for their desired position. We're talking career changes. This is a problem I also had, having got a degree in French and Fine Art and having worked for a warehouse/online store. I had nothing to put on my CV that would relate to the industry.

Over time I've been making my own luck: entering competitions in the hope of recognition; networking (never underestimate how powerful this can be - after all, it's often who you know that can help with all important opportunities); blogging; writing articles; going on courses; submitting scripts and stories; script reading; proofreading; editing. Investing time in doing these things really does pay off as gradually you will build up your skills, not to mention gaining a good reputation. Before you know it, you'll have plenty to put on your CV.

You WILL feel like you're getting nowhere sometimes. It'll feel like you'll be stuck in the day job forever and you'll never get to where Joe Bloggs is on his career ladder. It can be a depressing and lonely journey, but it can also be a thoroughly exciting and fulfilling journey too - if you let it. Keep going, keep pushing and...

KEEP MAKING YOUR OWN LUCK!

Good old pen and paper...

2011-06-27T21:22:00.001+01:00

Technology can be so distracting, right? Yet it can also be fabulous. In this contradictory style I bring you this blog entry direct from my mobile phone!

It's pretty difficult these days to avoid the distractions of mobile phones, apps, websites and that deadly social media! Especially if you're like me and have a mind that races with must-dos, want-to-dos and oh-maybe-I'll-just-do-this-firsts...

So, this weekend I got strict with myself:

BUM ON CHAIR, PEN ON PAPER!

I didn't have much faith it would work, but sitting in the sunshine in my lovely garden I began to scribble. An idea I've had for over a year now was suddenly being sketched out before my very eyes. Of course, my mind would wander... Oh look! My roses are flowering! Isn't the sky blue! But that was that. No I'll just check this or I'll just check that... Just me, the pen and the paper. One day later and I have a rough treatment down in black and white! I am very pleased with my powers of non-distraction!

Give good old paper and pen a go when you feel technology getting the better of you. You might just surprise yourself...

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How to add a "like" box for your Facebook page to your blog or website

2011-05-23T21:47:00.001+01:00

You may have noticed that I have recently added a "like" box for my Facebook page to this blog. It's somewhere over to the right ------->

You can also choose to display a simple badge, but a "like" box will allow people to "like" your facebook page without having to visit the facebook website, thus remaining on your blog or website.

So, how do you do it?

Click "edit page" on your author/writer page.

Click "marketing" from the options at the side.

Click "add a Like Box to your website".

You will now see a blue box with options that you can fill in. As you edit these options, the preview on the right-hand side will change accordingly so that you can see what it will look like.

Copy the url (web address) of your writer/author page (you may need to do this in a new tab or browser so that you may keep the Like Box page open) and paste it into the first part of the blue option box.

Choose a width - I found that 200 was ideal for the sidebar on my blog. Experiment to find what suits you best.

Play around with the "Show Faces", "Stream" and "Header" options. Try unticking some of them and see what your Like Box will look like. I chose to just have "Show Faces".

Once you are happy with your Like Box, click "Get Code". You will be given a choice of two codes that you can use to place the Like Box on your website. I found that the XFBML worked properly on my blog*, whereas the other one wasn't showing correctly. Try both to see which one works best on your website.

*I use blogspot, and to add HTML code I go to "Add a gadget" under the "design" tab and select "HTML/Javascript" from the options. I paste my code into it and click save - voila!

Now go add shiny Like Boxes to YOUR website or blog! :)

Top Time Management Tips

2011-05-22T20:04:00.001+01:00

You may have read my previous blog entry on how I manage my time. That was when hubby-to-be and I were still living at home with his parents. Now, we're in our very own home with a lot more responsibilities and tasks to be dealt with. This has taken some getting used to, but we've found a new routine and I'm finding a lot more time now to work on my projects.

Undoubtedly, everyone is different and everyone will manage their time in different ways. What works for one person may not work for another. I'd love to compile a huge list of time-management tips to suit all sorts of writers whatever their circumstances. With this in mind, please share your own time management tips in the comments section and I'll update the blog entry with them!

Get up early before work or before the kids are up, or stay up late to write.

Carry a notebook with you in which to jot down notes/ideas/to-do lists as you think of them.

Use a voice-recording device to record ideas whilst you drive/make dinner/are in the bath.

Skip TV soaps when they air and instead catch up on them on a laptop whilst you are getting dressed/eating breakfast/eating lunch/eating dinner.

Get a smart phone and acquire apps to help you keep up-to-date on the go. I often check emails, twitter, facebook and read blog entries on my phone whilst on the journey to work (not if you're driving!) and whenever I find a few moments, such as whilst eating breakfast or during tea breaks.

Use a servive like Dropbox to manage your documents over various computers (and access them on your smart phone). Saves a lot of time backing up or loading files onto a portable device (though this should be done regularly every few weeks for safety!)

If you struggle to keep on top of blog-writing, why not compile a list of possible blog entry topics and, when you're feeling in the mood, bash out several and save them as drafts. That way you'll always have starting points, or ready-made blog entries, to post when you are short of time.

Instead of trying to write for a long period of time, try writing in ten or fifteen minute chunks whenever you can, such as in between household chores or running errands. It may not feel like much but it'll all add up. Household chores may seem like a bore but they can actually prove to be good "thinking time".

Compromise with your partner on household chores. I'm lucky that my fiancé will happily go off and do the weekly shop without me. This has given me some valuable extra time in recent weeks! I prefer to do chores that allow me to think, such as cleaning.

Of course, not all tips will work for everyone. We're all different and we are all in different circumstances, therefore we'll all have our own ways of finding time to write.

How do you best manage your time?

Sofluid celebrates 100* followers with a giveaway!

2011-04-05T20:14:00.000+01:00

Where does the time fly? There I was on Wednesday 30th July 2008, snuggled up in my bed in Adelaide, Australia, and about to begin blogging as a writer. The adventure well and truly began! And here I am now, almost three years later and with *101 followers!

I couldn't imagine being without this lovely blog and the blogosphere it inhabits. You're all such a fabulous bunch; a support network, learning pool, discussion group, debate team... Friends :)

I wanted to do something fun to celebrate reaching 100 followers, so I began to think about how I could reflect myself and my followers in a giveaway. I came to the conclusion that, given a common love of writing and reading, a books giveaway would be ideal.

So, I've chosen a couple of my favourite books which connect in some way with my personal projects. I had great fun choosing them, and will no doubt do more giveaways in the future!

So, what could you get your mitts on?

First up is Maggie O'Farrell's "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox".

Maggie O'Farrell has work published by Ether Books, as do I (if you've got an iPhone, go get my story "When The Music Stops" in the free Ether app!)

I read this novel back in 2007 and was instantly mesmerised by it.

"Esme's great-niece, Iris, inhales the scent of fabric and tissue paper in her secondhand shop and divides her time between a married lover and her difficult step-brother, Alex. When Iris receives a phone call informing her that her great-aunt - whose existence she never suspected - is being discharged from the psychiatric institution where she's been held for over 60 years, she sets about trying to uncover her story. The two narratives converge, and the appalling circumstances that led to Esme's imprisonment and the theft of six decades of her life are revealed."

-- Description from a Guardian interview with Maggie O'Farrell.

As I'm sure you'll all be aware by now, I'm currently helping to edit a charity anthology, New Sun Rising: Stories For Japan.

Our aim is to celebrate Japanese people and their culture whilst raising money to help them in their time of need.

One of my favourite books, based in Japan, is "My Name Is Sei Shonagon" by Jan Blensdorf.

"From the publishers of Memoirs of a Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki comes an exquisite, heartbreaking novel about a young woman’s fight to find love, beauty and individuality amidst the alienation of modern Tokyo."

If you'd like one of these books, all you have to do is comment on this post and let me know which one you'd like to win (or both if you'd like either!) In a week's time, I'll pick names out of a hat. I'll happily send to anywhere in the world, and you needn't be a follower to enter (though it would be super lovely if you were to become a follower before entering!)

Good luck!

Why books go back on the shelf unfinished: the importance of good dialogue

2011-03-27T18:01:00.001+01:00

I've been reading a mainstream fiction novel recently by a mature author. Its intriguing premise, recently pregnant girl washed up on a beach with no memory and no baby, captivated me enough to buy it from my local charity shop the moment I saw it. Sadly, it will be going back to the charity shop unfinished. Why?

As good as the premise and plot are, I just couldn't enjoy reading the novel without constantly frowning at the dialogue. With young twenty-something characters the novel, I think, is aimed at the 20-40 age range. Though the premise is good and the plot absorbing, the characters' dialogue tends to reflect the age of the author as opposed to their own. It can be incredibly frustrating to find yourself doubting the way a character speaks and thus detaching yourself from that wonderful "immersed" feeling we all enjoy when engrossed by a novel.

As a script reader I often see problems with dialogue. Most commonly is the "one voice" phenomenon - cover the characters' names up and you can barely tell one from the other. This also occurs in novels - the scriptwriter or author have either imposed too much of their own voice on their characters, or they haven't invested enough time in properly getting to know each of their characters; their accents, intonations, tone of voice and habits but to name just a few distinguishing traits that may help with characterisation.

The importance of realistic dialogue and characterisation can often be overlooked in favour of plot. Good narration and dialogue will immerse the reader in the lives of the characters and enhance the plot. A reader needs to be able to believe in the characters and the way they speak and behave. There should be no room for doubt - doubt in a reader, especially at manuscript/early script stage, could greatly affect your chances of success.

The ULTIMATE script writer's notebook...

2011-03-18T09:47:00.001Z

This awesome Waldo Pancake now a major motion picture notebook is the perfect place for scribbling down novel or screenplay ideas. With plain paper on the left hand sides and lined on the right, this Waldo Pancake notebook is great for drawing pictures as well as writing words. On the back of the book Waldo Pancake says: "The book was much better".

I SO want one!

You can get this AWESOME screenwriter's notebook online at House of Cards :)

How can we help Japan? New Sun Rising: Stories For Japan need your creative work!

2011-03-17T13:03:00.002Z

The events in Japan the past week have been shocking, heart-breaking and tremendously sad. So many people have lost their homes and many are injured. A devastating series of unfortunate events they may be - but they have had a catastrophic effect on the lives of people like you and I.

I was appalled at the debates on Radio 2 this week suggesting that we shouldn't help Japan because they are a rich country and our money is better spent elsewhere. This is not politics - this is people's lives we're talking about! How would you feel in their shoes? Human compassion is the most basic of emotions and is something that we can use to pull together and actually make a difference.

That's where New Sun Rising: Stories For Japan comes in. I'm part of the editorial team for this fantastic project which aims to gather your stories, poems and artwork into a beautiful anthology, of which 100% of the proceeds will go to a charity in aid of Japan.

New Sun Rising needs your stories, poems, and artwork celebrating Japan. They can be about Japanese people and culture, set in Japan, or executed in traditional Japanese forms. But those are just suggestions. Don’t feel limited—as long as the work is relevant to or evocative of Japan, that’s what we want.

Submission guidelines can be found here.

You can read the official New Sun Rising blog here.

Become a fan of our Facebook page here.

Spread the word. Let's get creative and put our talents and human compassion to good use in creating something special to honour and celebrate Japan. A team effort. Let's let the Japanese know that we care and that a new sun WILL rise again.

Persona: Bite-sized drama on your smart phone every day!

2011-03-15T20:57:00.002Z

Have you been watching Persona?

Persona is a mini drama that you can watch directly on your mobile phones; three minute "appisodes" are released each day and you can either watch them via the iPhone app or through the internet browser on your smart phone or Android. I was intrigued - would it work? Would it be any good?

£1.50 for a whole year's subscription didn't seem too bad an investment in what appeared to be such a fresh and innovative way of bringing drama to, well, the palms of our hands! Being able to watch a drama whenever and wherever I wanted to (such as during a lunch break at work) was very appealing.

After a few technical hitches which were soon sorted out by the friendly App-Media team, I was ready to enjoy the series. I'd missed the first few episodes but soon caught up. So what do I think? Having watched a whole season, I can safely say the App-Media team have done a fantastic job. The quality of the images and sounds are excellent and I'm really enjoying the stories. At first I found the quantity of different characters and storylines a little too much to get used to, but this may be in part due to me having missed the first few episodes in which we'd have been introduced to the characters. However, as time has gone on, I've enjoyed the alternating nature in which storylines are presented and have been pleasantly surprised to discover that characters from separate storylines are now starting to cross paths. I will most definitely be watching the second series, which has now started!

Check out Persona using this link. You can also now have a taster of Persona by watching the first few episodes on YouTube:

Difficult reading: books that resonate within

2011-03-09T19:41:00.001Z

Why do we read books, watch television or films? We do so to escape our daily lives, to be thrilled, saddened, made to laugh... But as well as all this lies deeper reasons: we learn from them, console ourselves with them, use them to gain perspective on our own lives.

When I read a book or watch something I like it when I can identify with the characters. A strong character will engage us; make us feel a connection and follow their story with keen interest. We are often taught that, when writing characters, we must make it so that both the protagonists and anti-protagonists have identifiable traits; so much so that we see ourselves in them both.

Reading or seeing characters that we identify with can be a huge relief; suddenly, we are not so alone in this world! However, sometimes what we read or watch can strike such a chord that we feel nervous, shocked or a little nauseous. This is what I call difficult reading; reading that resonates within.

I've read a few books recently in which the authors have done an amazing job of putting into words certain feelings or thoughts. Diane Setterfield, in The Thirteenth Tale, described how the rain battering the window pane drums itself into your mind; so much so that it takes on its own rhythm. She describes a feeling of loss or a moment of sadness with such eloquence that you really feel it and identify with it.

The latest book I'm reading: A Cruel Madness by Colin Thubron, is a difficult read indeed. It's immersed in the thoughts of a man with mental issues. It's both a thrilling, haunting story and a sad tale of the turmoil that results from the protagonist's obsessions and behaviours. It's as much about denial as it is about heightened sensitivity and mental instability. It's what you'd call a dark read. You won't come away from it feeling good; rather you'll feel a little disturbed, especially when you recognise some of the protagonist's observations and feelings. But the more I read, the more I feel this novel is a work of art. Thubron's ability to describe such dark and troubling feelings is astonishing.

People react in different ways to words and visual media depending on their own personal problems and experiences. Watching an alcoholic on your favourite soap can be hard to watch if you are an alcoholic yourself. Seeing yourself in books or TV/film can be off-putting as much as it can be therapeutic. Thubron's descriptions are vivid and acute. Little feelings, such as the atmosphere of a place becoming muddied or ruined by the presence of another or a past event, are described with such familiarity to those who experience similar feelings that the book suddenly rises to a whole new level.

It's deep writing; writing, in my opinion, to be celebrated. We often hear how people are afraid to write about certain things because they worry what it will imply of them. But it's creative expression at it's rawest, like Thubron's gripping yet disturbing novel, that take us on a journey of discovery and understanding into human psyche.

I highly recommend The Thirteenth Tale and A Cruel Madness. When writers can transcribe feelings the way Setterfield and Thubron do, they make a connection with us all. Perhaps we, as writers, can learn from this: It's OK to write from within. Don't be afraid to explore lives in depth and reflect innermost feelings.

What books have you read recently that have struck a chord within? Have you ever read a particularly dark and difficult read?

Marchlands: What did you think?

2011-03-06T15:07:00.000Z

So Marchlands concluded on Thursday with a resolved ending. Not the ending I had predicted, but satisfying nonetheless. However, not all viewers agreed.

The problem we have these days is expecting huge shocks and twists. I must admit, I'd plotted the outcome in a similar vein - my theory was that Olive killed Alice because of jealousy or some sort of incident. I felt that Olive had something to do with it because she was so reclusive and also because of the loss of her child (I figured that, given Olive's comments about how she had to keep the child a secret for fear of the child being taken away from her, she felt she was unfit to be a mother and the connection I made with this is one of guilt; she'd killed Alice, so she didn't deserve to have a child of her own). The twist was in actual fact that Robert, Ruth's father, had indirectly caused the accident through his adultery.

Comments on the Marchlands Facebook page range from those of praise to those of disappointment and, if we're honest here, some ridiculous comments as well (as is, sadly, always the case with TV/film feedback). Those who were disappointed wanted, as I've mentioned, more of a twist. Having built up the tension and drip-fed us clues for the past however many weeks, some people felt the ending wasn't worth the wait. However, many people did. I agree with those who spoke of it being a drama about different time periods, morals and constraints; of it being a story of a lost, restless soul and the silence which ultimately prolongs both Alice's and Ruth's torment, not to mention those such as Olive who were keeping the secrets. Ultimately, Ruth's finding out of the truth and Alice's peace were the concluding factors.

So what of the other comments? It's fascinating to see viewers' thirst for knowledge - not content with the information they have been fed and unwilling to fill in the gaps themselves, they want to know what happened after: Does Ruth confront Robert in an old people's home (how they assume Robert will still be alive I haven't a clue)? Is Alice definitely gone from the house? They wanted the gaps filling in: What happened to Ruth and Paul when they moved away? What happened to Amy and her parents after they left? Some just nit-pick: Who carpets a floor, then cuts a square out of it? Many asked questions such as "what happened to Alice's coat?". Ridiculous, really, given that we were shown in one of the episodes. Some people just don't pay attention!

The call for sequels to "answer these questions" was a common request throughout the comments. But what people have to realise is that these things aren't important. Sure, a spin-off could occur in which we see Ruth and Paul's time away, or Amy and her parents' new home; but what would these characters and their lives be without Alice? Alice was the central force of the whole series and what ties all the characters' plots together. Amy's story ended when the family left Marchlands; without Alice, Amy's problems and those of her family were lessened. They had a fresh start. Their story thereafter would be their own. It's us, as viewers, who need to fill in the gaps and "answer these questions".

Thinking about it afterwards I realised that Marchlands' plot, characters and resolution were all very well paced. Having discovered the truth, it was easy to think back and make connections between things we'd seen as the story progressed. I like it when all the elements slot into place after revelations. As for the ending, I felt it worked really well. Ruth finally found out what happened and Olive got the release she needed by confiding in and receiving forgiveness from Ruth.

I think, ultimately (and aside from being a ghost story), it was really about the restrictiveness of the 60s and of character's like Evelyn and Robert, whose upbringing and social status meant that Robert was forced to stay quiet about Alice's death. The weight of silence, as it could be described, is what kept Alice from finding peace. However Ruth and Paul did pull through, as did Amy's family and Nisha and Mark, too. It was Robert, Ruth and Olive who suffered the most through the whole ordeal; all because of the weight of silence. Powerful stuff.

So, what did you think? Did you successfully predict the outcome?

If you missed it, you can now buy the series on DVD :)

On the box: Marchlands

2011-03-02T19:25:00.001Z

One of my favourite programmes on television at the moment is Marchlands: a serial drama on ITV. It's a multi-layered ghost story charting the history of a house (Marchlands) and its inhabitants over three different time periods. A little girl, Alice, died in a nearby river in the 60s and since then has haunted the house. It's a bit of a mystery as well as a supernatural thriller, as Alice's cause of death was never discovered. Her ghost causes all sorts of problems for a child in the 80s. Decades of questions hang in the air and village inhabitants' secrets stir up all sorts of trouble when the latest Marchlands owners arrive.

There are several things I like about Marchlands: The mystery at the core of the hauntings, the connections between characters over time and the time periods themselves; rich, distinctive décors and differing standards and beliefs. It's one of those programmes that you love to decipher; to spot connections and theorise. As well as a good plot, Marchlands also has strong characters which make it all the more compelling to watch. I especially like the performances put in by Alex Kingston and Dean Andrews (of Doctor Who and Ashes to Ashes fame).

The serial has moved at a slow pace, but not so slow as to be frustrating. Each week we've learnt a little more, and as the climax approaches it's all the more exciting to second guess the outcome. I've got my theories... Looking forward to seeing if I'm right!

What do you think of Marchlands?

The Jane Austen Book Club

2011-03-01T13:19:00.002Z

This morning I watched The Jane Austen Book Club, one of the films sent to me through the Tesco DVD rental service. I recently reviewed my list on there and updated it to include many of the films talked about in Linda Aronson's The 21st Century Screenplay: A comprehensive guide to writing tomorrow's films.

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it, having not read any Austen books myself (though I do own a copy of Northanger Abbey on my ever-increasing to-read bookshelf*), but it was actually very enjoyable. The Jane Austen Book Club is a multi-protagonist film whose characters' stories unfold through parallel narrative, which took a lot of planning on the part of writer/director Robin Swicord, whose resumé includes the wonderful Little Women (finding this out after watching The Jane Austin Book Club made a whole lot of sense, as I'd thought whilst watching how heart-felt and warming both films felt).

My favourite characters were Grigg and Prudie, played by Hugh Dancy and Emily Blunt. Dancy's Grigg was (other than darn hot!) a very refreshing character; whilst an integral part of the plot regarding Joceleyn's character development, he also acted as a "way-in" for those of us watching who'd never read Austen. Here was a character we could identify with; new to these books and to the other characters' ways of thinking. That's not to say that we couldn't identify with the other characters. Each protagonist has their own problems to which each and every one of us can relate, be it Joceleyn's fear of commitment, Sylvia's difficulty in letting go of her past or the beautiful Prudie's lack of direction and confidence. Emily Blunt is stunningly beautiful and a delight to watch as her sensitive character tries to deal with her confused emotions and overcome her relationship problems. Blunt reminds me of Winona Ryder: a coincidence, I wonder, given that Ryder was a central character in Swicord's Little Women?

I definitely recommend this film to all those who enjoy feel-good films. You need not have read the books. Sure, the references made by the characters are a little hard to keep up with at times, but you can easily work out what they are inferring by the comparisons they make of themselves to Austen's characters.

Has it made me want to read the books? Sort of... I haven't an overwhelming desire to hunt out my copy of Northanger Abbey just yet, but I am certainly interested in watching the film again after having read a couple of the books in order to "get" the references fully. As with Little Women, this is a film you will want on your shelf for a down-day, a girly night in or, indeed, a duvet-day!

*To-read bookshelf doesn't currently exist, but will as soon as my office has been completed!

Book Review: The Golden Theme by Brian McDonald

2011-02-22T12:47:00.001Z

You may remember that last year I reviewed a screenwriting book by Brian McDonald: Invisible Ink (A Practical Guide To Building Stories That Resonate, a great book for beginner screenwriters which covered elements of storytelling not always immediately obvious to the writer; hence the title.

I was immediately intrigued when approached to review McDonald's second book, The Golden Theme (How To Make Your Writing Appeal To The Highest Common Denominator), as the title suggests a relation to the Golden Section, otherwise known as the Golden Ratio or Divine Proportion, which I happened to study at school and university as part of my art studies.

Wikipedia explains the Golden Ratio:

In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one.

Makes sense, in a geeky maths way, but what's the point? Well, the Golden Ratio - defined by Phi - has been used throughout history in art and architecture to create beauty and balance. It's even found in nature by way of a Fibonacci spiral in shells and in analysing the way plants grow and why they look as they do. It's thoroughly fascinating and you can read more here, here and here!

Maths and storytelling? Combined? Surely not! So how does McDonald make the connection?

The Golden Theme is a universal law: we are all the same.

Just as the Golden Ratio is found throughout the universe (in nature, design and even in the makeup of human beings) so is McDonald's Golden Theme. No matter how different we think things are, they are all connected. We may be of different races and cultures, but underneath it all we are the same. A story may be a particular genre, but ultimately they serve the same purpose; to tell a story and to communicate this Golden Theme.

It can be a tricky concept to get your head around. McDonald backs up his bits of advice with plenty of examples and his Golden Theme certainly has some credibility as a way of tying lots of theories together under one "roof". As with his last book, McDonald has a way of explaining things that make it easy for anyone to understand his theories.

The book is split up into short chapters. Each starts with a famous quote and ends with a simple statement from McDonald himself by way of a summary of what has been learnt in each chapter. He talks us through a brief history of storytelling and why humans tell stories; we need stories to live, why stories need conflict; we learn from them, all the while interspersing his theories with fact and his own opinions backed up by his own life stories.

Many chapters seem like glorified information that everyone already knows deep down. However, McDonald is passionate about his theories and about teaching us to see things simply and clearly. It's a pleasure to read through his anecdotes and the stories he has pulled from history to illustrate his points. With short, concise chapters and interesting quotes, this book is ideal to dip into over a cup of tea.

McDonald uses his theory to teach us the importance of character conflict, character traits and not being constricted by style, convention and expectations. There are some excellent nuggets of advice, but I wouldn't go so far as claiming this book is an essential read for storytellers and screenwriters. It's a book that appears to be trying to be several books in one - a book for writers as much as it is for those interested in philosophy, equality and even those who need a bit of self-help guidance; touching upon how, to live life as an artist (writer), you have to be able to face the deepest parts of yourself. McDonald's Golden Theme ties all these aspects together well.

Having finished reading the book I can confirm that it has affected the way I think about storytelling (McDonald's anecdotes and stories from history stay with you, as he tells you they will) but it hasn't necessarily taught me anything new with regards to my own writing process, be it short prose or screenwriting. The writing advice gleaned from McDonald's book is not new advice, but is merely presented in a new way; a way which is both informative and entertaining.

Filmed from thoughts that leaked from the mind of Michelle Goode...

2011-01-23T14:49:00.003Z

Well hello there!

It's been a while, and a lot has been going on. I'm writing today live from my very own kitchen, wherein the washing machine whirs and the tap, very occasionally, tippity tips an ickle drip to remind me of post-cookery washing up duties... For I have started cooking! Oh yes. Contrary to popular belief, I can actually create vaguely edible... things... Many a sweet treat and a few savoury ones, too, have been appearing in chef Chelle's kitchen...

But alas. I have hung up my domestic Goddess hat. No, actually, it's a cape! I have hung up that gloriously shiny cape and am taking a little overdue "me time" to update this here blog and whatever else takes my fancy. For I am now settled into my home (just) and my new workplace and have almost fallen into a productive routine, save for the odd DIY/decorating projects and my obsession with making cakes...

We now also have a Blue-ray player, which means that watching films (or "research", as I like to call it) is now very pleasing to the eye! Not only that, but we can also watch YouTube on our television, which means that I get to enjoy watching Mr Vista on the big screen!

During December and January I was most happy to discover that four of my Mr Vista episodes, scripted a good year or so ago and filmed last Summer, went online! I was thrilled, not only because they are my first produced films (other successes in the past year have included a produced radio sketch and a published short story) but because I had only been expecting three episodes to be made!

Here are the epsiodes, in the order they were released:

Mr Vista Gets A Virus

Mr Vista Is Fragged Off

Waiting For The Egg Timer

Mini Me

What do you think? I thoroughly enjoyed watching them all...

The first two episodes had been changed a bit from the original script, but that sort of thing is to be expected. When you're filming a low/no budget web series, you have to be economical in how you go about transposing what's on the page to the screen. Sometimes new ideas will develop or new ways of expressing ideas will present themselves. I certainly appreciated how the concepts I'd created had been developed for the series.

However, the last two episodes were much closer to my original scripts. These two concepts - the frustration of nothing happening when you click icons only for a million and one windows to open when you least expect it to, and the idea that minimise buttons could be a very useful application in real life, were the ideas that I loved the most when I wrote the scripts. The episodes certainly didn't disappoint!

Thank you, Tim Clague, for liking and believing in my crazy ideas and allowing me to bombard you with so many scripts!

On Being A Published Author

2010-12-16T13:23:00.002Z

What a feeling!

A short story of mine, "When The Music Stops", has been published by Ether Books in their award-nominated iPhone app!

"Ether Books publishes the very best short stories and essays from today’s literary stars and up and coming writers directly to your own phone."

I first heard about the opportunity through Bubble Cow and felt that this particular story fitted the bill. Ether Books operate like a literary book agency in that they sift through work carefully and choose only the best material to be published. I was contacted fairly quickly but, after the initial correspondence, things fell quiet. Until yesterday.

I had been feeling a little down - decorating our new house has been taking up a lot of time and energy and, with no time off work, is starting to take its toll as we reach our anticipated "officially move-in" date. We also haven't been able to locate the Christmas tree we had set our hearts on, so the thought of having to wait another whole year to get it was making me a little sad. Ether Books must have known because they sent me an email notifying me that my short story had been published! Yippee!

You can download the Ether Books app here. My story costs just 59p and there's a little head-shot of me and various pages such as my author page, the blurb, the first page and the book cover. How exciting!

Unfortunately, I don't have an iPhone so I can't gleefully purchase my own story! However, rumour has it that Ether Books are looking into apps for other devices so, with any luck, I'll be able to acquire this fantastic app sometime in the future on my Android!

We're hoping to move into our home next week and, once the dust has settled, I am truly looking forward to getting back to my writing and script reading with gusto! Keep an eye out - I'll certainly be submitting more stories!

An evening with... Linda Aronson

2010-11-12T09:06:00.003Z

Yesterday was a rather fabby day. Not only was it my birthday, for which I received some great screenwriting books (Linda Seger's "Advanced Screenwriting" and Julian Friedmann's "How To Make Money Scriptwriting" but it also happened to be the evening of a free Euroscript networking event.

Having missed Linda Aronson's session at the London Screenwriter's Festival and heard fantastic reviews of it, I was delighted to have the chance to attend an evening in her company during which Charles Harris would conduct an interview/discussion with her.

I'd been worried we wouldn't get there in time. The fiancé had offered to drive me there and back which meant leaving after he finished work, but we needn't have worried. We got there in plenty of time and I was able to meet Charles and Linda and even get a signed copy of her wonderful new book, "The 21st Century Screenplay; A comprehensive guide to writing tomorrow's films". The fiancé had tried to get one for my birthday but they are currently all sold out, so it was such a treat to get my hands on one!

Twitter and Facebook friends had nothing but praise for her talks/sessions. She's good. Really good. So good that the fiancé, who bravely accompanied me, left just as exhilarated as me at her tremendously interesting insights.

Specialising in the different forms of flashback narratives, Linda was fascinating to listen to as she explained a few of the different ways of going about flashback. Linda goes into no less than seven different narrative structures in her book! She also gave some sound tips for screenwriters. I didn't make notes as the room was very packed and seating was limited, but I will try and fish out some golden nuggets from my memory...

Screenwriters - you're talented. Get over it. Sometimes talent can get in the way of creativity. You start writing and you're on a roll. You write great scene after great scene. But are they the best scenes for your screenplay? Have you become too focussed on one train of thought when a different one may have led you to a better screenplay?

Allow yourself brainstorming time. Take 5 minutes in your day to come up with as many ideas as you can for a screenplay. You may fail at this - but what has it cost you? A mere five minutes. However, the ideas you come up with, no matter how trivial, could spark bigger ideas and lead you to a great plot.

Writers often struggle to get what's in their heads into the screenplay. You have to know exactly what you want to achieve in a screenplay and make sure that the goals are met. It's no good concentrating on the resolution of character X's emotional journey in act three when, in actual fact, it was character Y's battle for custody of a child that was intended as the main plot. Keep focussed on your intentions.

Similarly, when pitch-writing, you have to know that you can deliver what you are selling. Time after time pitches have been jumped upon, only for the writers to fail to transfer the exciting plot of the pitch into the screenplay.

Flashbacks are OK. There's nothing wrong with using them as long as they serve the plot and are used properly. However, don't use them just because they are clever.

Structuring a screenplay in a non-linear way can really help the momentum of a screenplay. Immersing the audience into a certain point of a character's life, such as a a low point or one of high intensity, can really help draw the audience into that character's situation or plight.

Similarly, by showing the audience what is going to happen later in the screenplay at the beginning, the audience can then watch, say, the family that will later be involved in an accident, with much more intrigue given the impending disaster.

To be a screenwriter you need to be tough. You will get rejection after rejection, and often big breaks may come at a difficult time. You have to battle through and make it work.

Consider other mediums. If your screenplay doesn't work or garner success, turn it into a novel.

To be a screenwriter you need to be good at writing dialogue. Dialogue needs to come across as natural and must inform the scene/plot. If you struggle with dialogue, consider writing novels.

Screenwriting can be learnt. Books can play a huge part in this.You may not agree with some books - big deal - stop reading them. However, screenwriting books will always have something to offer and the fact of the matter is you will most likely learn something from every single one.

Want to write for TV? Earn yourself a short cut into writing for TV by writing stage plays. It's easier to get work staged (or performed if you consider radio plays here in the UK) than it is to get screenplays optioned for TV, so work your way in/up through stage plays/radio plays.

Lastly, don't panic! You will find yourselves in situations where your mind goes blank. Take a deep breath and use the five minute technique. Don't let these situations block your creativity. Whether you're being asked to come up with an idea, give an opinion on something in a meeting or if you're sat in front of your computer screen with a deadline, try to allow random ideas in as it only takes one to spark off others.

Bloody TV Trailers!

2010-11-08T20:04:00.003Z

A little rant:

"When did we become so unreliable as an audience that we couldn't be trusted to watch next week's episode without a taster, before and sometimes over the final credits, of what's going to unfold? Or is it more to do with the programme-makers' lack of confidence in the product? Either way, it's deeply annoying, especially when we're happy to be kept guessing as to what might happen, only for our guesswork to be undermined by the dreaded "Next Week...""

Brian Viner, The Independent, expressing what I and doubtless many other people feel at the sheer annoyingness of those bloody trailers that keep cropping up before, during and after programmes.

Admittedly, I notice this mostly on ITV. But it is a phenomenon that stems from American TV. Fast-forward through all the "what happened last time", "what happens after the advert break" and "what happens next time". Are we left with much?

Brian was talking about the psychological drama, The Little House, which continues on ITV this evening. I won't go into my thoughts on this adaptation and its script, but what I will do is agree with Brian. After last week's episode I was suitably intrigued as to how it might play out in the next part. But before I could reach for my laptop mouse to stop the programme, next week's episode was thrown in my face.

Is there really any need? These teasers go on for far too long and give away an awful lot. Quite off-putting, if you ask me.

Even more annoying are shows like the recent 71 Degrees North, a fairly decent reality TV show in my opinion with gruelling tasks and inspirational contestants. But if you witnessed what the "what happens next" trailers, occurring before every advert break, did to the fiancé and I... Absolutely ridiculous. Let's just say there was a lot of *hands over ears let's shout nursery rhymes at the top of our voices whilst we struggle to find the mute button on the remote control*.

Ok, so I was the nut case with the fingers in her ears shouting nursery rhymes.

Excessive trailers in UK TV. Why? WHY!?

London Screenwriter Festival Short Script WINNERS!

2010-10-21T20:16:00.002+01:00

Drumroll please...

3rd Place - "It's Not Easy" by Charlie Boddington (@CharlieWarley8)

2nd Place - "The Decision" by Henry Fosdike (@justmetalking)

1st Place - "The Dead Office" by Laurence Timms (@laurencetimms)

Congratulations to you all!

All entrants should feel proud. There were LOADS of good scripts in the pile and no less than 25 finalists! So a big achievement for all involved!

Keep writing! :)

Free screenwriting course! Where to find free script downloads to aid your scriptwriting education...

2010-10-03T18:15:00.001+01:00

You can't be a screenwriter without reading scripts. It's essential to your education that you read the craft to learnt the craft. In fact, reading scripts is as valuable as enrolling on a screenwriting course.

Reading scripts and then watching the produced, filmed versions is an excellent way to learn the process from script to screen. Even reading bad scripts can help you learn as you'll start to identify what makes a good, attractive script and what gets tossed in the rejection pile.

Thanks to some excellent websites out there, gaining access to TV script and film scripts is easy. Here are some of my favourites:

www.mypdfscripts.com

This website is more than just a source of free TV and film scripts. You can also download comic scripts, treatments and read reviews, too.

The Script Collector

The Script Collector was an extremely successful blog, but has been down for the past month or so. The link above is for The Script Collector's twitter page, onto which new links continue to be posted. There's also a library of all the downloads ever listed here.

Scriptshadow

Over at Scriptshadow, Carson Reeves reviews new scripts in the Hollywood circuit. The great thing about this site is that you can read the scripts yourself and read Carson's analysis of it, too. A fantastic way to learn how to analyse scripts.

#Scriptchat's Script Night

I've spoken about #scriptchat before - here and here. The above title link will take you to the #scriptchat script night schedule. Taking part in a script night on #scriptchat will help you learn an awful lot. Each month, a script is read, the corresponding film watched and then a discussion takes place about it all.

Other Sources:

Daily Script
Script-O-Rama
Simply Scripts

So what are you waiting for? Go grab yourself a free screenwriting course! Use your initiative and use the fantastic range of sources available to you freely on the internet.

Learning the craft is your responsibility and with a little time and effort you could find yourselves extremely knowledgeable on the simple basis of having studied scripts.

Treating script scenes with respect - How to analyse scenes and assess their purpose...

2010-09-27T19:07:00.004+01:00

Scenes in a screenplay are essentially jigsaw pieces to the story as a whole, but they must be connected in a certain order so as to tell the story in the most effective way.

Often in a first draft, scenes are written one after the other in quick succession and are mere stepping stones on the journey to that final "FADE TO BLACK".

The 3-act structure may well have been planned and nailed, but what about individual scenes that make up these three acts?

Individual scenes are just as important to the success of a script as the three acts. Each scene must move the story on in some way, whether it reveals something about a character, the theme, the plot or simply steers the characters or the plot towards the next turning point.

Often writers can get so caught up in just trying to get from A to B, or to the most exciting bits of the story, that they pay little attention to crafting each scene. Well-crafted scenes will enrich a screenplay and give a lot more to the reader than you might think. Carefully selecting a characters behaviour, dialogue and interaction with others can have a major impact on how we view the characters and the story overall.

Crafting good scenes could make your OK script into a GOOD script, and this difference could be the deciding factor if you've a production company's readers deciding the fate of your script.

So how do you decide which scenes need work? Grab a screenplay and analyse some scenes. For each one, ask yourself:

Does it have a beginning, middle and an ending?
Does it reveal something that is significant to the plot?
Does it help us understand the characters?
Does it leave us wanting to know more?

There should be a fair few "yes" answers. If not, the scene may need work. When analysing your own scenes, consider whether they really are essential to the story. What does a particular scene bring to the table? Cover it up and read through that section of the script. Could you still follow the story, understand the story and reach the same climax/conclusions without it? If so, then perhaps the scene really isn't needed at all?

Now, not every scene will have the elements listed above. There will always be the odd filler scenes in between the major scenes and turning points because, lets face it, not every scene can be full of action. There may be scenes that are simply there to establish time or a place. However, the important thing to remember is not to introduce filler scenes for the hell of it. Make sure every scene has its place.

Blake Snyder, in his famous book Save The Cat (great book, you should definitely read it!) recommends just 40 important scenes/beats for a feature screenplay. I wouldn't necessarily go as far as sticking to that as a hard and fast rule, but it's certainly worth trying to keep scenes down rather than going overboard with far too many, lest your script comes across cluttered. The exercise of defining the 40-ish most important parts of the screenplay as beats will really help you refine the story to its supporting backbones. Then it's up to you to link them together in the most effective way possible.

Lucy Hay shares her experience with us:

"I generally have 40 beats - beats for me meaning those *important moments that advance the story*: you can't have these on their own either, they need *something* to hold them together, whether it's the lull before the storm or just the gel to hold 2 important (not necessarily BIG) moments together."

Sometimes it may be possible to economise by combining a few scenes into the one scene. Consider whether adjacent scenes are in a similar setting and whether they could run on continuously. Planning scenes using cards might help. Using cards or a computer programme to lay out scenes, or a beat-sheet, can be a really effective way of organising the elements of a screenplay and making sure that scenes serve a good purpose.

Be ruthless with scenes that don't have much purpose. Sure, you might love the scenery or that joke you included, but if that's the only reason for keeping a scene, then you have to let it go (that's assuming the scenery or that joke aren't essential to the plot somehow!)

So next time you're writing a screenplay, be it a short film, TV script or feature, treat your scenes with respect. It'll be worth it!

UKscriptwriters podcasts - essential listening!

2010-09-25T11:29:00.000+01:00

If you haven't already heard Danny Stack and Tim Clague's fantastic UKscriptwriters podcasts then, well, shame on you! These guys have done a great job of creating an entertaining yet informative regular podcast on the theme of, you guessed it, screenwriting!

Episode 3: Collaborating

Listening to writing-related podcasts is an excellent way of learning and is easily achieved even if you're busy - listen whilst getting dressed in the morning, on the train, at work...

With the advances in technology these days, it is now easy to access all sorts of educational podcasts on your mobile phones. Where once download costs would be sky high, nowadays getting a podcast on your phone costs next to nothing.

I'll be linking to the UKscriptwriters podcast page over in the sidebar of my blog so you'll always be able to access it easily. Follow UKscriptwriters on twitter, join their facebook page here, see the official podcast page here and lastly, if iTunes is your thang, access it here.

Go listen!

Learning to proofread...

2010-09-24T19:27:00.006+01:00

Over the past week or so I've begun my distance-learning proofreading training. I decided to take on proofreading and copy-editing training because I am a natural "nit-picker" and editing seems to come fairly naturally, too. It's a very useful skill to have. Not only will it perfect my grammar knowledge but it will also allow me to expand my professional services.

My goal is to eventually work for myself. Ideally I'll become successful as a writer, but as we all know this is never guaranteed, so my backup plan is to be a full-time script reader/editor and proofreader/copy-editor. In fact, I enjoy both types of work (writing and editing) in equal amounts. I've even been considering recently the possibility of becoming a script/story editor.

For now though I am happy learning new skills and growing in confidence through my already established script reading and through other avenues, too. Building up a CV is important, whatever industry you are trying to get into. It can take time, but all the hard work will be worth it in the end. I'm really proud of all the testimonials I've received so far for my work and aim to acquire more!

So far in my proofreading training, I have been thoroughly enjoying the modules. Modules one and two were all about theory and identifying the symbols, of which there are a lot! You can get an idea of the types of symbols I am learning on this website.

To me, learning the symbols is just like learning another language. I've learnt hiragana in the past for a Japanese class I attended at University so learning the symbols has seemed fairly easy so far. Usually it's my memory that lets me down, though the course has catered for this by introducing the symbols gradually via many practical exercises from module three onwards. I've been doing well with the simple exercises, but am a bit nervous about the harder ones, especially when I have to send off assignments! Some of the symbols are similar in what they indicate (not necessarily in what they look like) so it is easy to get confused between them at first.

I'll let you know how I progress!

Write a treatment inspired by science and win £5000!

2010-09-20T20:36:00.001+01:00

The London Screenwriter's Festival has just announced an amazing opportunity for screenwriters! Not only could you win £5000 and support for the development of your script but ten finalists also receive free entry to the festival! What are you waiting for?!!!

Entries close October 15th. Grab an entry form here!

The £5,000 “Inspired by Science” Treatment Award!

The London Screenwriters Festival
in association with the Wellcome Trust

The “Inspired by Science” Treatment Award is a £5,000 prize to be given to a writer to enable them to develop their idea further.

The aim of the award is to encourage the development of drama that engages its audience in the area of science and society by supporting new proposals for film, television or other broadcast media that are inspired by the field of biomedicine.

Writers are encouraged to submit proposals for original drama projects suitable for a potential UK production and broadcast. (Application form below)

The “Inspired by Science” Award is open to all writers who are resident in the UK. 10 shortlisted entrants will receive complimentary invitations to attend the London Screenwriters Festival in October. If any delegate has paid for their ticket this will be refunded. The Award winner will be announced at a special session during the Festival itself.

The winner will receive:
•   £5,000 to develop their project.
•   An informal association with the Wellcome Trust to include individual editorial and/or practical assistance over a period of 6 months tailored to the individual winner.
•   Additional assistance to research their biomedical area of interest through scientific experts and research including access to the Wellcome library.

All entries should be received no later than 12 noon Friday 15th October 2010.
Any entries received after this date will be ineligible.
Finalist will be annouced on Friday 22nd October 2010

British Short Screenplay Competition Success

2010-09-20T20:27:00.000+01:00

Well, it appears my script, Blue Balloon, made it through the first round of the British Short Screenplay Competition 2010! This mirrors last year's success, so this year I am hoping to improve on last year by getting through to the second round! I'll keep you posted...

A Meme: It All Started When... How I Got Into Screenwriting

2010-08-15T13:04:00.003+01:00

Neil Baker over at the Writing is a Scientific Art blog recently tagged me in a screenwriting meme. "It all started when..." is the theme and looks at "that moment where you decided that this was something you could/should/would do".

My moment came in the summer of 2008 in Australia (well, British summer, Australia's winter!) Working part-time to save up for a road trip up and back down the East coast of Australia, I had a bit more spare time on my hands than I usually would when working full-time in England and decided to use it to embark on a long-time coming activity. Something I'd always thought about and wanted to do, but never had the time or found the courage to actually start on. And I knew exactly what that was.

Writing. Everyone wants to pen a novel, and I was no exception. I had a laptop with me and decided to take the plunge. I chose a theme I'd always wanted to write on - obsessive compulsive disorder. Having suffered it myself when I was younger I felt knowledgeable enough on the topic to portray it convincingly. But of course this theme would perhaps be a little dull by itself, so I threw in a fellow sufferer in Canada, a dying grandmother who predicts forthcoming disasters, and set the two sufferers on a path to meeting each other and helping each other overcome their problems.

Only I had a problem myself. A whirlwind of tapping away and I had 22,000 words down. Blimey. I was impressed with myself! But then I got distracted...

I'd been looking into writing groups on facebook (you know, back when there were some great community groups and not just page after page of rubbish to "like"). I'd joined several novel-writing groups and had come across some screenwriting groups, too. Reading through the threads, I got into a long-winded conversation about screenwriting with none other than Mr Neil Baker! It was the start of many essay-length conversations, spurring each other on as we learnt the craft, for we were both newcomers.

Celtx was my first discovery and I joined Project Central, a part of the Celtx website which has since disappeared. It was a hub of newcomers and more experienced screenwriters alike, publishing their scripts and having them critiqued by others. It was like a virtual writing school with the older, cooler kids helping out the newbies, telling them what they were doing wrong and offering suggestions for improvement. Whilst Project Central is no more, you can still publish your work for critique through their forum.

St Agnes, the area in which I was living in Adelaide, had a fantastic library down the road. I scoured it for writing books and went home with Alex Epstein's Crafty TV Writing and William Smethurst's Writing for Television. Two cracking reads that fired me up no end.

Writing scripts was an experience unlike no other. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed writing my novel, but screenwriting was different. Instant, exhilarating and explosively visual. Throughout my road trip I unfortunately didn't have the time to write, but I was, however, constantly inspired by my surroundings. Never before had my ideas sprung to life in such a dramatic way. Everything I saw, heard and experienced was a potential scene in a screenplay.

Writing my first screenplays (a children's drama, a comedy sitcom episode, a teenage drama and an artistic short) felt like immense achievements. I knew this was something I would stick with, unlike many other hobbies and career aspirations that has fallen flat at the first hurdles. I explained about all this in my very first blog entry, dated July 30th 2008, which you can read here.

So there you have it. A trip to Australia caused me to head in a career direction which I'd only ever dreamed of. That trip set me on a journey to becoming a writer. A journey I've continued through thick and thin. Road blocks have been raised along the way in the way of rejections, but they can't hurt me. Writing has seen me through difficult times; times in which I felt the world fall apart around me. Writing is my heart, my soul. My best friend. I'll continue working my way up, achievement by achievement, and get to the end of that journey :)

So, how did you start out? I hereby meme Dom Carver, Laurence Timms, Steve Turnbull, Jez Freedman and Laura Anderson!

Write What You Know

2010-08-08T18:23:00.001+01:00

I've wanted to write a blog on this topic for a while now. It's something I've thought about a lot myself, and it's something that affects other writers, too.

What should I write about?

Many writers, when starting out, will be faced with this dilemma. There are so many genres you could write for and it's very confusing trying to figure out what to go for. A lot of writers want to write for the genre they like reading/watching, which is a start. Writing something you would want to read/watch yourself is a great way to explore writing, as you know the genre well.

However, some people will love comedy or syfi (or whatever they call it these days!), but struggle to write it well. Don't struggle. Explore genres you never thought to try and you might just surprise yourself.

Even better, tap into your USP.

What is a USP?

As a writer you need a USP. That's a "unique selling point". I first heard about this at Adrian Mead's day course, "The Screenwriter's Career Guide". It means that you have something that you know about better than anyone else. Having one of these is a great advantage, as you will be able to truly delve into the topic authoritatively and write evocatively about it.

A USP can be anything. We all have one. Do you work with the elderly? Then you know them well and could write about a retirement home effectively. Are you a nurse? Then you can write hospital drama. Do you have a degree in history? Well, you're ahead of the rest of the pack when it comes to period drama.

But I haven't got one! Fear not - you can get one. Why not volunteer for a local charity or helpline? Why not take up a new hobby, join a local group or visit the elderly in your neighbourhood?

Look at your personal life experiences

More often than not, you will have a USP and not realise it. As much as you may want to block some things out of your life, your personal experiences are what will make you shine as a writer. To be able to write dramatic scripts convincingly, you will have to hone in on your own experiences and draw out the emotions.

Been through a divorce? Experienced or witnessed the experience of depression? Lost a loved one? Suffered an illness? These are all experiences that will help you become a better writer.

"Write what you know. Write what you wish you knew. Write your worst nightmare and your best friends." - Lisa Holdsworth

Writing what you know can sometimes be painful but is extremely beneficial. Just think how powerful you could make that period script about that aristocrat falling in love with a servant is you've been through the motions of falling in love yourself. Think how dramatic that script about depression will be if you tap into your own experiences with that friend who suffered depression a few years back. Think how convincing that kidnapping story will be (from the point of view of the family) if you tap into how you felt when your brother ran away from home in the 90s.

A good friend of mine recalled a conversation he had with a very famous and influential writer and producer (names shall remain anonymous):

"He said I should go into my own life, and experience, and explore the darker stuff, like a door you don't want to go through but you have to. I said "I’m not sure I want to go there" and he said "well fuck you if you can't, don't be a writer, I've used everything that's happened in my life at some point, if what you write isn't going to make you have an emotional reaction, how can it affect someone watching it"?

I think this statement says it all. I've tapped into experiences myself and have found it a huge help when trying to express how certain situations make people feel.

Don't be precious

A lot of writers worry that by writing about familiar situations they will be exposing themselves, like giving away a secret, especially when the original experience involved people close to them. It's tough trying to decide when to use certain material. What you need to remember is that it's fiction.

Everybody has to source information to write, be it a novel or a screenplay. Most people have to research certain things by talking with people who have experienced the topic they are writing on. You're lucky to have insider knowledge - use it. Worrying about what people will think is futile. Though you may think it, people won't be reading your work and digging behind the words to the source of information. They'll be appreciating the work for what it is - a story.

Your USP; your knowledge can be used to cause a reaction in the reader/viewer, and may even help them if they are going through something similar. That's got to be good, right?

Let go and write

Writing what you know can be difficult, but may also be cathartic. Getting it out of your system might just be the thing to help you release some of that hidden tension. Why not give it a go? Project your experiences onto a fictional character and see what happens.

"Real writing starts with passion, love, anger, a burning need to put fingers on keyboard and pen to paper. There are no right or wrong words when you're at that stage - only words. I'm not saying that writing is easy. That it should flow from you like water from the tap. More like blood from a stone. It should be painful, annoying and frustrating." - Lisa Holdsworth

Don't fear the page. Write it, sweat it and then evaluate it afterwards. There's no right or wrong way about it. It's only words. But those words, weighted with your USP, might just be gold. And you might just surprise yourself.

Film Sequels, Remakes and Reboots

2010-07-28T10:48:00.000+01:00

Today, across the blogosphere, bloggers will be writing on the topic of film sequels, remakes and reboots as part of a Kid In The Front Row blogathon.

Here's my ten cents:

Sequels

Sometimes, you love a book or a film so much that you simply can't wait to spend more time with a favourite character. You wonder what happens next, where they go, what they do. Sequels of popular, well-loved films can therefore be a very welcome occurrence.

However, it all depends on the standard of the sequel. If a sequel doesn't live up to its predecessor, it can ruin the franchise's image and spoil your favourite characters.

There's also the issue of when to stop? A film franchise can become so popular that film after film is released. Surely a good thing is left well alone, lest it run the risk of becoming completely saturated and losing its original charm?

If there's a repeatable, successful formula to a screenplay, films get away with it. It's why films like Shrek and Toy Story keep on going. Shrek in particular is an impressive franchise. It's got a loveable set of characters (perfect for merchandise!) and the writers manage to keep it fresh and exciting. I was very dubious about this franchise, until I sat down to join my dad when he was watching the latest sequel on television. I was impressed. Some films manage to maintain interest and mature at the same time, and I think Shrek is one of those types. I'm yet to see Toy Story 3, but am sure it wont disappoint. With Andy all grown up now, this particular sequel is all about the next generation. What happens to the toys now?

But what about non cartoon films? I don't feel sequels like The Lost World and My Girl 2 worked. Regarding Jurassic Park, the original was a thing of wonder - new World, compelling characters and scary dinosaur chase scenes. The sequel was a let down - same World, characters returning for more inevitable chase scenes. Ok, so Dr Ian Malcolm has more of a battle than he bargained for in the form of his daughter, Kelly, having come along for the ride and landing herself in danger. But the magic was lost and the plot struggled to have substance. Did you know that the sequel was based on a sequel novel, written at the request of fans? Nevertheless it was disappointing and earned a whopping $300 million less than the original. In My Girl, Vada has moved on in her life and a new boy is on the scene. In the original, a young Macaulay Culkin won our hearts and I, for one, was reduced to tears at the outcome. Do we really want a new boy to replace Macaulay? Are we really bothered about moody Vada's quest to find out about her mother?

As screenwriters, should we be honing in on the sequels craze? Hollywood loves a franchise opportunity, so perhaps the answer is yes. It seems every time we watch a movie these days, the ending is left open for interpretation. Films are left open to the possibility of sequels and are, a lot of the time, deliberately set up. Keeping your screenplay's potential for multiple plot lines in mind is beneficial, especially if you are writing an action film or a children's film with strong characters.

I feel that a sequel works if it could be a successful film in its own right. I was horrified at the thought of a remake of Dirty Dancing. I still haven't seen Havana Nights, but upon researching it on the internet, I came across comments by people which declared it as an excellent film in its own right. It was different from the original but had its own quality. A sequel or remake which succeeds in this fashion has a good chance of being appreciated though, having said that, it also depends on the scale of the original's following. Heck, I still haven't seen Havana Nights and probably won't - what does that say about me, given I am a HUGE fan of the original Dirty Dancing?

Remakes

I get the whole "stories are retold from generation to generation and evolve" thing, but is it necessary and does it work?

Classic films are retold aplenty on stage, so why do we scoff at the remakes of our beloved films on the big screen? It's because they're not the same as we once remembered. If you were charmed by one version, another version is likely to cause you grief, playing havoc with your precious memories. But will other generations appreciate these stories if they're not represented in a way that will appeal to them? Unless you're a film buff, you'd much rather go see a modern version of a story than a crummy old black and white one, right? How many times have you watched a film and then gone and read the book or sourced the original? Modernising films and bringing them to a wider audience is surely a good thing if it inspires such activity?

However, there's always the risk that the new version will take over... Who bothers to see Kubrick's Lolita when you can watch Lyne's version, which is much more risqué in its content and thus all the more suspenseful? In this sense, whereby a story is interpreted as per today's social acceptances representation-wise, a story can be made more complex and revealing. But as for whether it's necessary is a tricky question to answer. Those who enjoy analysing films may fully appreciate the original just as much as somebody else may better appreciate the remake.

It's a debate much like that of adaptation. Will the process ruin the original or enhance it? I know that, for me, the adaptation of The Time Traveller's Wife was deeply unsatisfying. I didn't like Clare's character on screen at all and felt cheated by the film. I also didn't like the remake of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. In making it a Tim Burton weird-fest, it lost a certain charm and it completely altered the characters and our perceptions of them.

However, some remakes have won me over. I enjoyed Superman, Batman and Scooby Doo. Perhaps my standards aren't as high as other people's because I was never a particular fan of the characters from these films as a child. I didn't read comic books and, aside from The Adventures of Superman on TV, I'd never seen any other remakes of these stories. In the case of films such as X-Men, Spiderman and Sherlock Holmes, I can honestly say I wouldn't have felt compelled to read the comics/books or watch previous film versions without the modern blockbuster hits of recent times. In this way, remakes work and are necessary to reach new audiences. Only this weekend we had a fresh new take on Sherlock Holmes in the form of a UK TV series. I just loved seeing this bouncy, younger and dishier new version of Sherlock Holmes and the up-beat way in which the story was told.

So, do remakes work? I believe that remakes can be great, but some can be dire. As with adaptations, I think authenticity is key. Stray too far from a character's behaviour or the right sort of plot line and you'll be in trouble with the fans. You don't want to offend them now, do you? After all, they could be your key to a lot of money from franchise earnings and merchandise...

Reboots

In my view, this is essentially remakes, but on a faster scale. Oh no! Our film has lost interest after a mere three years! Quick! Grab the latest hunk and up the blockbuster effects and shazam! We're back in the game!

Fine, if you're a feeble fan and suck it all up. But why I ask? Why the need to constantly reboot films that are probably best left be after the one reboot? Well-loved films will always remain well-loved. They'll be passed down through generations. We don't want to break out World War 3 now, do we?

Gran: The original is best. We can't watch anything other than the original.

Dad: But the 70s version is way better. The wee lad will be bored if we watch the original!

Wee Lad: Dad! Gran! The new version is out at the cinema! The old ones don't have any special effects, they'll be boring! This one's in 3D!!!

Oh dear. Still, the World is our Oyster. Ultimately, it's up to us to educate ourselves on films, old and new, and judge for ourselves which we appreciate the most.

What's your take on these three types of film?

Are Screenwriting Degrees/Courses Worth It? Can Screenwriting Be Taught?

2010-07-25T18:25:00.001+01:00

This afternoon I took a break from writing my current drama script to watch some Twelvepoint videos.

Julian Freedman's screenwriter training videos are free to watch on youtube. There are five videos so far, taken from a talk Julian gave at the Screenwriter's Festival in 2007 on the theme of "Can screenwriting be taught"?

It's a really interesting series of videos in which many questions are pondered:

Why isn't the standard of scripts rising?
Are screenwriting degrees worthwhile?
How can screenwriting degree work be marked effectively?
Do short courses offer a lot of false hope?
Why don't school children read scripts and why do schools not teach scriptwriting?
Is it better to study psychology; how humans function and interact, in order to write well?
Many courses and books are concerned primarily with structure. Shouldn't we be taught how to story tell instead?

If you're considering studying screenwriting, these videos are well worth watching to help you decide whether or not it's for you. Julian debates the above questions and more.

I have mixed opinions. My view is that screenwriting can be taught/learnt, but screenwriting degrees aren't necessarily the way to go about it.

I've always been a big believer in self-study. Since I began writing in 2008, I've learnt everything I know through reading books, blogs, websites, watching TV/film and attending the occasional short course.

Some might argue that a degree delivers more by way of networking and opportunities (placements and so forth), but in my view, opportunities can be sourced independently and networking depends on the individual, too.

Julian brings up some excellent points throughout his talk, such as how some writers function more through the left side of their brain than their right side. The left side of the brain is concerned more with analysing/structure, whereas the right side deals with creativity.

Tony Jordan always says that it's all about story - everything else can be fixed later. Julian touches upon this with his left-right brain comment and how format/structure is but a way of presenting a story. Are we not better to learn how to tell stories than we are to spend years perfecting format and structure?

Similarly, is it not better to study people, since people are (nearly always) at the root of screenplays? Julian suggests that it's better to study psychology to prepare yourself as a writer. If we can go some way to understanding people's behaviours and emotions, we'll be able to communicate stories realistically and effectively.

Julian also touches upon talent in his talk. I believe good writing is a combination of life experience and talent. You can have plenty of life experience, but if you can't communicate stories effectively, you won't make it as a writer.

Screenwriting degrees are all very well, but if you lack talent in writing, the degree will just be a waste of money.

My view is that you can learn all you need to learn from reading, watching, networking, critiquing and, of course, life experience. Becoming a screenwriter entails much more than just getting a qualification. It takes passion and perseverance.

It's worth asking yourself for what reason you want to be a writer? For the money? To communicate a belief? To help people? Screenwriting is an extremely tough industry to get into. A screenwriting degree may open doors, but they are doors that many other aspiring writers, academically trained or not, are also trying to enter. No-one can tell who will get through first, and who will find success through said doors.

Ultimately, it's up to you as an individual to weigh up the pros and cons of doing a screenwriting degree. It may be just the thing to get your confidence levels up and reveal hidden talents and strengths. But don't forget to research other ways of learning. Sending your work to be read by a scriptreader or a fellow writer can do wonders for helping you improve the standard of your work. Reading scripts and watching/analysing TV shows and films will also teach you a lot.

It's all about finding a way of learning to suit you and your lifestyle.

Can screenwriting be taught? What's your opinion?

Three of my Mr Vista web comedy episodes have been filmed!

2010-07-21T20:37:00.000+01:00

About a year ago I discovered Mr Vista, a comedy web show written and directed by Tim Clague.

The progressive adventures of Mr Vista - One man's life with a progress bar follows Mr Vista, an office worker whose days never go as well as planned...

When I first started watching them, I was reminded of Mr Bean. Mr Vista is, to me, the geeky/techie version. My fiancé and I watched the whole backlog in quick succession - we couldn't get enough of it. Giggles aplenty!

Then I found out Tim was calling for guest writers. Dom Carver, fellow screenwriting friend and blogger, had written a Mr Vista script which had been filmed (and rather good it was, too) and Tim was on the lookout for more scripts for the next series.

Well, there was no stopping me. I'd already had some "light bulb" moments and was elated to get the chance to pitch them.

I bashed out a few scripts. Pleased but nervous, I hit send. Thankfully Tim liked what he saw. He briefed me on a few changes and suggested a few further ideas. With the advice on board, I set to work tweaking my scripts. Here's what Tim had to say about my writing when I later approached him for a testimonial for my professional website:

"Michelle wrote several scripts for my comedy web series Mr Vista. It was clear that she understood the style of the series and the characters straight away. Where we had to ask for rewrites (around budget issues) her rewrites were fast, effective and delivered back almost instantly."

Ultimately, three were chosen for filming. This weekend just gone, they were filmed! I'm really excited about it and am looking forward to seeing how my scripts translated to screen.

I've only had one official writing credit (until now) and that was a radio sketch for The Unprofessionals, broadcast on Nerve FM. It was fascinating to hear my sketch come to life on the radio. It'll be a completely new experience seeing it as well as hearing it on Mr Vista!

I will, of course, let you all know when the episodes are up!

Nokia Booklet 3G - Review From A Writer & A Techie's Point of View!

2010-07-17T12:25:00.000+01:00

I was approached recently by a Nokia WOMworld representative to trial the snazzy Nokia Booklet 3G. They wanted to know what I, as a writer, thought of it.

I myself own a Samsung N150, a beautiful pearlescent white model with big keys and excellent functionality for my needs, which consist mostly of reading scripts/e-books, writing documents/stories/screenplays and, of course, the obligatory web-browsing for procrastination purposes. So I had something to compare the Booklet to. Side by side, there's minimal difference in size. I'd say the Booklet is a little more compact, with a rigid shape and solid feel to it, whereas the Samsung has a very smooth, light feel to it.

So, firstly, I'll talk about buttons. After all, without them and their ease of use, writing would be very difficult indeed. I get on really well with my Samsung keyboard. The buttons are surprisingly large for such a small netbook and they make soft noises as you write. Looking at the Booklet's buttons, you'd expect to have a few troubles getting used to them but, astonishingly, I made very few mistakes when I began writing. Though small, the buttons are well-spaced and easy to use.

Next up is navigation. It's all very well having a good keyboard, but if you can't scroll, click, highlight and so forth, you're in trouble. The Samsung has what I call "unsticky" mouse buttons below the touch pad; they make a nice, satisfying click, without feeling as though they'll break after a certain amount of use. The Booklet comes close second when compared. The touch pad is sensitive and has some nice functions, such as pinch zooming, none of which I really got round to using. As a writer, I like things to be simple - as long as I can scroll up and down easily, I'm happy. The mouse buttons were a little "static" for my liking. Whilst they made nice loud clicky noises, it was a bit of an effort to navigate them without looking, as the buttons sit level with the base. Click near the middle by accident, and you'll not get far. Perhaps it's just me, but I know I prefer nice, easy-to-click mouse buttons that don't require too much effort.

Stage three: the screen. The Booklet has a higher resolution (1280x720) than the Samsung (1024x600). With such good resolution and a shiny screen, the Booklet promised to provide excellent visuals for my writing. However, writing appeared a little too small for my liking. Not only that, but my screenwriting programme, Celtx, didn't fit within the screen properly. Unable to resize or minimise it, I struggled to get comfortable with my writing. The screen is, however, wonderful for viewing video content on the internet and pictures. With such a crisp display and a decent volume on the speakers, there's not much to complain about on that side of things.

Talking of comfort, the Booklet has a feature that my Samsung doesn't - it can open up to almost 180 degrees! This is essential for lying-down-whilst-writing and other such awkward positions you might find yourself in when trying to write (after all, not everybody owns a desk), and, let's be honest, who doesn't want to write whilst sitting/lying on the bed from time to time?

Talking of writing on laps or in/on beds, there's another feature of the Booklet that amazed me - no vents! The Booklet's housing comprises a solid-metal effect with no air vents. This meant minimal overheating and no noise. A double whammy of goodness. As many writers will know, when a laptop spends too long stifled by a duvet it can lead to some ouchy-that's-friggin'-hot moments. Not so with the Booklet. But the best thing of all? Silence. I sat down to write (on the bed I might add), with the Booklet balanced 180 degree-wise on my legs, and all I could hear was the birds and the distant traffic through the open window. No "I'm doing stuff" whirring noises or fan shout-outs. Nada.

With such user-friendliness, the Booklet will win many hearts. It even surprised me with it's care over my work. Sitting down rather heavily whilst holding the Booklet caused it to freeze due to having sensed a sudden movement. "We want to make sure we protect your work" is what it'd have said were it to explain its actions. It did explain, but my memory as to the exact phrasing evades me. In a nutshell, it's very considerate.

So what about the bad points? I found that the Booklet froze mid-writing on several occasions (not the good freezing as explained in the previous paragraph, but the "Noooo I was in the middle of a sentence and I haven't clicked save since three dialogues before" sense.) Not only that, but it threw the blue screen of death in my face several times, too. Feeling the pressure of a writing deadline, I soon grew frustrated with it and put it to rest in its stylish box-house.

Re-united with my Samsung N150, I was in love more than ever. Tapping away on it for hours, I really appreciated its reliability and, though its battery life is less impressive than the Booklet, its consistent functionality garnered my utmost respect.

We mustn't be too harsh on the Booklet. I'm no techie and my needs aren't as demanding as some people who may indulge in all of the Booklet's other features and capabilities. As for its freeze problem and blue screens of death? Perhaps it's staging a rebellion at being carted off to different people every few weeks and being criticised by reviewers. For that, I'm truly sorry, Booklet. May you rest in peace someday.

Would I buy one? Or, more pertinently, would I trade mine in for one?

I actually wouldn't. At half the price, the Samsung N150, from my writer's point of view, is just as good as the Booklet. Whilst I loved the metallic petrol-blue colour and smart, solid body of the Booklet, all of which oozed style, my relationship with it was but a summer fling.

In conclusion, I'd say the Booklet is a little too expensive for what it is. However, I understand that my point of view will differ from others who use their technology in different ways or for different purposes. My fiancé is far more "techie" than I and loves reviewing gadgets, so whilst I was tapping away on my Samsung, he was sussing the Booklet out....

Here's his rather more comprehensive review:

"The Nokia Booklet 3G is a stylish netbook that would not look out of place in the hands of a media student. Even down to the packaging, it is clear that this machine has been thoughtfully designed. The blue box is thick and robust, and you could use it to store the Booklet at home. The inner tray slides out to reveal the Booklet itself, which is slim and oozes quality; the top is a beautiful glossy blue, and the aluminium chassis feels very solid (it's heavy, as though it actually were solid). All the parts of the Booklet fit together with great precision, and it feels, to my admittedly untrained hands, like a MacBook.

Underneath, there are no vents to be blocked inconveniently by your trousers and cause the laptop to overheat - in fact, thre aren't any vents on the sides either. There aren't even any fans. Eventually, all computers will be made like this, and it will be brilliant, because this is an important consideration for making a laptop computer portable: it should be designed for use on a soft surface, like a lap, without having its vents blocked. The large, flat battery, which gives a good 7 or so highly portable hours of use, is situated unusually at the front of the machine, and does not stick out at all, unlike many netbook batteries.

Instead of fans and vents, then, the aluminium chassis acts to dissipate the heat. I am disappointed that metal chassis are not used more often in laptops; take for example the Dell Inspiron 1720 (metal chassis) and the following-generation Inspiron 15 (plastic chassis); the 1720 sits happily at around 30ºC in most conditions, but the plastic 15 struggles to keep below 50ºC. I think this speaks for itself.

Anyway, the metal body serves to cool the Booklet, but despite my ranting above, I am sorry to say that it's not ideal. Perhaps components in computers just don't run cool enough for this type of design yet, as it seems the Booklet could do with some vents. It crashed within an hour or two of first using it, and has done so once or twice since then. It seems that even with this clever design, you should still seek to optimise airflow around the Booklet to keep it cool; if these crashes were caused by overheating, that essentially means it shouldn't be used for a long time on a nice warm duvet, you silly screenwriters.

Speaking of screens, the Booklet's has a higher resolution (1280x720) than most netbooks including the Samsung N150 (1024x600, I think) that I'm perhaps unfairly comparing it to. I'm sure screen resolution on most monitors will improve to the standard of Apple's Retina display on the iPhone 4 before long, and as the pixels on that are barely discernible to the naked eye, even up close, it might never get much sharper. This screen, though, is not perfect. The resolution is sharp, but the screen is shiny, and I'm not a fan of this, because you have to face it away from light sources to avoid annoying reflections, and don't even think about using it outside. It also has a sparkly grainy sort of look, which is most noticeable on white areas that just don't look smooth enough.

The screen hinge is solid enough, and the screen opens almost flat, which is convenient for using the Booklet in confined spaces. The screen closes smoothly with no catch to remind you just how lovely that glossy blue lid is, and when turned upside down and held by the main body, a most unfashionable way to carry a netbook, the screen will just about stay closed.

Sound from the speakers can be impressively loud, though unavoidably tinny. Remember that the Booklet has no fans, so operates only with the quiet whirr of the hard disk; this can be a very quiet machine indeed and would be ideal for meetings and lectures and important stuff like that.

The touchpad supports multi-touch things like pinch zooming, which works fairly well, and the mouse buttons work with very little travel, but with a very loud click.

The keyboard looks and feels very nice, though the Enter button is a bit small, and the F keys are assigned to hotkey functions by default - you have to press Fn and an F-key to get the normal F-key function that you might expect. Maybe this is configurable.

Windows 7 Starter runs with as much speed as you might expect a netbook not to have, but it's not noticeably faster than, for example, on the Samsung N150.

The inbuilt wireless works well enough to receive all Glenn Miller's hits and Churchill's most important speeches without hassle, and I apologise that I haven't tested the 3G connectivity; I'm a poor pay-as-you-goer, and in any case I'm rarely far from Wi-Fi, so I've just been using that.

Charging is accomplished via a very small transformer with a very thin lead, like a phone charger, that plugs into the Booklet at the back of the right-hand side; it's a welcome change from the industrial-sized power supplies that I'm used to using with other laptops. Along this side of the machine, there's also a USB port, SIM and SD card slots behind a cover, the power button, and the right speaker.

The other side of the machine has an HDMI port at the back corner, with two USB ports and the headphone socket, and the left speaker at the front corner.

There are no sockets, slots or buttons at all along the front of the Booklet, and this gives it a very clean look; the back is similarly clean and is taken up entirely by the hinge, however there are a few blue LEDs for power, battery, standby, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, in the middle. These lights are mirrored on the inside of the hinge when the screen is opened.

In short, then, it looks and feels very nice indeed, but it's also quite basic. The high price tag seems to be based on the beautiful design, rather than the disappointing performance. Reliability seems to be an issue as well.

If the remarkable feature is meant to be the 3G connectivity, then maybe it's a good choice, and the decent battery and ventless design makes it truly portable, but I think this kind of thing is going to be standard soon.

Having tried the Nokia Booklet, which is on sale for at least £450, and the Samsung N150, which was £240 when I bought it, this is a buying choice that only the rich might have difficulty with. For such a princely sum, the style-conscious might buy an Apple, perhaps an iPad, and the savvy would buy something cheaper. I know which I'd go for: if it's value for money you're after, you won't find it here. Sorry, Nokia."

So there you have it. Two reviews for the price of one! Marvellous.

What netbook/laptop do you use for your writing?

Anonymous or Vague Characters in Screenwriting

2010-06-26T13:49:00.000+01:00

What I mean by "anonymous" is where you give no character description. For example, naming characters by an initial and only giving their sex. So, for example, using "T, male..." and nothing more to describe this character.

I wrote a short screenplay recently which relates to a strong topic. I wasn't commenting on the topic itself, but the personal journey of an implicated character. I made the decision from the offset to make the characters anonymous so that I could concentrate on the story itself - that of the main character. It was his emotional journey and the message it gave to the audience that was important - not the "strong topic" and the how and whys involved.

Making your characters anonymous when writing a first draft can be a huge benefit, depending on the story, as it allows you not to get bogged down by factors that may influence how you tell the specific story you are trying to tell.

I know a writer who was debating whether or not to have a "specific character" in their next short screenplay. In the end, they decided to write the story with generic characters first, to see whether or not the story could be told effectively without said "specific character". Using anonymous characters can work really when figuring out if a theme really works, regardless of who is acting it out.

However, in most cases, it is important to know everything there is about the characters involved so as to fully inform the way in which they react to the situations they find themselves in. Knowing a character's history and personality is greatly beneficial to a writer in order to take the characters on their personal journeys and arcs.

In my case, I had the main character and supporting characters fleshed out in my mind but felt the need to keep the "strong topic" at bay so that I could concentrate on the main character's personal dilemma.

I found myself in my own dilemma after completing the first few drafts. By eliminating the influence of the "strong topic" and allowing myself to express the theme without those restraints, I then had a decision to make: keep the characters anonymous to help prove my point or give them identities?

It's hard to explain without giving away my story (which I'd like to, ironically, keep anonymous for now as it's in progress) but the fact that I kept identities vague in my script really helps to fuel people's imagination. During a discussion of my script the other evening stereotypes were being flagged up and the motives of the characters were really coming to the forefront and masking the real story - that of the main character's emotional journey. I challenged this: what is really happening here? Could't this scenario apply to anyone who should find themselves in such a situation? Is it not about X and his own personal struggle? After seeing past stereotypes and "assumptions" on who, what and why, the conclusion was that if I were to give the characters seemingly stereotypical identities, it would mask the real story/message too much because it would fuel too many assumptions.

Whilst it's nice to think that you can make a statement and keep characters open to interpretation, it's in actual fact a dead end when it comes to screenwriting. Keeping characters anonymous may work in short stories where imagination is key, but in a highly visual medium such as theatre and film identity is unavoidable.

I found myself debating whether I should "just let the film-makers decide" and keep it open to interpretation, but this is, in all honesty, a cop-out. It's my story and I must tell it fully in a way that will give identities yet still get the story I am trying to tell across successfully. I have found a solution now that I am happy with. Characters will be identified but the main character's journey will be at the forefront.

If you ever find yourself in such a dilemma, think carefully about what exactly you are trying to say. If other elements of the story risk taking the viewer on a completely different mind-path, think carefully about how you can "anonymise" it without having completely "anonymous" characters. Where there's a will there's a way!

An Insider's Guide To Working With Script Editors and Producers

2010-06-22T19:57:00.000+01:00

The wonderful Adrian Mead of Mead Kerr production company have organised another fantastic day course which is bound to motivate and inspire you to further your skills and career.

I went to one of Adrian's day courses, The Screenwriter's Career Guide, last year and found it immensely worthwhile. I don't hesitate to recommend them. Script editor Philip Shelley will tutor the course. Here's all the details from Adrian:

REWRITE – AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH SCRIPT EDITORS AND PRODUCERS

No doubt you've heard that getting work in the film and TV industry is a case of, “Not what you know, but who you know.”

Guess what?

It’s true. Talent will get you so far but relationships are where the business gets done.

Getting someone interested in your work is only the start of the process. This information packed one day course is your chance to learn from successful Writers, Script Editors and Producers about what happens next.

The course is hosted by Adrian Mead and Clare Kerr of Mead Kerr and we are very pleased to welcome Philip Shelley as the lead speaker and tutor.

Philip Shelley is one of the UK’s most experienced Script Consultants and Editors and has worked as a Script Editor and Producer in TV drama and film for 15 years. He has script edited numerous projects including A Good Murder, Waking The Dead, Inspector Morse, Kavanagh QC and many more.

During this info-packed day Philip, Adrian Mead and a panel of Writers and Producers will explore

• What can Script Editors do for Writers
• Handling rewrites – fighting your corner without falling out.
• “It’s not what you know…” Relationships that get you work.

COURSE DETAILS
VENUE: St Columba's-by-the-castle
14 Johnston Terrace
Edinburgh EH1 2PW

FEE: £85.00 (includes lunch and refreshments)
DATE: Saturday Oct 2nd 2010
BOOKINGS AT: http://rewrite.eventbrite.com

Book your place now at http://rewrite.eventbrite.com and get the insider knowledge you need to build your career.

Book Review: Invisible Ink (A Practical Guide To Building Stories That Resonate) by Brian McDonald

2010-05-31T11:55:00.000+01:00

I was recently asked by a book company to read and review Invisible Ink (A Practical Guide To Building Stories That Resonate) by Brian McDonald. I accepted the offer and was childishly excited when the book was delivered through my door from America!

So, first up, what is Invisible Ink? Brian McDonald explains on his blog:

"Invisible ink is the writing below the surface of the words. Most people will never see, or notice it, but they will feel it."

The book deals with elements of storytelling that aren't immediately obvious to the reader/viewer. So, to explain with an example, dialogue is considered visible ink, whereas tools for showing, rather than telling, such as clone characters (those used to measure the success of the main character - like how Gollum is used to show what could happen to Frodo if he gives in to the ring's power) are considered invisible ink. Invisible ink encompasses all sorts of storytelling methods that are essential to good storytelling, but which aren't easily identified until you are made aware of them.

McDonald, writer of award-winning short film White Face, has taught his craft at major studios including Pixar and George Lucas' ILM. His book has recieved positive reviews from the likes of Andrew Stanton, co-writer for Toy Story, Finding Nemo and WALL-E and Jim Taylor, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Sideways and Election, who even goes as far as to say "Ignore him at your peril"!

I found Invisible Ink to be a very enjoyable read. It is split up into easily-digestable sections with short chapters in each on different storytelling techniques. McDonald writes well in a way that is neither too academic for the beginner or condescending to the more advanced screenwriter. He backs up all his points with plentry of examples from films, books and stories across the board, so there is always something the reader will recognise and relate to.

As I was reading through Invisible Ink I thought of it as an ideal book for those just starting out in screenwriting. McDonald covers everything you need to know to build a good story but never loses your interest. It doesn't read like a textbook or a how-to book. It is almost as though you are sitting in on one of his seminars. He interjects the narrative with personal anecdotes to help explain his theories or how he came to discover certain methods and he even goes as far as to include the script for his own award-winning short, White Face. Here, we are able to put everything he has taught us throughout the book into practice as we read his story about racial prejudice not only on the surface, as a story, but beneath the surface - the language of invisible ink. McDonald takes us through his own process and explains exactly how he used all the methods talked about in the book in his own work.

Having said that this book is ideal for a beginner, I by no means think that intermediate and advanced screenwriters won't benefit. I consider myself as an intermediate writer. I'm educated in how to write, I do write and am continuously trying to improve my education and my writing, but I'm not yet an expert. I found that some of the methods McDonald talks about I already knew, but it is the fresh way in which he describes them that makes them stand out by way of "reinforcement". For example, McDonald explains the importance of theme in stories and how people can become confused by what theme actually is. Theme is what you want to say in your story - the message you want to get across. Theme isn't a single word or genre, but a statement, a point, a moral perhaps. I myself have gotten confused by this in the past. McDonald explains theme in a different way. He describes it as an armature - the idea upon which we hang our story. This analogy is particularly good to me as representation of what theme is, because I have studied sculpture and made a fair few armatures myself!

Another strong visual representation McDonald presents is that of "masculine" and "feminine" elements of storytelling. In a nutshell, masculine elements are external, such as action scenes/things that happen, and feminine elements are internal, such as emotions/consequences of actions. McDonald is by no means being sexist here and he goes on to explain his research behind this theory, but what he is really trying to do here is present a way of looking at the balance of stories. It is important to balance the masculine and feminine elements in a story for it to have resonance. There are some excellent action movies, such as The Godfather, in which there are consequences for the things that happen (murder). These are balanced, the exploration of consequence equating to a "female" element. McDonald argues that screenplays with no emotional or thematic life are unbalanced. Lots of things happen, but with no real purpose. I agree with this and I really like his way of looking at it - I find it memorable and can apply it to the films I watch, as I'll exlain further in a moment.

Invisible Ink covers a lot within its 153 pages. Whilst reading I would often say to myself "Oh yeah!" in response to storytelling methods that seem really obvious to me now, but which I hadn't really noticed or understood in such depth before reading the book. Thus is the nature of invisible ink!

To conclude, I would say that this is a good book. It's a nice read, easy to follow and covers lots of storytelling methods which will really help beginners and might even surprise advanced writers, too. McDonald gives you fresh ways to look at films and identify their strengths, something which I realised when watching Hostage last night after having finished reading Invisible Ink. I was able to identify the methods McDonald talks about in Invisible Ink, especially his theory on masculine and feminine elements. It was clear that Hostage was a well-balanced film, combining high-action with motive, emotional turmoil and consequences for actions.

If you'd like to buy Invisible Ink, I've added it to my bookshop on my Writesofluid writing resources website. If you purchase through my Amazon-powered bookshop, I'll get a few pennies for the referral!

Are you a book company, publisher or author who would like me to review their book/s on my blog? Feel free to contact me!

TV on demand - the best thing since sliced bread?

2010-05-16T20:50:00.000+01:00

I think it is!

Before being able to access television on our computers (iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Demand Five), keeping up with TV was rather difficult. It meant organising your life around certain programmes and endless struggles with video and DVD recorders. What a palava! Watching TV came at the expense of other things you might need to/want to do, such as studying, hobbies and social activities. Not any more.

TV on demand has unleashed a new freedom upon us. The freedom to access any programme, any time. A godsend for those of us who need their evenings for other purposes - in my case writing. I remember, pre-TV on demand (in my house in any case), the other half making a comment that I should cut down my TV watching in order to write. What he didn't quite understand then (but does now) is that in order to become a scriptwriter, it is also important to keep up with television. It's research (identifying current trends and all that jazz) and a learning tool (can't write it if you haven't ever watched it)... But yes, it is also a blimmin' great excuse to indulge in soaps, dramas and films. But with so many channels and so many great things to watch, it all becomes a little too much if you don't limit yourself.

My top tip is to use your time wisely. Whilst it's perfectly OK to indulge in television during the evenings should you feel like relaxing, it isn't always the most productive way to get things done. If you're like me and work full-time, it's often better to organise your time slightly differently. I tend to watch Home and Away and Hollyoaks in real-time as a bit of wind-down time after work whilst I get changed and have dinner. Then I like to try and get on with some writing. If I get on OK, I might stop an hour or so before bed and read or watch something else to wind down again. This could be something in real-time, a DVD, or something on "catch-up". I try not to worry about missing a lot of TV in the evenings or on weekends as I have a trick up my sleeve - morning TV watching. In my current routine, I tend to spend and hour pottering around in the mornings before work getting ready and eating breakfast. It's during this hour that I usually watch the soaps from the night before or something else of interest. This way, I can use my evenings productively and still get my soap fix.

Saturday and Sunday mornings are also good times to watch catch-up TV. You're in a lazy state and want to chill - so why not watch a few things in bed with breakfast? It's like a productive lie-in! Everybody's routine and circumstances are different, so my method won't work for everybody, but it is worth considering how you can best free up time to write. With a little planning, you can have the best of both worlds!

How do you fit in your TV/film watching around work/hobbies/writing? Any tips you can share?

Re-reading books...

2010-05-09T14:33:00.000+01:00

I've always been the kind of person who never reads a book twice. Nor do I feel inclined to read a book if I have seen a television or film adaptation of it. I really wish I wasn't like this - but I often just can't find the motivation to read something that I already know the plot of, preferring to read something new in which I know little of what will happen.

I've overcome the adaptation thing already because, as a writer, adaptation now interests me and I understand the necessity to study an adaptation from source to product. It's also true how the original source is often much richer, so we ought not to be put off by knowing the plot, but intrigued by all the hidden information that we may have been forced to miss through adaptation.

Today I stumbled across a blog entry by writer Emma Darwin, author of A Secret Alechemy and The Mathematics of Love, in which she analyses the pros of re-reading a book. Emma expresses how surprised she is that people, aspiring writers even, are often negative about re-reading books.

Emma writes: "To me a really good book is one which has more to offer when you re-read. Which can only be true, by definition, if it's a book which won't yield everything it has to offer at the first read. Yes, if you're a thoughtful reader you'll pick up some subtle, underground stuff on the first read, and that may be enough, but I'd even argue that reading too slowly and analytically on a first read can actually be counterproductive. Writing is all about trying to create a whole, and so if you're learning to write it's very important to read a book as a whole, and then try to separate out the strands which make it the particular whole that you've experienced"

Emma's saying that it's not enough to assume that you'll pick up all there is to gain from a book from one read only, no matter how slowly you read it in order to absorb it all. I must admit I fall victim to this sometimes - I read slowly and carefully in order not to "miss out on anything". I can understand though how this puts readers at a disadvantage. Reading books, just like reading scripts, is an activity best undertaken by reading without agenda, especially if you are aiming to study it. Read it for pleasure first, then again for the purpose of studying it.

Emma goes on to list several reasons why you might want to re-read a good book. The first items on the list I recognise from having spoken to friends who enjoy re-reading books. They do it to re-visit a familiar world and to spend more time with the characters, to enjoy the writing and to delight in small details they may have missed on previous reads. I can relate to this. I enjoy re-watching favourite television series' in order to revisit the world and the characters to which I relate to or admire (or indeed both). So why is it I don't do the same with favourite novels, I wonder?

Part of me thinks it may be a time issue. After all, why re-read a book when there are so many unread books on my shelf that I look forward to reading too? Emma goes on to emphasize how important it can be for aspiring novelists. To study how the clues to a murder were fitted together in a crime thriller, to study plot and structure, characterisation, prose, and to help find your voice.

It certainly is worth re-reading books for the purpose of studying them. Just as scriptwriters study scripts to hone in on the craft, aspiring novelists must also do the same. Looking at the comments on the blog entry though, it seems that most people re-read books simply because they really love them.

Thinking of my favourite novels, such as The Quickening Ground by Hayden Gabriel, The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff, A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice and Growing Up Again by Catriona McCloud amongst others, I wonder whether I will ever re-read them.

Having recently sorted through all my books, chucking out ones I've read and keeping ones I hadn't, I actually couldn't bear to throw away copies of my favourite books and cheekily stored them in one of my "keepsy" storage boxes. In fact, thinking of those books is making me crave that same reading experience again. So perhaps there's hope for me yet!

P.S Apologies if there are any strange spacing/font size issues going on this post - struggled for ages to try and sort it out - not sure what happened there!

"You're Not Selfish Enough!"

2010-05-08T19:38:00.000+01:00

That's what a writer friend told me in an email just under a month ago, and it got me thinking.

I'd been talking about how I hadn't managed to get much of my own writing done since Easter. I'd been very busy in my full-time job and outside of it, too, sorting out all my worldly possessions at my parents' house in readiness for their impending house move. I actually live with my fiancé full-time, so all my recent/current possessions are there already, but my childhood bedroom at my parents' house was still pretty much as I had left it aged 18. Not to mention the fact that the loft was pretty much entirely full of my childhood toys and games.

Every spare moment outside work was spent organising it all (chuck, keep, boot sale) - cleaning, packing boxes and so forth. Looking back, I shouldn't have been so stressed about it all, but I felt panicked, not knowing how long I had to get it all done. I was also worried about where I would store the many boot sale boxes, as there isn't much room at my fiancé's house for them and I felt pressured to get boot-saleing immediately. As well as all this, I'd been continuing with my Writesofluid script report service. I love writing script reports and helping people and gain great pleasure from doing so, but the reports still tend to take me a little longer than they would for more experienced readers. I like to take my time over them to make sure I give the best quality report I can so early on in my script reading career.

All these factors taken into account, I was rather run down and felt disappointed that I couldn't find any spare time to get cracking on all those exciting writing projects I had planned during Easter. My friend told me that I was to be admired for maintaining all my websites and offering the services that I do alongside a full-time job, not to mention the P3 reading I also do as a favour to writing friends, but that I should really be more selfish and take time out for myself. After all, my foremost aim is to become a writer, so I ought to get on with writing!

They had a point. I'd got so caught up with other commitments that I'd become detached from doing the very thing I love the most - writing. So I made a conscious decision to make more "me time". Now that I am finally organised packing-wise, and have taken a little time out from script reading to concentrate on my own writing, I am starting to feel whole again and am getting geared up to pick up writing projects that have been neglected for the past few weeks and begin some new projects, too.

I've come to realise just how important it is to look after yourself and to make time to do the things you enjoy, such as reading books and watching TV/films, and of course writing.

Even procrastination shouldn't be looked upon too harshly. Julie Gray, on her blog, recently spoke about how it's OK to procrastinate a little, so long as you do end up writing something. Her "getting in the mood" method is to incorporate some procrastination time into her writing shedule. So, for example, if you plan to write for 3 hours, make sure you add on an extra half-hour, making the target time 3 1/2 hours, to allow for procrastination. That way, you won't need to feel guilty about taking a few minutes here and there to do procrastinatory things. I don't even know if "procrastinatory" is a word... Oh well, it is now!

If you're like me though and end up falsely prioritising every other task, feeling like you need to complete everything else before you can comfortably get on with writing, then take my friend's advice. Be more selfish. Consider your writing equally as important as any other task and try to do a little each day, even if you're really busy. A few minutes a day (whilst sitting on the toilet I might add!) worked for Adrian Mead, so it can work for you! It's so easy to fall behind with everything, but you needn't feel like you're a failure if other things crop up. It's life - these things happen. Don't be put off by that "behind" feeling, either - just take things one step at a time.

So, if you're feeling a bit run down and behind with your writing, take a moment to think...

"Am I being selfish enough?"

Interview with Script Editor Hayley Mckenzie!

2010-04-26T22:13:00.000+01:00

Ever wanted to know what it's like to be a script editor or how to get into script editing as a career?

Hayley Mckenzie is a professional script editor with over ten years experience in the UK screenwriting industry.

Hayley kindly agreed to participate in an interview on this here blog to answer questions such as these and more, so without further ado...

When did you first discover a keenness towards storytelling?

I’d always watched lots of drama on tv and read novels but it didn’t occur to me that it could be a career until after University.

I believe you went to the same University as I (Canterbury Christ Church University in Canterbury) and studied English with Film, Radio & Television. Did you aim for a script reading/editing career before choosing your degree subjects, or did you become aware of the career option whilst studying?

I did, and it was a great course because it allowed me to keep studying English Lit and to get more involved in the practical side of production (film, tv and radio). That said, combining the two as a career still hadn’t crossed my mind. I loved studying literary texts and analysing the storytelling but as a job I wanted to work in television and theatre production management. It wasn’t until I’d started working as a Runner in TV and a Deputy Stage Manager in theatre that I realised all the really interesting decisions had been made much earlier in the process when the text was still at script development stage. That’s when the penny dropped and I realised that I could combine the two things I loved most – storytelling analysis and production, which is essentially what a script editor does.

On a recent #scriptchat session on twitter, you mentioned that you don't write yourself. Why is this? Has it always been the case, or did you perhaps write before discovering your passion for script reading/editing?

I can write but I don’t have a passion for it. Out of necessity my scenes and dialogue have sometimes ended up in the finished drama and they’re fine but it isn’t what I love. I wake up wanting to read scripts and help writers make them better, I don’t wake up with lots of stories I want to write myself.

Have you ever felt compelled to/do you think you will ever venture into scriptwriting yourself?

No, I’m happy to do it when I have to and in extreme cases I have ended up writing by proxy – having come up with all the story changes and then having to give line-by-line dialogue notes on every scene. It’s rare but it is a skill that script editors need on some productions. It’s also an interesting dilemma when you’re developing original projects and you’re working so closely with the writer in coming up with the ideas that you could almost claim to be co-writing it. You get as passionate and involved in the project as the writer is, but without the credit! That’s a script editor’s job though and I’m happy with that distinction.

You started out as a script reader, first working for production companies and then freelance. Was becoming a script editor a natural progression or did someone/something inspire you to move into that area of expertise?

It felt like a natural progression for me. As a freelance reader I found it frustrating that I wasn’t actually helping make the script better. If you recommended a project for development it then got picked up by the development team and as a reader you moved onto the next pile of submissions. It does require a mental shift though. A reader (certainly as a filter for production companies) identifies problems whereas a script editor is tasked with finding solutions to those problems and that requires a lot more creativity.

How did you get your first big break as a script editor for Crossroads?

I was already working as a freelance script reader for Carlton TV who made Crossroads. I’d quickly become a core reader and was getting a lot of work from them and they then asked me if I was interested in the job.

You have script edited for some high profile television shows, notably Casualty, Heartbeat and Blue Murder. Could you describe a day in the life of a TV script editor?

At the heart of it lies a process of reading scripts (episodes of the show), making notes, getting notes from other members of editorial team then briefing the writer. Working on 4-6 episodes at a time and taking each episode through up to 6 drafts, that process alone takes up a lot of your working days and evenings. In addition you have to read some drafts of everyone elses episodes for continuity (I’d read 1st and a later draft) as well as reading scripts from agents and writers. Good script editors never stop searching for writing talent, even when they’re drowning in scripts of the show they’re working on.

You now run your own script consultancy, Script Angel. Would you say that there is a vast difference between being an in-house TV script editor and being a freelance script editor/consultant? Please explain. Is one more demanding than the other or do they perhaps pose different challenges? Which do you prefer?

I’m using essentially the same skills but the days feel very different. I’d actually say that the biggest difference is not between being in-house or freelance, but between working on a drama being made (Casualty, Blue Murder) and working in development. When you’re on a show you are absolutely immersed in that world and there is a buzz and exhilaration that comes from the pressure of the shooting deadline. There’s also the fabulous reward of seeing the script you’ve helped to develop being performed, shot and aired. Working in development, as I did in-house at ITV Manchester and am doing now, brings a much greater variety of work and a huge range of writers, styles, tone and genres. The disadvantage is the frustration of not knowing if the script you and the writer have slaved over will ever get greenlit and made.

What is a typical work day like for you now?

The majority of it is made up of reading scripts and writing notes, with a huge chunk of thinking going on between the two. In addition I’m squeezing in all the little jobs associated with running your own business (admin, finance, marketing, etc). I’m also getting involved in local screenwriting and film-making groups and learning new areas. For example, I recently attended a workshop by Paul Wells, Director of Animation at Loughborough University. I’ve been sent an animation script and although I’m well versed in animation as a viewer (Shaun the Sheep and Up are personal favourites!) I wanted to develop my animation analysis skills as it requires a slight shift in the way you think about story possiblities.

On your website, you mention that you will do everything you can to open doors in the industry for exceptional writing talent. What do you look for in a writer for them to qualify for this?

The writing has got to really excite me. Everyone wants to discover the next Jimmy McGovern or Heidi Thomas and there is nothing better than reading a script and being blown away by the writing, regardless of whether you want to make that particular project or not.

You also develop original projects. What excites you about a script? What qualities do you look for in a script with regards to its potential to be developed/promoted/made?

I’m looking not only for great writing but a project that compels me to try to get it made, and the combination of the two is rare. I’m interested in every genre and style but I only have a limited amount of time and energy that I can devote to development, with the majority of my time spent on commissioned feedback for Script Angel writers. For that reason a project will have to really grab me, not let me go and kind of haunt me, in order for me to want to develop it.

What is the most common problem that occurs in the scripts that you read?

The story often just isn’t compelling and very often what story there is isn’t rooted in the characters that are playing it out. The best scripts make you feel as if that story is unique to that character and the two are inseparable.

If you could give one piece of advice to writers that would help them heighten the standard of their writing, what would it be?

Read lots of scripts and watch lots of drama (tv, film, radio, theatre). Think about the dramas you love and figure out what makes them great, then you’ll start to see what’s missing in your own work.

What makes a good script reader?

The ability to analyse a script. Often my first instinct is just ‘that wasn’t good’ and it then takes a few hours of thinking about the script, story, characters, etc to really identify what specific elements, scenes, moments in the script combined to made me feel like that when I put the script down.

What makes a good script editor?

Having identified what isn’t working, the key skill of a script editor is suggesting solutions to the problems. You need to develop the ability to find the kernel of gold within the script, to identify what the writer is trying to do and help them to develop the script so that what’s on the page is the best possible version of that vision.

It is often difficult to get into script reading/editing as a career if you don't have a relevant degree/relevant experience. What is your advice to anyone who aspires to be a script reader/editor?

Offer to do it for free and keep offering! Even with a good and relevant degree and experience in television drama, I only got production companies to give me a chance by offering to read a script they knew and do a report on it for free in order to show what I could do. Even with a long list of clients (BBC, Carlton, etc) I had to do that every time I approached a new production company looking for work. If you’re only trying the big production companies and getting knocked back, start trying smaller ones, try local film-making groups and small professional theatre companies, try your regional screen agency. If you can’t get paid work try doing it for free until you build up a body of work that shows how good you are.

Once you are getting the work, made sure you go the extra mile. I don’t mean give them a 10 page report if they’ve asked for 3 pages (that just suggests you can’t take direction or work to a brief) but make sure you’ve put as much thought, clarity and insight into the report as you could possibly manage in the time you’ve had. You’re only as good as your last piece of work and there are hundreds of keen and talented people snapping at your heels so if you do get your foot in the door, keep earning your place there.

Not only is Hayley a successful script editor with an impressive script reading and editing resumé, Hayley also has a real passion for helping writers to develop their scriptwriting skills and has set up her own script consultancy, Script Angel, in order to do just that. It's a wonderful website with lots of free advice and information for writers so be sure to check it out!

You can follow Hayley on twitter here!

How To Be A Script Reader - Resources & Advice

2010-04-22T14:03:00.000+01:00

I had someone email me a few weeks ago asking how to become a script reader. I answered the email as best I could, listing tips and informative internet links and so forth, one of which was to Danny Stack's blog.

This week, Danny's produced a brilliant round-up of all the articles and advice he's ever given on script reading. You can feast on this "Script Reading Round-Up" here. I'll no doubt be passing on the information to the person who emailed me, but thought it too good a resource not to share with my blog readers, too!

Even if you don't want to be a script reader, reading Danny's insights into the life of a script reader and the sample reports he has linked to will help you understand what happens with your scripts once you've finished writing them.

"But what if you want to be a script editor?" I hear you ask? Ah! Well that's where my next blog entry comes in!

Next week I will be posting an interview with Hayley Mckenzie, freelance script editor who has worked on big shows such as Heartbeat, Blue Murder and Casualty, in which she'll talk about her progression from script reader to script editor, what's involved, and will also give her advice to writers and aspiring script readers/editors.

Watch this space!

#scriptchat introduces Script Night - Monthly "Script Club"!

2010-04-15T13:34:00.000+01:00

The group at #scriptchat have recently announced a new monthly event. It's a "book club" of kinds, but instead of reading a book, participants will read a script and then discuss it on the designated #scriptchat evening, or "Script Night" as it's been dubbed!

It's a brilliant idea. Not only will it get enthusiasts reading scripts regularly but it will also give people an insight into what it's like to think and analyse scripts like a script reader. We'll be considering why it was successful, what worked and didn't work, what could have been done better, whether (if you were/are a script reader) you would have given it a pass or consider, and many more aspects.

The first Script Night will be on Sunday 2nd May at 8pm and the first script up for scrutiny is Adaptation. You can find out more details and links for downloading the script on the #scriptchat blog.

See you there!

This Week's #scriptchat on Twitter: Professional Script Reader Panel

2010-03-27T20:24:00.000Z

A while ago I told you all about #scriptchat - a fantastic new way of discussing screenwriting topics online, live, in an open debate.

This weekend (Sunday 8pm GMT) there will be a panel of professional script readers/editors to answer your questions!

Amongst them are Hayley Mckenzie and Lucy Hay!

You can read more about it on the #scriptchat blog.

Now, if you're not a twitter user, fear not! Lucy has written a blog entry on how to use it!

Hope to see (read) you all there!

Adrian Mead's "Making It As A Screenwriter" Ebook Charity Success!

2010-03-27T18:45:00.000Z

I was recently sent an email by Adrian Mead thanking me for promoting his ebook, "Making It As A Screenwriter", and to pass on the good news that the ebook has now raised a whopping £3,800 for charity!

Adrian has done a guest post on Lucy Hay's blog to say thank you to all who bought it!

The ebook is still available so you can still make a huge difference for Childline whilst also becoming better informed about how to make it as a successful screenwriter.

It really is a fantastic book. I have it printed out and keep it beside my laptop for reference! If you ever feel de-motivated, reading a page or two of Adrian's book will pick you right up!

You can read more about the book on Jason Arnopp's blog, here!

My sketch broadcast tonight (Sunday) at 6pm on THE UNPROFESSIONALS on Nerve FM!

2010-03-21T13:16:00.000Z

A little while ago I dipped my quill into the art of radio comedy sketch writing. Having never written comedy for the radio before, nor any sketches, I felt a little inexperienced to say the least!

A challenge eh? You bet! And I loved every minute of it. I went for it, bashed out a fair few sketches and sent them off to Scott Payne, producer of Bournemouth radio station, Nerve FM's popular comedy sketch show, The Unprofessionals, in the hope that he might giggle at one or two of them.

Thankfully, he did have a bit of a giggle and enjoyed a couple of them so much that he accepted them for the show!

I'm pleased to announce that this evening (Sunday) at 6pm, one of my sketches, "The Other Woman", will be making an appearance!

You can tune in on 87.7 FM if you're in the area, or online at www.nerveradio.com

I've never had a radio comedy sketch produced before and am very excited to hear how it turns out. I've been told it's been tweaked a little bit so I'm also interested to see how it went from the page to the radio "stage" so to speak!

Exciting!

How To Be A Great Scriptreader - London Day Course in April!

2010-03-15T18:04:00.000Z

Last September I attended a day course in Bournemouth called "How To Be A Scriptreader". It was an interesting, info-packed day and I came away feeling very confident and motivated about scriptreading.

Next month, Lucy Hay, professional scriptreader and writer of popular screenwriting blog Write Here, Write Now, is holding another day course, this time in London hosted by Oscar shortlisted film maker, author and teacher of all things film-making, Chris Jones.

Chris says:

"Q – Why do many writers fail over and over?

A – Because they are not GREAT READERS! Sure they can write, but their work would be so much better if they could get inside the mind of the professional reader.

I know you are talented, well at least I hope you are ;-) I also know that you work damn hard too. Some people around you would even say that you work too hard. So if you are you not making the headway that you feel you should be making, why is that?

Of course there are many reasons, but one huge factor is that you just have not read and analysed enough scripts. I know from my own experience that after learning 'how to better read and analyse a screenplay', my own writing improved hugely. It also allowed me to give great feedback to my fellow writers too. There is so much to learn form other peoples work, and if you can do it well, and give structured and constructive feedback, that's a valuable tool. You can also get paid to do it and turn it into an income stream to help you survive."

Lucy says:

"We will be focusing more on what constitutes *good* and *bad* feedback and what we, AS WRITERS, can do with it - as well as insights into what professional script readers (and the various agencies they work for) might EXPECT from your work and why we writers might not always give it to them.

Each participant will also be asked to bring in a ONE PAGE PITCH DOC and the FIRST PAGE ONLY from their accompanying script - we will be looking at these in the afternoon in pairs and small groups and putting our new insights to the test! In addition, please bring your business cards and network."

What the course covers:

What screen agencies and funding initiatives might expect of writers' scripts
How personal prejudices CAN affect a script's reception - without us knowing it
Knowing your boundaries - how to offer feedback to friends and colleagues without falling out
How to use The Three Acts to ensure our structure doesn't go awry
How Characters can jump off the page - and why so often they don't
"The same... But different": what does this mean to script readers?
Why a Writer's Voice is so important
Dealing with bad feedback and knowing when to let go

The course takes place on Saturday 24th April from 10am til 5pm at Ealing Studios, London.

The cost is £117. You can find out more about the course and discounted tickets on Chris' website.

I fully recommend this course. I thoroughly enjoyed the one I attended last year and I can guarantee you'll get your money's worth - Lucy has read over 10,000 scripts and certainly knows her stuff! Combined with Chris' film-making expertise, these two will be bringing you a day to remember!

Interview with UK TV Writer Lisa Holdsworth!

2010-02-13T18:13:00.000Z

Talented and successful British TV writer Lisa Holdsworth has brought to life some of our best loved TV shows, including Emmerdale Farm, Waterloo Road, Robin Hood and New Tricks.

I was very honoured indeed when the lovely lady agreed to be interviewed for the Sofluid blog!

So, without further ado, I give you Lisa Holdsworth on all things writery...

Hi Lisa and welcome to the Sofluid blog!

When did you first realise that you wanted to be a writer/screenwriter? Did your time at Yorkshire Television as a Junior Researcher help feed the desire?

It was actually when I was studying for my A-levels at Park Lane college in Leeds. I had taken the Theatre Studies A-level with a view to going to drama school and becoming an actress. However, after a year I realised that being an actor means basically that you get told what to say and where to stand. I wanted to be the one doing the telling! To be fair, I wanted to engage with a different kind of creativity – building character and story. Also, I had been a story writer/teller/ liar since I had been a child! It was just an epiphany that was a long time coming.

How did you go about getting an agent? Did you set out to find one or did agents seek you out?

Whilst I was working in factual TV, I wrote a screenplay called Jackie’s Wedding. I did the usual thing and sent it to every agent in the Writers and Artists Handbook. Of course, I wound up with a file full of rejections. However, Georgina at David Highams read the script and liked it. Still, I had absolutely no other work so I would have been very hard to market. So, when I got my Fat Friends commission, I dropped her a line and asked if she was still interested in representing me and she said yes. We had a “getting to know you” meeting and then I signed up with her in 2001. She is still my agent now.

You were accepted on a New Writing Initiative course at the BBC in 2003 to develop two part serials. How did that come about and did anything come of the serials you wrote?

After my episode of Fat Friends was broadcast I was approached by Kate Rowlands from the BBC’s brilliant Writer’s Room scheme. What a lot of people don’t realise is that they keep their ear to the ground looking for up and coming writers to develop and help. I was one of them (and now I am mentoring some writers for them!). There were a series of meetings and workshops that were designed to help us develop our ideas into those Sunday/Monday night two parters which were all the rage at the time (but are now out of favour with the Beeb). I developed a piece about nasty neighbours called Next Door (I had anti-social neighbours at that time – writing can be therapy!). It caught a few eyes but didn’t really progress. Mainly, I think, because the BBC ceased to be interested in two part dramas. However, it was a good early experience that taught me a valuable lesson in writing treatments and pitch documents. It helped me develop my own personal style for the latter which I think is very important.

You've written for some very popular TV shows, such as Emmerdale, New Tricks, Robin Hood and Waterloo Road. How did you get your first big break? Did writing for one of these shows act as a catalyst to writing for the others?

After graduating in 1997, I went to work for a factual TV company in Leeds that made science and history shows. I was a production co-ordinator (dogsbody) and happened to work with Kay Mellor’s son-in-law, John Francas who was a producer on one of the shows. I cheekily asked if his mother-in-law would read Jackie’s Wedding. She did and gave me a fantastic edit and lots of advice. A little while later, she gave me a trial on Playing The Field. I didn’t get it because I was so inexperienced.

Then it looked like I would be made redundant from the factual company. I called Kay and asked whether she had any jobs for me. In 2001, I became her Personal Assistant (dogsbody). I kept my head down and my ears open until Kay decided that she was going to do a second series of Fat Friends. I sat in on an initial storyline meeting and heard that they wanted to bring a new family into the show. That weekend, I went home and wrote an idea based on my own experiences of being bullied for being fat (write what you know!). Kay liked it and fought for me to get an episode commission.

However, until the episode was actually broadcast, I couldn’t get arrested! However, when it went out it was seen by Steve Frost who was the producer of Emmerdale. So, that got me that job. It was also seen by Nicola Larder, the then script editor on New Tricks – so it got me that job! I’ve built on it ever since.

That’s kind of what a big part of my job is now. Making contacts and assessing what sort of projects they are looking for. I do a lot of writing that never sees the light of day because that’s what development work is all about.

Is there a particular show you are most fond of writing for and why?

I really loved working on Robin Hood. It was a steep learning curve writing to that length (45 minutes) and writing action scenes. But it was such good fun! I was very upset when it didn’t get re-commissioned.

A lot of my blog readers are aspiring writers like myself. Please could you give us an insight into how the process works, from applying to be a writer on a show, to being accepted as a writer on a show, to writing and rewriting the scripts?

Big question! Okay, I don’t really apply to be a writer on a show. Either I approach a show that I like or they, having seen my work, approach me. We see if we’re a good match! You tend to have a couple of initial meetings (I’ve only had one formal interview for a writing job and I didn’t get it!). At these meetings they outline what the show requires. For example, if they provide storylines or if they want you to pitch episode ideas. If they do, then you tend to go away and work up some ideas to come back and pitch at the producer. If one of the ideas is a goer, then I go away and write a treatment for it. They’ll usually give me notes on the story and then I’ll do another draft and then hopefully someone will say “Yeah, go to script”. Then the fun starts as I’ll have a set of deadlines for first draft, second draft etc. Each draft will be looked at by any number of people including script editors, producers, BBC execs, directors etc. They all have notes and opinions and I try to take the sensible ones on board!

How much of a say do you get/how much of a personal stamp are you able to put, on the episodes you write?

It depends on the show. If you are developing your own episode story it becomes very personal as you are creating new characters and themes. But you can still put your stamp on even a soap episode with turns of phrase and quirky little things. I don’t think you can help but express your personality through your writing. In fact, if there is not a little bit of you coming through then you’re doing something wrong or not engaging with the material.

What does it feel like when you watch your episodes? Do you ever feel like the scripts haven't been performed to their best potential or do you experience the opposite – that the actors bring more to it than you could have imagined?

Both. Some actors and directors have really pleasantly surprised me by either putting on screen exactly what I had in my head. Or by putting something even better up there. Still. The odd performance or directorial decision has left me absolutely screaming with annoyance and fury! I won’t name names! However, it doesn’t matter how good an episode is, I will pick it to shreds on a first viewing. I’ll beat myself up over every duff line or poor scene transition. Then I’ll watch it again and quite like it (hopefully). I occasionally catch one of my New Tricks eps on the Alibi channel. I actually really enjoy them now!

You've written a radio play in the past. How did the process differ from writing for television?

It didn’t, not massively – it was still a series of drafts and edits. I wouldn’t say it was a fantastic experience that I am in a rush to repeat, however. It was nice to write something that was completely original. The big difference was being in the studio as they recorded it. I don’t tend to go on set for my TV episodes.

Are there any other areas of writing (play, short film, feature film, novel) that you would like to dip your quill into?

Not really, I love TV and always have. It’s more collaborative than theatre or novel writing. It’s less soul destroying and less about money (or the lack thereof) than film-making seems to be. I like how telly touches people in their homes. Good telly becomes part of their lives.

What are your personal writing-related goals for 2010?

To get an original commission! I’m plugging away at pitches and treatments!

Lastly, what advice would you give an aspiring screenwriter?

I’ll recycle some advice that Kay Mellor gave me. When you sit down to write your first draft – blank page in front of you – write it for yourself not for an audience, a producer, for the money. Don’t ever imagine them looking over your shoulder and making comments. Just get it on the f**king page! Because you can always edit and hone for those other people. In fact what those other people will see won’t be that first draft – so don’t sweat it. Just write it!

Some excellent advice there! Thank you so, so much Lisa for a wonderful interview!

I very much agree with the comment Lisa made about how television touches the lives of people in their homes. It's part of what makes writing for television such a thrilling prospect, especially as, unlike films and theatre, television is such a constant in people's lives and is so easily accessible day by day.

I think one of the most important things we have learned from Lisa's interview is the importance of networking and contacts. It was through Lisa's determination and persistence that she made so many useful contacts and made herself opportunities to develop and grow as a professional writer.

Lisa is such an asset to British TV. I really hope she manages to get that original commission she is working towards because, as I'm sure my blog readers will agree, she certainly deserves it!

Lisa will also be guest of honour at #scriptchat over on twitter on the 7th March. Keep an eye on the #scriptchat blog for more information on taking part!

#scriptchat - Screenwriting advice & discussion

2010-02-04T18:26:00.001Z

#scriptchat is a weekly event that takes place on twitter on Sundays at 8pm GMT in which a community of tweeters/writers take part in a live, hour long discussion about an aspect of screenwriting.

It's a brilliant way to discuss topics and get advice from fellow writers and even industry professionals.

#scriptchat has had several guest tweeters on in the past, including Michael Lee, American script judge and reader, who answered many questions on script reading and what script judges look for in a good script as well as joining in with discussion on the topic "How to make your script stand out and get read by the right people in industry. Contests vs direct queries." You can read it all here.

Questions can be posed live or before the event on the #scriptchat blog, where guest speakers or discussion topics are posted in advance. Last week's discussion was "Are there really rules to writing?"

To take part you'll need a twitter account. Create a search feed by searching for #scriptchat. That way you'll be able to see all posts with that hashtag in it, from anyone (even people you aren't following). To contribute, simply add the hashtag (#scriptchat) to any post you write.

Though #scriptchat officially happens at 8pm GMT (and there's also an American version at 8pm EST, too, if you're feeling dedicated!) the chat continues every day.

#scriptchat works best if you have a programme such as TweetDeck as it allows you to watch several columns/feeds at once. That way, you can see when people are replying directly to you at the same time as keeping an eye on the the #scriptchat column.

"But, I don't like twitter!"

Not a problem. Each week the discussion is transcribed on the blog! To read last Sunday's discussion on "Are there really rules to writing?", click here! So you needn't worry if you are a twitter-phobe or can't make one of the chats. You'll still be involved, too, so long as you post your questions/comments on the blog before the day of the next sheduled #scriptchat.

This weekend (Sunday 7th February) Julian Friedmann is the guest!

Julian is co-owner of the Blake Friedmann Literary Agency and publisher of ScriptWriter magazine (now online at www.twelvePoint.com) He'll be answering your questions and discussing the topic "Agent Representation. Does a writer really need an agent and if so what is the best way of getting one?"

To find out more, check out the #scriptchat blog entry here and be sure to post any questions you may want answered!

Sofluid featured in Total Film's "600 Movie Blogs You Might Have Missed" list!

2010-02-03T13:15:00.000Z

Today I was checking through some of the blogs I follow and discovered that Désirée, writer of the "Me, a writer of movie scripts" blog, had been featured in Total Film's "600 Movie Blogs You Might Have Missed" list.

So I decided to have a little browse through said list and to my great surprise discovered that I too featured on the list under the "Behind The Scenes" section (page 8)!

I feature alongside several other blogs I follow, including Scriptwriting In The UK, Complications Ensue, Go Into The Story, Writing For Performance, Projector Films, Dom's World, Screenwriting Goldmine and The Unknown Screenwriter. How exciting!

I'm really pleased that people are enjoying my blog and, as always, I intend to keep on making it as interesting, entertaining and informative as I can.

I'd like to welcome any new readers/followers who have found this blog through the Total Film list. You can find out more about me at www.michellegoode.com. If you would like to learn more about writing (for any genre) and explore a wide range of writing resources, take a look at my Writesofluid website.

COMING SOON! Interview with talented and successful TV writer Lisa Holdsworth, writer for shows such as New Tricks, Robin Hood and Waterloo Road! Lisa tells us how she became a writer, how she feels seeing her writing come to life on the television and gives us all a bit of advice!

Watch this space!

Children's Television Today & The Return Of Tracy Beaker

2010-01-24T14:19:00.000Z

Last weekend, whilst feeling a bit down in the dumps, I had one of those moments when your inner child surfaces (probably through a heightened feeling of vulnerability) and you crave a bit of kids' TV to cheer you up.

I'm sure you'll all identify with this desire to watch kids' TV. I'll bet a lot of you have, at some point, secretly enjoyed watching it with your own children... If you're childless and/or work when kids' TV is aired, you'll have probably watched some early morning or weekend programmes.

Now that each TV channel has its own on-demand services, such as BBC iPlayer, you can now tap into its channels, including CBBC, and investigate the state of play.

Something I have noticed over the years (when I've managed to catch some CBBC on television) is an increasing lack of kids' drama. First Byker Grove was axed, followed by Grange Hill. The majority of kids' TV these days appears to be reality-based. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, with excellent shows such as Safari 8, in which children learn how to be game rangers in South Africa, Raven, a Crystal Maze-esque adventure challenge, and Hai! Karate, in which kids travel to Japan to compete against their parents to learn karate and gain coloured belts. The range of reality-based kids' programmes these days is wide and covers many interests and cultures. They encourage activities and educate, too. Yet I still can't help thinking what a shame it is that there aren't many fictional-based programmes on these days.

Looking at the shedule for the week ahead, it appears that (on BBC1) the same programmes are sheduled every day from 3-4pm, then from 4-5pm we have two programmes that vary from day to day. Now, I know that CBBC now has its own channel on which all the CBBC programmes are shown throughout the day, but I think the 3-5pm slot is still pretty important, with many children still watching this slot after school. Looking at the 4-5pm programmes, the only days that anything other than reality-based or factual programmes are shown are Mondays and Fridays, where we have the excellent M.I.High and Roy. As a fan of fictional/drama-based kids' TV, I wouldn't be very satisfied with the shedule were I to suddenly wake up as a child tomorrow.

I remember far more fictional/drama based programmes being aired a decade (or two) ago. In all fairness, some of them were on CITV which has since been taken off air. But I remember shows such as The Queen's Nose, Round The Twist, Mike and Angelo, The Wild House, My Parent's Are Aliens, Children's Ward, The Worst Witch, Gypsy Girl, Aquila, Belfry Witches, Julia Jeckyll and Harriet Hyde, The Ghost Hunter, The Demon Headmaster... Maybe I'm mostly remembering all the programmes I used to prefer over the factual/reality-based or game show programmes, but there certainly doesn't seem to be as much choice these days regarding fictional/drama-based programmes (that aren't cartoons). Don't get me started on cartoons. I love Arthur!

One fictional/drama-based show that I enjoyed as a [slightly too old to be watching this but never mind] child was The Story of Tracy Beaker. A fan of [Dame] Jacqueline Wilson books, I enjoyed the adaptation to screen and it was a huge success, running for five series' from 2002-2006. Then, whilst in my down-in-the-dumps-craving-kids'-TV mode, I discovered that Tracy Beaker has now returned to CBBC with Dani Harmer reprising the role of Tracy Beaker but as an adult. I think this is such an excellent idea!

Jacquline Wilson says "So many children ask me what happened to her when she got older, now we can finally find out."

Very often a popular series will end and the fans will be left wondering what's happened to their favourite characters. The Queen's Nose continued for a long time but with new characters in the way of foster-children. The Story of Tracy Beaker could have gone along the same route by changing the name to "The Dumping Ground" and introducing new characters. However, in making the decision to include Tracy the adult, both old fans and new viewers can appreciate the show on both levels.

The Return of Tracy Beaker will appeal to a teenage audience as well as younger children as it follows Tracy's struggles and successes as well as those of the children. Tracy has returned to work at The Dumping Ground by way of raising money to pay back the debt she is in after using her adoptive mother's credit card without her consent to fund the self-publishing of her book, an act that initially sees her arrested for fraud.

You can watch the series so far on BBC iPlayer here. If you're new to the show and want to find out about Tracy's past in the show, you can watch clips of "the story so far" here.

Aside from M.I High and The Adventures of The Sarah Jane Adventures perhaps, I can't see any other fictional/drama based programmes (CBBC programmes A-Z can be seen here) that would appeal to older children. Byker Grove and Grange Hill satisfied the older children/teenagers when I was younger but they have since been axed. In its place though we certainly have other options. Teenagers these days are more likely to enjoy E4's offerings such as Hollyoaks, Skins and the many American teenage programmes on air such as 90210. Waterloo Road has also filled grange Hill's place, appealing to both adults and teenagers. And then there are a multitude of web-shows, too.

All in all, I must say I'm quite impressed with children's TV these days. My only wish would be that they'd consider more fictional/drama-based programmes for older *children* to enjoy ;)

2010 Writing Competitions Calendar, Writing Resources Website, Writing Jobs & Writing Bookshop!

2010-01-03T18:02:00.000Z

The start of 2010 has been a positive one so far!

I have spent the weekend researching writing competitions and writing opportunities.

I've also made a start improving my Writesofluid resources for writers website. I've updated the Networking section, the Services section and am proud to announce that Writesofluid now has its very own Amazon-powered bookshop!

This blog also now has an Amazon widget with recommended screenwriting books in it (recommendations compiled in the Summer 2009 from professional and aspiring writers through social networking sites and blogs).

If you click through to Amazon using it and end up buying one of the books, I get a nice little referral commission! Likewise when you buy through my bookshop, which has all the screenwriting books from the widget in it and much, much more (screenwriting, play writing, novel writing, poetry writing, publishing, film-making and even writing software categories). If you want a writing-related book from Amazon that's not in my bookshop, let me know and I'll add it for you!

I think it's important to be aware of what's going on in the writing world throughout the year and that's why I've made writing competition calendars on the Writesofluid website. I'll be picking a few competitions to focus on this year but I'm really hoping to focus a lot of my attention on my personal projects, getting them polished up and then contacting industry professionals.

The writing competition calendars are split into the following categories:

Screenwriting

Plays

Radio

Novels

Short Stories

Poetry

I really hope the calendars help writers organise their year and discover new opportunities!

If you know of any other worthwhile competitions/opportunities that I should add to the Writesofluid site, do let me know!

Make 2010 the year you really progress towards your goal of becoming a successful writer. There are many excellent resources out there just waiting to be used. Here are my collections of the best (which can all be found on the Writesofluid website).

You can find more information on writing competitions/opportunities in the following places:

Sally Quilford's writing calendar

theshortstory competitions list

BBC Writersroom

Robin Kelly's competition deadlines calendar

If you want to look for writing/production jobs, the following websites are very good:

Mandy.com

Talent Circle

Production Base

Online Writing Jobs

Craiglist

Infolist

Or if you want to promote yourself/your writing:

Inktip

Greenwriter.org

Shooting People

I must also mention the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook again which is proving to be a brilliant & faithful companion as I gear up towards my "most productive writing year to date"*

You can now buy it and its cousins (Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2010 and The Screenwriter's Handbook 2010) in the publishing category on the Writesofluid writing bookshop!

Here's to a productive 2010!

*One hopes!

Happy New Year 2010! Turning negatives into positives & pushing for a productive writing year!

2010-01-01T13:08:00.000Z

Happy New Year everybody!

I hope you all enjoyed Christmas and New Year's Eve! I went to my parents' house for a lovely three bird roast dinner and it was delicious!

Over Christmas I took a bit of a break from the Internet and writing-related affairs. It's not that I didn't want to continue with them - I felt I needed to give myself a bit of breathing space to recuperate. The weeks leading up to Christmas were hectic at work due to lack of staff with early starts and late finishes which didn't leave much room for my writing work. It's frustrating when deep down you want to be cracking on with writing-related things but you are just too bogged down to think clearly. I was exhausted come Christmastime but looking forward to a nice time with family.

I always feel guilty when I relax, despite the fact that reading books or watching television/films can actually be classed as research in my desired career as a writer. Perhaps it's due to the power of twitter and facebook...

There's so many inspiring status updates all the time from writers working away day and night. I suppose, when you acknowledge that other people are being uber productive, you start to punish yourself for not being so productive... But you mustn't feel like you can't stop and recuperate, because looking after yourself is important.

I knew that I needed to clear my head in preparation for a positive start to 2010, so I let myself enjoy the Christmas week. 2009 was both a wonderful year and a negative one, too.

Coming back from Australia I was really positive and happy and raring to go writing-wise and with other personal projects I had on the go.

I started back at my old work place but with a new job creating an online store for the company. I got to use my creative skills with the photography of products, my descriptive skills with the detailing of products and the whole thing was all very exciting!

I entered some writing competitions and did rather well in a couple of them, becoming a first round qualifier for the British Short Screenplay Competition and one of ten finalists in the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Competition. I was even in the local newspaper!

I also enjoyed attending some talks/courses, such as the CBBC Q&A session for the CBBC New Writing Initiative, Adrian Mead's Screenwriter's Career Guide and Lucy Hay's How To Be A Scriptreader course (see link for upcoming London course!)

I even had some professional business cards made up.

The year also took some turns for the worse though with a family member suffering from depression. It was very tough during those months but I soldiered on at work and with my writing. I think the stress got to me eventually though because I started suffering badly from anxiety, which I'd previously managed to shake off during my year in Australia. I've always been a sufferer of anxiety. I don't talk about it much because I like to keep positive, but it's tough coping with it sometimes. The thing about anxiety is that it puts you out of action. Whatever type of anxiety you have, it becomes all-consuming and you feel as though you can't even function normally, let alone achieve any of your goals because the anxiety puts up a barrier.

But you know what? I didn't give up on my writing. Never. Even when I felt like I'd never get anywhere. Even when I was paralysed by my anxiety or crying my eyes out because of family difficulties. I soldiered on. Writing helped me through it all keeping me occupied, raising my spirits and above all keeping me positive. I believe that positive things come out of all negatives. I'm hoping that my experiences will inform and enrich my writing and in turn perhaps help other people who are experiencing similar problems.

I love writing and I'm determined to get somewhere with it, even if it means suffering in the process to get over my anxieties.

2010 is full of change (which won't necessarily help my anxiety issues but is pretty exciting nonetheless!) Both sets of parents are moving, as are my fiancé and I once we have saved enough for a deposit on a house. It'll be a new beginning.

This year I plan to be much more organised in order to be as productive as I can. I really want to push myself this year and am aiming to start climbing the ladder towards success with my writing. It's no good being afraid of heights. If your passion for climbing and your desire to reach the top is the most important thing to you, then you have to go for it. You just have to!

So what's in store for this year?

My writing resources website, writesofluid, will be greatly improved.
This Sofluid blog will see more writing advice articles and interviews with industry insiders, too!
My personal website will continue being improved and my Writesofluid script reading services will be marketed more.

I'm still working on my personal writing goals, but I am very excited about moving forwards with it all... Getting more projects completed, submitting work to production companies and perhaps even getting an agent. There's a lot to think about indeed!

Time to start the 2010 plan of action!

A jolly good Christmas!

2009-12-27T15:19:00.000Z

Merry Christmas everybody!

I hope you have all been enjoying the festivities, good food, drink and jollities!

This Christmas I was delighted to receive the following marvellous reading materials:

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2010 (www.writersandartists.co.uk)

This is a must-have resource for all writers! A comprehensive up-to-date directory of media contacts, articles and advice. I've been dipping into this book since Christmas day and am blown away by its amazingness! There's even a big competitions and festivals section so I shall be studying that in detail over the next week or so in preparation for my 2010 plan of action!

So You Want To Be A Playwright? By Tim Fountain

This book has been recommended to me by playwrights I know and is supposed to be one of the best around for learning more about play writing. From browsing the contents I can tell it's going to be a very good read! I'm looking forward to revisiting some techniques and learning some new ones. I have a couple of plays in the planning stages so I'm hoping this book will help prepare me for the first drafts!

How To Write A Novel By John Braine

My friend Neil Baker recommended this book to me a while ago and then sent it to me for Christmas! Cheers!

I also received the following dvds:

Supernatural Season 2

Having watched Season 1 when in Australia last year, it's high time I caught up with some subsequent series', hence asking for this dvd box set for Christmas!

Johnathan Creek Complete Collection (Including Christmas Specials)

An unexpected but muchly welcomed addition to my DVD collection, this set of DVDs has already been warming up in my player! I just loved Johnathan Creek when it was aired on television and I'm really enjoying re-watching them all, especially as I've forgotten how most of the mysterious events occurred. Now that I am a writer myself it is also very enriching to watch them as I can analyse how "whodunnit" shows are constructed. Even just reading the loglines on the back of the box set has been a fun way of "revising" the technique!

I've also been enjoying the television aired this Christmas. My favourite soaps have been Coronation Street and Hollyoaks. Especially Hollyoaks. That show seems to be getting stronger and stronger all the time. I'm particularly enthralled by Hannah's storyline and Newt and Ray's, too. The "flashforward" episode was an excellent idea and it opened up plenty of questions as to the upcoming storylines. Very much looking forward to seeing what Hollyoaks has in store in the coming year!

I've only just clocked on to Gavin and Stacey this series (must catch up on previous ones!) and am sad to hear that the next episode will be the last one. I particularly love Ruth Jones' performances as Nessa. She has such an effortless way about her acting but she comes across brilliantly! The third series was written by Ruth and James Corden who plays Smithy.

Last but not least, how could I forget Dr Who! Christmas day's special episode was brilliant. I absolutely loved John Simm's performance - what a cracking job he did! Must have taken a while to film all those different characters as he mutated into the Earths' population! Can't wait for the second part later this week! I'm finding it hard to imagine Tennant's replacement doing as good a job as he but am excited about the change nonetheless. A new era has begun...

Well, must dash as the Wii is calling! Time to embarrass myself... But hey, maybe my target weight will have been reached now that I've been scoffing all manner of Christmas treats!

Enjoy the rest of your Christmas everybody!

Pay It Forward

2009-12-12T12:31:00.001Z

I was lucky enough to be the first to see Lisa Barrass' new blog entry last week of the same title as this one. What's this all about? I thought. So I took a look!

Lisa had received a package of delightful goodies in the post from the equally delightful Katie McCullough, who had herself previously received all manner of fun stuffs of from Teresa Stenson, who had also previously received lovely things from published author and journal editor Tania Hershman.

"Pay It Forward", inspired by the film of the same name, takes the concept from the film that when something good happens to you, you should share your good luck with others by way of "pay[ing] it forward" and applies it to the act of random gift-giving. In this version, you send out goodies to brighten people's days. What a lovely idea!

I was the first to reply to Lisa's blog post. Within a week I had received a gift bag full of presents! It was very exciting, like delving into a lucky dip, only a hundred times better knowing that the gifts had been especially chosen for you and wouldn't just consist of plastic toys!

Here's what Lisa sent me:

A card with googly eyes!

A pretty bird clip!

A gorgeous notebook!

A paperweight and cute bracelet!

A bookmark!

I couldn't believe it! It's as though Lisa knew just the things I love! How did she know about my obsession with notebooks? I thought. How did she know I am short on bookmarks?

Thank you, Lisa! You made my day!

It's all about feel-good niceness. So here's the deal! The first three people to reply to this blog post will be sent some goodies!

The catch? The recipients will then be required to share the love and Pay It Forward themselves!

Believe me, there's as much joy and excitement in the giving than the receiving! And that's what it's all about, really, isn't it? :)

How to avoid expositional dialogue!

2009-12-04T19:59:00.000Z

Expositional dialogue.

We've all fallen victim to writing it at some point or another and it's a tricky one to get your head around. Sometimes it seems impossible to convey what you want to in a screenplay without spelling it out!

So what can you do to avoid it?

First of all, you need to decide whether the information you want to convey is actually necessary in order to inform the screenplay and move the plot forwards. If you can manage without it, scrap it and concentrate more on conveying the information that matters.

If you need to convey some information about a character in order to inform the viewer, consider ways of doing so that don't involve direct dialogue exchange. Remember, showing is more effective than telling! Often, by creating drama that shows rather than tells, you create a more suspenseful scene.

Instead of Percy telling a girl he's just met (and who he fancies) that he goes to a private school but is ashamed of the fact because he gets bullied, perhaps have Percy hide the fact. The girl might follow him one day and see him enter the school? Likewise she might witness him changing out of his uniform as soon as he leaves. Or perhaps they might even get caught up with the bullies outside of school who then expose his secret in front of her!

There are many dramatic ways in which you can get information across. Think about what is more interesting to watch, too. Would you rather watch Percy telling the girl his life story, or would you rather see him get out of a sticky situation with the bullies and see how the girl reacts to the truth in that situation?

Things can get a little more tricky though when you are faced with a character who does genuinely talk a lot and explain things a lot. After all, expositional dialogue can be fairly natural (we've all dropped in back story when we explain things to friends and we've all experienced the chatty old batty who won't let us get a word in edge ways!) So how can you create convincing characters like this whilst also avoiding the dreaded expositional dialogue?

Consider Elsbeth who talks at one hundred miles an hour, goes into everything in minute detail and is eager to please. Her office colleague Jim (who she really likes) is a man who keeps himself to himself and prefers a quieter life (i.e. he's not interested in her!) How does Elsbeth tell him her feelings and Jim tell her how annoying she is without being too expositional?

Think about showing their characteristics prior to their meeting/argument. If the first thing we learn about them is how Elsbeth feels and has been feeling for [insert all the back story info here] and how Jim finds her unbearable because she [insert all of her characteristics here], the viewer will be informed but won't necessarily empathise. Think about other ways in which you can show their characteristics, such as Elsbeth trapping the courier man into a conversation he can't get away from and Jim tip-toeing around the office to avoid talking to her. This sort of action may seem trivial but it will help the viewer instantly recognise their personalities and have a much better understanding of them both when the time comes for their confrontation.

However, whilst expositional dialogue more often than not comes across as on the nose, sometimes it is just necessary. For example, if a person genuinely talks in an expositional manner (think of Auntie talktalk who has to give back story for every single thing she tells you) then is there any harm in the expositional dialogue?

Sometimes expositional dialogue heightens drama (whilst also informing the viewer of back story). If Julia is being particularly mean to Rodney and listing all his faults with examples from events in their past then expositional dialogue is pretty much unavoidable. The situation calls for it as she is angry and it is dramatic.

However, if the information is purely for the sake of filling in the viewer, it needs examining. Is the information needed? If you really want to include it, can you work it into the dialogue more naturally?

For example, I wouldn't have Farah telling Helen "You should see someone about your home troubles. Remember the visiting counsellor in the school assembly last week? She said there were free drop in sessions." Helen would certainly remember this information if she was there with Farah in the school assembly. In this case (and if you really must include the fact that there was an assembly) the dialogue needs reworking into a more natural conversation:

Farah: I'm worried about you and the...thing.

Helen: Don't talk about it here, someone might hear!

Farah: Look, I know I promised not to say anything, but--

Helen: What?! You gonna go running to Maddocks now? Some friend you are.

Farah: No! It's just... I think you should maybe go see the counsellor. It might not be as bad as you think.

Helen: No. I can't tell anyone. Not even them.

Farah: They said it's confidential.

Helen: Shock horror, Farah actually listens in assembly. Well done you.

Farah: I'm just worried about you.

Helen: Well don't be.

As you can see, the characters come across fairly realistically and we have managed to include the fact that there was an assembly within the natural flow of the dialogue. Really, the assembly needn't be mentioned at all, but I have included it as an example to demonstrate how you can rework expositional dialogue into something more acceptable.

The golden rules:

Never have one character tell another something they should already know (by this I mean blatantly obvious statements like Farah's and not statements made in a dramatic situation such as an argument like Julia and Rodney's.)
Show the information rather than tell where possible. Consider how action sequences or situations can bring out the information rather than the characters having to discuss it all.
Limit expositional dialogue to dramatic situations in which the information will serve to heighten the tension and deepen the plot.
If certain information must be included, consider reworking any expositional dialogue to make it flow more naturally.

If anyone has any more opinions or tips on the matter of expositional dialogue, I'd love to hear them!

'One Night At The Movies Long Ago...'

2009-12-03T20:41:00.000Z

It's dark and I worry I'll trip as I fumble my way towards the back row. I never could stand sitting in the front row, arching my neck to see the screen and feeling overwhelmed by the closeness of the images. I much prefer to see the screen from afar - taking the whole picture in at once. Besides, it has to be the back row. It's part of the rules. I make it to a seat and sit down, relieved. No trippage - check. Now I just have to get through a whole film without choking on my pick'n'mix.

I glance over at the other couple who have deliberately made their way over to the back row on the opposite side of the theatre. So much for their pic'n'mix, they're already munching on each other's face! Anxiety hangs over me and I concentrate on getting comfortable and picking at my mix. Don't choke on the sugar don't choke on the sugar don't choke on the sugar.

The film progresses in a blur of men and action sequences. They're trying to steal something, that much I gather. The rest of the film experience consists of me sitting rigidly, nibbling on sweets and constantly jitteringly* terrified of the journey home and the inevitable...

My first kiss.

I'd like to say it was a good film, but after we left the theatre I in all honesty couldn't tell you a thing about the plot! I can however tell you that the blackened night was bitterly freezing cold as I was walked home by the boy in question, hand in hand, and that we kissed at the end of my street before he descended the hill on the other side in his big "moon boots"** as my sister used to call them.

The memory I have recalled is that of my first date with my partner of eight years now, Anthony. The film? Ocean's 11, which I have actually since seen and enjoyed very much! It's funny how emotions such as anxiety, fear and love can distract you from concentrating. I certainly couldn't concentrate on Ocean's 11 that night all those years ago.

Now I find myself trying to convey emotions like these in screenplays. I wonder just how many films go "unwatched" in theatres all over the world because of first dates?

*I am aware that I have made this word up. I did it because I like it :)

**New Rocks = goth phase, which I went through too, for SHAME! He he!

This blog entry was brought to you by Kid in The Front Row, who sent round a memo inviting some of us to blog about a memorable movies memory we have. This one was the first that sprung to my mind (aside from the horrific earache I gained after watching my first ever movie in a theatre - Jurassic Park. But that story was less poignant!)

What's your earliest/most memorable cinema experience?

Why failure isn't always a bad thing...

2009-11-29T22:25:00.000Z

It was a week before the Nanowrimo deadline and I was feeling weary in my attempt to catch up with my word count. I'd fallen behind since my week off work but was determined to make a good go of it. I'd reached over 30,000 words but was starting to feel demotivated.

I love my story and I'd enjoyed writing it up until then, but I felt I was running dry and unable to move forward as quickly as I had in its early stages. Questions were running through my mind... Is it boring? Will people sympathise with my protagonist? Is it worth continuing? I also doubted I'd reach the deadline - I had a busy week ahead capped off by a weekend full of engagements. So I decided to take the pressure off.

I was a little disappointed not to complete the challenge, but overall I was still positive about completing my novel. I don't see the point in being negative about failing - I'd never have even written this particular story as a novel had it not been for Nanowrimo. Its purpose was to help me get to know the characters I had in mind for a screenplay and it certainly served its purpose there. Now I also have a half completed novel - great!

I left my thoughts on it behind for a few days whilst I concentrated on other things. Then, one day whilst at work, I got chatting to a colleague about it. To my surprise, she was really excited about my story and eager to know what happens next. I told her my plans for the direction of the novel from it's current stage onwards and she helped me figure out a few new angles and directions I could take it in.

Afterwards I felt so much more motivated again. Just knowing someone out there is eager to read your story is a huge boost. Now that I have confirmation that my story is interesting, I've cast aside any doubts I had and am ready to continue when the time feels right. This will be soon I hope!

So it just goes to show how failing isn't always a bad thing. Try to think of the good things that come out of failing - for me it was clearing my head and discussing it informally with a colleague which wouldn't have happened had I worked myself into a stupor trying to reach a seemingly impossible word target in a limited time.

I now know what I need to do to my novel and it involves reworking some of what I have already written - something you're not meant to do in the Nanowrimo challenge. With my novel though it is necessary, so it's a good job I did stop at the 30,000 mark. Why continue on one road just to reach the finish line when you know you should have taken a different, longer route to get to a better destination?

I've taken away a lot from the experience, too. I now know that I could easily write a novel in a month. I also know that writing a novel isn't nearly as hard as you'd expect. The challenge was exactly that - it pushed me to the limit and opened up new routes for me.

I know what you're thinking by this point. I am, too. Enough with the road/route metaphors already! He he! It's OK. I'm done now.

Thank you, Nanowrimo. See you next year!

Writing contest calendar & fun short screenplay competition!

2009-11-20T19:25:00.000Z

I have three interesting bits of information for you today. First up I'd like to say huge congratulations to my good friend Neil Baker, whose short film script "Three" (see what I did back there, eh, eh?!) will be produced and filmed by director Darren S Cook in the next few months! I read the script last year in its early stages and thought it was a great concept.

Logline: "THREE is a short comedy about three hitmen who discover they have been sent to kill each other. Finding themselves in a stalemate, they have no choice but to talk out their issues."

Best of luck, Neil!

You can show your support and be regularly updated on the film's progress on the facebook fan page here.

Secondly, I'd like to direct all short story, novel and poetry writers to Sally Quilford's writing calendar. This writing calendar is regularly updated with all the latest competition news and lists all the important information, such as themes, word counts and entry fees, at a glance. Definitely one to bookmark!

Last but by no means least, the lovely Kid In The Front Row has taken it upon himself to create a short screenwriting competition over on his blog. The Kid In The Front Row Online Screenwriting Festival will be a yearly event.

The challenge is to write a five page script to a brief and a deadline set by Kid. Entry is free and you can win one of the following titles -

Best Screenplay, Funniest Screenplay or Most Original Screenplay.

The competition is primarily a fun exercise for screenwriters to pit their skills against others. I think it's a great opportunity for new screenwriters to practice working to a brief and a deadline and is well worth a try!

This year's brief:

Your script must be no more than 5 pages long (6 including the cover page)
The entire film is set in one place - the kitchen.
You must use industry standard formatting.
There are three characters: Anna, Mike and Hank.
Anna wants something from Mike, but there's no way Mike is giving it away.

The deadline is the 2nd December 2009. You can email your entries to kidinthefrontrow [at] googlemail [dot] com!

Why rules help, not hinder, a writer...

2009-11-11T13:48:00.000Z

I was asked recently by a screenwriter new to the game whether knowing the rules of writing screenplays, though useful, would hinder/inhibit creativity? My immediate reaction was to say "No, I don't think it should. No more than watching a TV show or reading a novel would affect how you write your own. It's what you do with your own ideas that makes their originality".

This question is common among new writers, along with the time-old worry of idea theft. We've all thought it in the beginning: "I don't think I should pass my script on to anyone in case they steal my ideas!"

Today I received Yves Lavandier's "Writing Drama" for my birthday. It was even signed by the man himself "For Michelle, an aspiring screenwriter, Yves". I was very excited when I saw it - I knew that the books were being signed, but I had no idea it would be a personal signing!

Anyhow, I have been reading through it this afternoon whilst munching on my belgian seashell choccies (yum!) and I kept reading passage after passage that pretty much backed up and confirmed the advice I had given the screenwriter. Granted, Yves is talking about the good in learning the rules of drama, but drama is what screenplays (amongst other story mediums) are all about.

I wanted to share these quotes with you (which will apply to the rules of story and structure as well as drama itself) because I think we can all learn a lot from them.

"If a degree of uniformity has arisen [rules creating works that all look the same], this is more probably due to the lack of daring displayed by certain decision-makers and the lack of creativity and personality among certain screenwriters."

Here, Yves is saying that it's a writer's creativity and what they do with their own ideas that ensures a screenplay's uniqueness.

Yves thinks we can still enjoy plays, films and comics once we know all the rules:

"When a piece of drama "works", it affects all spectators in much the same way. When it doesn't "work", the trained eye is better able to identify and understand its weaknesses."

I take from this quote the viewpoint that knowing the rules can help you develop as a writer. Recognising the merits or downfalls of other works can help inform your own writing.

"I believe that what makes an idea, a religion or a work of art successful is not how apposite it is, or how perfect, but how much it acts as social glue."

Here, I believe Yves is talking about how following the rules doesn't always create good drama. It is the effect of your writing upon the audience/viewer and how they can relate to it that makes it a success.

"The techniques involved in the language of drama are closer in essence to the rules of competence. Having learned these, it is up to the writer to "perform," that is, to establish his style."

So, knowing the rules won't necessarily make you good at writing. It is what you do with them and how you develop your own style that matters.

And perhaps the most pertinent quote of all:

"Knowing the rules is no guarantee of talent - though that may help a talent to develop."

I like this quote because, to me, it says two things:

Knowing the rules doesn't necessarily mean you have authority over those that don't because you still have to prove your talent. But it also says that knowing the rules can help you develop.

Talent is all well and good, but you need a system within which to nurture and promote it. The rules form the basic platform of all writing. There's no need to wholly comply with them or to become restricted by them, but simply knowing them plants seeds of knowledge in your creative mind which will eventually grow and mould into your own interpretations. In my view, it is a writer's interpretation that makes a story.

Yves even answers my screenwriting aquaintance's question of whether rules inhibit creativity directly:

"Knowledge of the rules is no obstacle to spontaneity in creation".

And there's even scientific proof of this:

"It is because our understanding of rules is housed in the left hemisphere [of the brain] and the spontaneity of artistic creation in the right that the former does not hinder the latter."

I'd like to finish with this quote in conclusion:

"Experience shows that writers who have a conscious understanding of the rules continue to produce spontaneously. But spontaneity does not automatically provide good results. [...] Understanding of the rules enables him to channel this spontaneity: unconsciously, within the brain, and consciously when it comes to correcting and rewriting what has emerged from these labours. [...] An understanding of the rules has the immense advantage of providing a methodology, one that enables the dramatist to stand back a little from his work and make the most of his abilities and his material."

Writing progress!

2009-11-09T20:52:00.000Z

Well, it's now 9 days into the Nanowrimo challenge and at first things weren't looking good. I kept on track for the first few days and was really enjoying the process, but then I ground to a halt. I'd been writing a pretty dark and intense scene and I felt like I wasn't getting past it quick enough. It needed lots of attention though so I kept going until it found its natural ending and then took a breather. For several days.

I was ill last week so I shall blame it on that, but once you start getting behind it really does knock your confidence. I tried to catch up to no avail, but I tried not to get put off. The novel was moving along and I was becoming more and more connected with the leading lady. I started to write more fluidly and ideas started to come to me as I went along.

Soon I was able to jump from 3000 words to 6000, then from 6000 to 10,000 and today I spent the whole day working on it and managed to up the word count to 17,5000, which is just over tomorrow's target. This will hopefully free me up for Wednesday which is my birthday :)

I very nearly gave up this novel. I doubted that the plot was strong enough or that it was moving along at a good enough pace, but I stuck with it. Now that I am 6 chapters in I can feel the momentum picking up and can see the plot moving in some exciting directions. The protagonist will be going on a journey of personal growth as well as one of investigation into the disappearance of her boyfriend. I just hope I can keep it up and see it through!

Tomorrow I shall be working more on the outline of my feature screenplay. It's the first feature I've ever written and will be a more complicated (non-linear) script than I'm used to writing. Looking forward to that challenge!

Collaboration Methods

2009-10-23T19:06:00.000+01:00

How do you like to collaborate?

Collaborating on a writing project with others is a fun, interesting and effective way to get ideas developed, improved, polished and ready to rock 'n' roll. It's often a way of getting projects off the ground faster than you could when working alone and the process of discussion, debate and compromise keeps interest levels high. But it's also something that can be done in many ways. I'm curious as to how other people go about collaborating on a writing project (namely a screenplay).

I personally work really well using the emailing method. Here's how it works: One person starts by brainstorming ideas in a Word file. Email it over to the writing partner and they can add to the document in a different colour with their input. Nothing gets deleted, just expanded upon. Repeating this process and continuing the discussion via email in this format means you have time to really think about what the other person has suggested, because you don't feel under pressure to come up with comments straight away. You have time to articulate your own thoughts and really get stuck in. This of course works best with a team of two. With any more, the emailing process may become muddled because two of the three parties are likely to want the initial notes on the offset, rather than having to wait in line to receive them. The process could then become split into "branches" of emails/documents and may become unorganised.

Discussing projects live via instant messenger is also a great way of throwing ideas around, but you're not always able to save the information. If there are more than two people, the discussion may also move forward too quickly making it hard to keep up.

I think a combination of the emailing method and the instant messaging method makes for a good balance - use the email method to document all thought processes/developments and the instant messenger to discuss anything brought up in the document and to bounce new ideas around as you think them up.

Of course, if you live near one another it is possible to meet up with a writing partner or team. In this case, is it better to meet up and make notes as you go along? Or use a dictaphone so the conversation can run freely at the same time as being recorded for later use?

Then comes the writing-the-script stage... How do you go about passing the drafts around?

In the past I have used Celtx. Writer number 1 writes a first draft, sends the Celtx file over to writer number 2, who opens it, copies it into a new file marked "[Title]2" and then edits as they please. They then pass draft 2 back. Writer 1 copies it to a new file marked "[Title]3" and edits as they please. In this way, no drafts get lost and they can always be referred back to if a passage was cut that shouldn't have been. I've never tried this method with more than one other writer, but it seems a pretty effective and logical way of going about it.

How do you prefer to go about the planning and writing stages of a collaboration?