This just popped into my inbox:
Dear Lucy,
Unfortunately, your submission “Miss Conception” has not been shortlisted for this year’s Red Planet Prize. Take heart from the fact that there was a huge response and the quality of work has been outstanding.
We will be running the competition again next year so keep writing and good luck.
Best Wishes
Red Planet Pictures
Ah, the delightful FOFE as a friend calls them – the “Fuck off on Friday Email”, lol. No really: good they they notify the losers as well AND make it personal for each by addressing the unlucky recipient by name and their project, too. Makes you feel as if they’re not brushing over your entry, which is cool. They don’t have to do that.
But don’t feel sorry for me. Like I said before, you have to take stock – and in actual fact, turns out those same ten pages I sent to Red Planet have got me to the second round of this, proving my original point what doesn’t work for one place does for another.
Also, the fact that I DIDN’T get through on Red Planet speaks volumes about a nagging feeling I’ve had at the back of my mind for some time now regarding this script’s central idea. I know the writing is good – but is the story at its heart 100% truthful? I’ve been unconvinced for a while (since my ICA Lab on this script in October, in fact). MISS CONCEPTION is to be my Writer’s Academy application script next year: RP was a “dry run”. The fact then that it was pipped at the first post is now a good thing, for it tells me what I need to do next – and several conversations with readers familiar with MC since Tuesday this week (when I realised I was almost certainly out of the running) have provided me with much food for thought about where this script is heading… Not least a re-alignment regarding its target audience.
So… You live and learn. You really do.
Just got the same email, but with one crucial difference: they spelt the name of my script wrong 😉
Gotta larf, aintcha?
Me too. I’m happy to know that at least it arrived on time and they read it. I think.
God knows what I would have done if I’d got the call, the remainder of the episode was nowhere near polished, so I consider myself to have had a lucky escape. Probly.
Me too. Well it is illustrious company anyway.
If only we knew where those RP people live hey L? 😉 I’m firing up my chain saw and heading North!
It's the next street, isn't it Martin?!
Rach & Terraling – there you go: every cloud, blah blah blah. I *couldn't* have submitted MC anyway cos of the thoughts of what I'm going to do next, it would have been tantamount to fraud (ahem).
Chip – if they spelt the name of your script wrong, then surely you can't possibly let them see the rest of it! FOR SHAME RP 😉
Me too, Luce. But at least we’ve got some friends through. And we’re still writing.
Stay with it gal, it’s only a matter of time…
Shieky.