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rejections

Are We There Yet?

So you’re not a new writer. You’re what I call a “seasoned writer”. You’ve cracked the writing side of this whole malarkey – you’ve got the portfolio, you’ve got good feedback; maybe you have a couple of options, contest placings, an agent, various meetings and perhaps some related work under your belt. Yet still you don’t feel *there* yet. 99% of what we do, as writers, will come to nothing in the long run. However hard you work, however many options, meetings, commissions and people you pick up along the way – agents, producers, TV Execs, directors, money men, sales… Read More »Are We There Yet?

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The Art of Rejection

As anyone who’s ever been rejected by the likes of something like The Writers’ Academy or the BBC e-Commissioning system knows, good news tends to come during the week in the middle of the day; bad news comes at approximately 5pm and ALWAYS on a Friday. This has prompted me to label such emails as “FFOFs”: “Friday F**k off at five”, something many other writers seem to understand and have their own versions of, so conversations can go a bit like this: WRITER 1: How’d you do with your pitch/ treatment/ proposal /spec / whatever? WRITER 2: Got the FFOF… Read More »The Art of Rejection

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Blame It On The Reader?

The Stackmeister often says it best and this is how the system works when you send your baby off: – You send a script to exec/producer/prod co.– It’s received and logged.– A reader gives it a once-over.– The reader writes a script report.– Exec/producer reads the report.– A rejection is sent in the post, with thanks. [From “Gimmick Submissions“] It might to be a trifle depressing, but it’s a fact: you’ll get rejected far more than you will ever get accepted. What’s more, this will never change. Even Tony Jordan, Quentin Tarantino, *insert big name screenwriter here* gets rejected. No… Read More »Blame It On The Reader?

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The Year In Review

An interesting year for me, 08. I started with high hopes: I did a trial for a well-known TV show last November and was told in January I was successful. This is it! I thought – Now the commissions will roll in. Then… Nothing happened. Still, nothing has happened. But apparently something *will* happen eventually, so watch this space. Talking to one chap who’s done much of the TV circuit “off-Beeb” as he calls it (ie. any channel except Aunty), he’s had to wait two years or more before now. Two years! Yikes. Still, done one I guess. What’s a… Read More »The Year In Review

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Reptiles, Naked Chicks, Flesh Eating Beasties

Well I’ve been living in rejection city for some time now, but I’m reliably informed this is what happens when you’re a *real writer*. In fact, according to one of my contacts, I should be so lucky I get the opportunity in the first place to GET rejected. I had been too busy feeling sorry for myself regarding FIVE REJECTIONS IN FIVE DAYS ON FIVE PROJECTS I REALLY WANTED to think about it like that, so cheers. (You know who you are: one day… When you’re least expecting it… BLAM!!! ; ). The good news is I am WELL busy… Read More »Reptiles, Naked Chicks, Flesh Eating Beasties

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Rejection: Get Over It

When you train as a teacher on a BEd or a PGCE, you’re encouraged to start looking for jobs between April and May of the year you graduate. This is apparently the time most already-employed teachers give notice, so that September’s positions are up for grabs for the newbies. The newbie teachers then will have to do very long interviews – these usually last the whole day and there is no pay. You will usually do a tour of the school or college you’re applying to; you may have to talk to the other applicants whilst someone from the school… Read More »Rejection: Get Over It

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That’s The Way To Do It

So I got rejected by the Northern Lights Film Festival Script Award this week. I wasn’t expecting to get through – I heard literally *just* before the deadline and hacked a so-called “treatment” together from another one page pitch in a real FRANKENSCRIPT “better than not entering” kinda way. I will definitely enter next year though (and plan ahead!). Not only did they bother to reject me (so many schemes don’t), they did it nicely AND when they said they would. They even gave me a little insight into the contest itself, so I didn’t even mind there was no… Read More »That’s The Way To Do It

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Do Your Preparation: How To Write Outlines, Beat Sheets And Treatments

You should do your preparation! Bang2writers often ask me what is the “best” way to go about writing a screenplay or novel. My answer? There is no “best” way. But it’s definitely going to help if you’ve done your preparation first in the form of an outline, beat sheet and/or treatment. Here’s why preparation work helps you get rid of all the obvious pitfalls and crap FIRST, as it … GIVES your brain time to “breathe” and work out all the machinations of the plot and the character motivations and themes etc concurrently STOPS you writing a load of junk… Read More »Do Your Preparation: How To Write Outlines, Beat Sheets And Treatments

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