Red Planet Progress - over a fortnight to go

I've sent my 10 pages out for feedback. Got it back. Ripped and shuffled and sent out again. It has gone through so many changes. And I mean major re-writes rather than slight tweaks. I found my subtle relationship clues were so subtle they were invisible and the poor PO3s were left with "Who are these people?" There again I didn't want any exposition so it was more than just adding a few lines of dialogue. Think it's sorted now.


Like others out there I have struggled with the Outline. I've written them for films before but it seems a bit different when you are squeezing in the information for a series. Or in my case a three series run.


My story ended up following the Lost and Babylon 5 tradition of a multiple series story arc with a definite ending. OK I'm not sure if Lost has an ending or if it will just circle back to the crash in some weird Mobius strip.


Anyway I struggled on this one. I've got the tone, referenced similar work, introduced the main characters and the arena, described how the protagonist changes and roughly what happens over the first episode and the three series. Doing that while keeping my own voice has been the toughest part. I don't want a shopping list but there's only one page.


In the end I wrote it ignoring the length limit then kept cutting until it fitted. It is amazing how much you can take out without changing the meaning.I've still got time to put it aside and read again before the deadline.


In the meantime I have the full episode to finish and I'm alternating that with a radio play. Realised I haven't written one for a while. Instead of thinking visually I'm having to think auditorilly... audiolly...audito...with sound. And it is a comedy rather than the Red Planet horror. Nice to have a change.



And lastly the BSSC Round 2 results are up. Didn't get through but some familiar titles there. Congratulations if you got through and commiserations if you didn't.

Crashing into the Red Planet

I crashed and burned in Page. I wrote an experimental short about a woman dealing with grief. Problem with those is that people either love or hate them. It's a much bigger gamble. It is still my favourite short script and is through Round 1 of BSSC though. Even if it gets nowhere there I'm not putting it away in a drawer. It will be time to send it out elsewhere.

I've got a bit further with the Red Planet project. The first episode is now plotted out as a series of bullet points and it should make about 1hour. I've now started writing it. Well I suppose you'd really call it blocking it out in more detail. But I'm doing it in feature script format so it looks a bit cooler to me anyway.

I'm putting dialogue in but only what they mean. Very on the nose at this stage but I like to put all that down then go over the whole thing again and replace with what they would actually say.

Blocking out in detail is when I discover something really isn't working. Bullet points can gloss over problem stuff. In this case a suicide. At this stage I'm considering binning that whole sequence and putting something else there because it just seems too stereotypical. It won't be hard because this is the part that gives the protagonist's motivation. I can give her that motivation another way.

BSSC Round 1

The list is up and my two entries are through. This is as far as I got last year so it's a relief that I've not gone backwards. I am really pleased to see so many others that I recognise on the list too. Well done everyone.

I was a bit nervous with one of my entries. It is experimental with no standard narrative. Reactions have been extreme from those that have read it so far. Some have loved it and some found it just too wierd. But it is my favourite short.

I entered it into Page too. It didn't get through on that one and now I wait for the feedback.

Hope all your competition entries are going well and you are all working hard on Red Planet, BFSC and Rise.

Won Something

It's been very eventful since my last blog. I won something. Yes really. I'm still sort of in shock.

I'd entered a county competition for a short play. North Cumbria Scriptwriting Group is going to put on a set of plays at Theatre by the Lakes and offered one of the slots as a prize. Yes I live in Cumbria. Said it was the back of beyond didn't I? Wouldn't swap it though.

The group selected submissions down to three and then the theatre director chose mine.

So my 5min play will be professionally staged in the spring. I then got an email last night for character notes so they can start casting. Eeeek. Haven't had to write those before. At least not for anyone else to read. Had a go. I'm sure they will tell me if the notes are useless.

I also submitted my portfolio for the course I've been on. Got to wait to find out if it was alright.

I'm also cracking away at Draft II of the treatment for my feature. I worked on it with the course and just have to choose between the three endings I can see.

Also realised the deadline for the Cheltenham Screenwriters' Festival competition Pitch in Time is almost upon me. And I want to submit a pitch for the feature. So I'd better get cracking. If you don't try then you're guaranteed to lose.

And then there's the early deadline for BSSC Live Action shorts at the end of March. I've got a couple of shorts I think are ready but I'm letting them sit there a little so I can read with new eyes before submitting. I got through the first round last year. Doesn't mean I'll get that far again this year but lets see.

I'm also reading and checking a synopsis and 3 chapters of a novel for a friend who is about to send it out. She finished a novel AND reworked and rewritten it. So much better than me. My novels get fully planned out then I get distracted. Not a good habit I know. I've got my fingers and toes crossed for her.



So I've got to get some heavy writing done. Paper out. Pencil sharpened.

And I got this from Sheiky