What a Horror!

Artwork by Matthew Howard

Well I have been busy working on a horror script.  Wanted to write a good horror for a long time. Or even a bad horror. Finally I decided to stop wondering and just do it.

It is based on a nightmare I had but I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I like creature features but prefer suspense to gore.  More Alien/Thing than Saw/Hostel.  Yes, I know Alien and Thing has gore too but it is quick and only one part of the plot. It wasn't the core of the film.

Anyway, I have recently been using a different approach to writing.  Before I would write a quick outline then dive in.  Trying really hard to not do that now. Instead I have been knocking outlines, characters and background into good shape first.  Sometimes this is a slog but in this case everything seems to be dropping into place nicely.



Something else that has changed.  I used to try and keep the budget low. However the sad reality is that few speculative scripts get made. They are more a showcase.

Therefore I have split my scripts in two. Some are low budget and hopefully stand a chance of being made. Some are high budget and show what I can do without limitations.  This horror falls into the second camp and I am loving working on it.

So now I have to discover whether all that work was actually useful or if I was just procrastinating. Time to write Draft 1.

Red Planet Competition

Just in case you haven't noticed the posts on nearly every writing blog out there.... Red Planet Comp is back and Danny is running a helpful blog here.

I entered last year and got nowhere. Looking back I'm not at all surprised. A slow start, overwritten and continual change in tone. I'm better now. Honestly.

So the rules have changed this year. It's TV only this year and we have a bit longer. That's a big relief because last year I took the laptop with me on holiday to get it done in time.

My first thought was still yikes though. I've come up with TV 1hr pieces and half hour sitcoms series before but never thought about 1hr episodes in a series or serial. This means I'm not going to be tweaking something I've already got.

Initial panic passed and I got down to knocking ideas about and brainstorming. I briefly considered trying to second guess what they'd be looking for or checking where holes were in the current output. However I decided in the end to write what I would love to watch and that I'd be happy to add to my portfolio. I did add the extra condition that it had to be something that wasn't already out there.

So I've gone through my favourite series and looked at what I liked about them. My favourites all have two things in common.

1) They are ensemble pieces. Even if the series is named after a single character the other characters are just as strong. And they are all 3 dimensional. No stereotypes, even if they appear that way when you first meet them.

2) There is balance. The series have an overall story, discrete stories for each episode and development of relationships. But they don't let any one predominate.

Well I've come up with something. It's meant to be horror and chucking the ideas down late at night has made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end so I think I'm on track. Let's just say I'm not going out on my own when it's dark for a while.

There's time to bin it and start again if I find it isn't working out but this is going to be my project for the next few weeks I think. If my nerves can take it.

A bit of classic horror to cheer you up

Been keeping this in reserve. Had some good news and some bad news today.

Good: My short play has been picked as one of the four for a final performance. We modified them in light of comments from audience, actors and directors then resubmitted. I was one of the ones picked. I'm going to have to stand up and talk about the play then answer questions from the floor so my fingernails have suddenly disappeared.

Bad: Super Shorts semi-final list is now up. I didn't get through. I'm telling myself that there was a HUGE pile of submissions and I just missed so it was quite an achievement. I know I was nearly picked because the sheep are lying down so it must be true.

So here's the little horror present.