Skip to content

options

10 Lies Writers Tell Themselves, Pt 1: The Writing

Lies, Lies, Lies  Lies we tell ourselves as writers have a direct impact on our potential success. Don’t believe me? Fine, let’s put this idea under the microscope … Ten years ago, I was a young single Mum working out of my kitchen. I’d just finished uni; I had a few scripts in my portfolio, but I had no money – so little, in fact, I couldn’t even take the literary agent’s assistant job offered to me in London or indeed the otherwise unconditional MA offer I’d also received. In other words, the odds were against me and there were some… Read More »10 Lies Writers Tell Themselves, Pt 1: The Writing

Share this:

Want To Get Noticed? Then Don’t Write These Type Of Screenplays

Updated Previously titled, ‘Want To Get Noticed? Don’t Write Low Budget Depressing Drama or High Budget Science Fiction/Fantasy Spec Scripts‘, this post will outline why trying to get out of the submissions pile with a low budget drama or a high budget sci fi TV pilot like a gazilion other writers (probably) ain’t gonna work for you. Strap yourself in and suck it up, peeps … Cliches + Stereotypes = BORING When I started script reading, everyone was writing very “worthy”, very personal psychological dramas where generally everybody died or was at least miserable as Hell and in the grip of addiction,… Read More »Want To Get Noticed? Then Don’t Write These Type Of Screenplays

Share this:

How To Maximise Your Screenplay Portfolio

Script Leads What’s in a screenwriter’s portfolio is very important. Most screenwriters know this, especially when they ask me for script leads. But there is usually a disconnect. The screenwriters often have the vain hope they MIGHT have *something* that magically ‘matches up’ with what producers and directors are looking for. Of course, 9 times out of 10 they haven’t. The writers in question will have written simply what they wanted to write. They won’t have done any research on target audiences, budgets, what’s in demand etc. In other words, they are throwing spaghetti at the wall. Sure, some might… Read More »How To Maximise Your Screenplay Portfolio

Share this:

Adaptation, Pt 3: What A Publisher Says

Apologies for the delay on this article, an MTC (that’s a Minor Tidying Calamity) occurred and my notebook with my course notes in somehow ended up in the outhouse with the washing machine and freezer. I blame The Husband…———————————————————————— A recent conversation thread on the Shooting People Screenwriters’ List revealed that it is considered pretty bad form to adapt material without having the rights to it. This is not a problem when certain stories are already in the public domain, but what if it is protected by copyright? We hear a lot about producers acquiring the rights to certain books… Read More »Adaptation, Pt 3: What A Publisher Says

Share this: