I've been far away...

On holiday from the day job, so 33.5 hours writing this week. Would have done more, but I was away for a few days.* I’ve finished the draft of my TV pilot, so just need to polish up the first ten pages and rocket them off to Red Planet. Also finished my Rise submission, and whisked that off.

BTW. I tried to have a day off from the writing today. Christ it was boring! How do people cope without writing to do? Don't they get bored?? Anyone know any real people they can ask???

And I’ll let you know tomorrow why I posted the Cracker and Joy Division clips above. See if you can spot the link**

Later.

* Though I did a few hours on the coach on the way up. And the way back. And in bed when the girlfriend was asleep. Don’t tell her though - It’ll be our little secret, ok?
BTW, Interesting that getting away from the computer freed the pipes - writing on the coach with a notebook on my lap, and no distractions let me completely rethink my metlab project.
** apart from Manchester, obviously.

Hello! Just passing through. Can't stop!

Hello!

Did 20 hours writing last week. Scribosocial was rather wonderful, thanks to everyone who came - I'll post the rest of the photos here or on facebook soon. All in fantastic stereoscopic 3-D!*

One week, I'll do a Stuart Perry style blog a day. But not this week! Even though I'm on holiday from the day job, got tons to do. I'm away for a few days from tom, so trying to cram in as much writing as I can today .

Later.

*probably.

Whoo who!

Did 30 hours writing last week (the bank holiday helped!) On course for 20 hours this week. But more importantly, I finished the exploratory draft of my rom com* (currently going by the slightly ropey working title of Summer Night)

I’d set myself the completely arbitrary deadline of last Sunday. That deadline whoosed meerily by, but I finally finished the draft Thursday. Partly cos I got stuck in the middle. Partly, I found something else to write (isn’t it amazing how having to write something fires you up with a burning passion for writing something else?? Tho I don’t have it as bad as the wonderful Paul Abbott) It was a script for an entry for this funky little graphic novel competition from the observer btw.

Summer Nights ain’t great. The tone is all over the place. The protagonist is the most boring character in it. The second act doesn’t work. The characterisation is inconsistent. Cos I was moving forward, I’ve occasionally left lines blank, I havent gone back and set up things I hadn’t realised I needed. I even threw in a completely new character who everyone knew on about page 60!

It’s rough as fuck, to be honest. But, I’m liking the characters, liking the humour. Loving the ending. After struggling through the second act, I caned the last twenty pages. I’ll have to see how it matures locked up in the script cupboard now. **

In other news, this week I have mainly been listening to Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour. There are two shows a week [one on Radio 2, one on 6 music] click on the links and you can listen to them on your computer! Really!! As the man himself says “music travels through the air, so it knows no boundaries”

As this clip proves! ***

*or is it a bromantic comedy?
** not actual cupboard
*** er, when I say 30 hours - there may have been some internet related slacking!

Only Forward

20 hours writing last week, and more importantly, 26 pages of my rom com first draft. I was going to post about first drafts and stuff, but a) I’m too busy writing one, and b) The Arnopp covers it so well here. It’s a great reminder that you have to move forward and not worry too much if it’s a bit rough. (BTW Robin Kelly has great links for Romantic Comedy and Comedy articles)

I’m glad I read Sir Jason's ramblings when I did, cos my exploratory draft is way rough, but I am a script shark, moving relentless on towards the fade out. Oh yes I am. I’ve set a deadline of next Sunday to finish it, then I‘ll have a couple of to rewrite and polish for rise.

In over news, I got my feedback back from Lucy in her metlab hat, and it was good stuff - but (of course) it needs work. Working on multiple drafts for metlab have made me realise how unfocused I've been before - I've got loads of polished first drafts (and quiet a few second drafts) saved on my computer, but no scripts i've developed nearly as much as this. I always move on to something else.

So I've got another draft of that to do for metlab. And, on top of that, Danny Stack here has shamed me into going for Red Planet, so I'm reading a TV script a day from Lee's handy list here to prepare for that.

So I'd better get started!

Oh, and more details of the scribosocial here.

Getting a bit tardy with the writers log - I did 23 hours the week before last (And I was planning on having an easy week!) Only 17 hours last week, but I had to help my sister move on Saturday, which is my usually my Big Writing Day.

I’ve been mainly working on Digital Shorts proposal (South West Screen had a (very) late call for applications after another project fell through) Now I’m focusing on my vaguely Apatow-esque currently-between-titles romantic comedy (vacbtromcom for short) It‘s (very loosely) based on the first feature script I ever wrote. I‘ve been meaning to rewrite it for ages - If I hadn’t got onto the Metlab scheme with another script, I'd have written it last year. It’s been nagging at me, popping into my head and jumping up and down squealing ‘write me! write me.’ I’ve been telling it, shh maybe later - I don’t have time.

There are a few competition deadlines in September, including the rise films summer challenge on the 26th, so I’ve decided to go for that . Okay, it wont be a fantastically polished draft, but at least the deadline gives me something to focus on - I know the characters, I know where the story is going (though not necessarily how to get there!) and I’ve got about 4 weeks to write it.

Starting…now!

Scribosocial by the Sea 2008 - The Bournemouth Ultimatum.

We’re having an informal writers get together down here in Dorsetshire on Saturday the 13TH of September. Details of venue etc. TBC, but there will be drinking, merriment, and serious screenwriting discussions. But mainly drinking ;).

Some folks are even coming down from London Town and staying overnight, so all are welcome.

For more details, visit the facebook site here, e- mail me, or watch this space!

Stephen King “I used to tell people I wrote every day except Christmas, but that was a lie - I used to write on Christmas Day as well.”

22.5 hours writing this week. Not too shabby, especially as I throttled back a bit since I sent my latest metlab draft off to on Thursday. I’m quiet happy with it - I had enough time since the last draft to put it away for a bit, re read it, then do another half-draft. Is it just me, or does anyone else get a feeling of anti-climax, almost loss, when they reach a deadline and finish a draft?

I’ve got back into the writing habit now - I’ve fallen back in love with it, which is good, cos I haven’t got time to slack for long - I’ve got a rom-com I’ve wanted to write for ages, that I’m going to try to tackle between metlab drafts; a proposal for Digital Shorts to work on; and a short story I want to write. And that’s just the tip of the project-iceberg I want to .. er, ram my writing bows into.

Hmm, didn’t really think that metaphor thorough, did I? ;)

Later