And for my part timely in as much as I stopped writing -- I say that as though I'm a writer and there are parallels in our current experience...I'm not and there aren't and do not wish to imply otherwise -- because I found myself frozen by all the things I wasn't doing that the books and articles and videos assured me I should be doing. It hasn't been writer's block. Only this feeling that the tale I'm telling doesn't match the "rules" and thus a feeling that I should abandon the tale entirely. Hah. Again, implying I'm some sort of writer.
Anyway, and I know I must sound like a broken record each time I comment on your posts but I genuinely appreciate you sharing these insights. Perhaps I comment too often and for that I do apologize. I suppose I find it heartening and reassuring to learn that even professionals like yourself have a love/hate relationship with the "rules" and have to fight to maintain their authenticity (is this the same as voice?) each new time they are at bat.
The comments are always great! If you're writing something, you're a writer. And the more you do it, the better you get and the more you start to figure out which rules to follow and which to ignore.
I love this! I mean, I don't love that you've written a script that you don't much like, and I hope you have more success tearing it up and doing something more authentic. But it is a good reminder to stick to my guns. I just know that people will tell me to ditch some of the science from Fieldwork, but my audience is scientists and the sci-curious, an audience that rarely gets paid any attention at all. They will appreciate the nerdery, so the nerdery will stay. It might mean I have a lower chance of winning any of the competitions I'm going to enter, by at this point I only use them for motivation and immovable deadlines anyway. Winning's not on the cards. So I may as well do what I want and see how it comes out.
I have to confess I have never understood the script competition thing. I know lots of people who enter, and some who win, but I have never seen anyone benefit from being a competition winner. In reality, first prize is making the thing. Second prize is attracting attention with the thing and being asked to do something else. Third prize is getting better at what you’re doing by doing it. Winning a script competition is not on the podium.
I could write reams on script competitions, but will try to keep it brief!
I generally do not have any real interest in script competitions with regard to winning, because like you, I don't really see evidence that people kickstart their careers that way. If it's one of the writers room type competitions with the BBC or Channel 4, where you get training and mentoring, then I can see that there's a benefit there, in that you get access to stuff that you otherwise wouldn't. But the value of "hey, meet a production company!" comps seem quite low to me.
What is useful for me is having a hard deadline. If I didn't have these comps to enter, I'd probably still be noodling around with more background research. When I started the writing process a week ago, I was all "Oh fuck, I'm rubbish, this is going to be rubbish, I haven't done enough research, I don't know what I am talking about and I'm a crap writer, but I have to get on with it because there's a deadline."
For that reason alone, comps are useful.
The Sitcom Mission one also comes, optionally, with two rounds of feedback for an extra £80. That's a pretty good deal, so long as the feedback is good but I'll have to see about that when it arrives. The Oxford Uni/42 one is free, so that falls into the "Why not?" bucket, especially as I'll have a script ready.
But nothing changes the fact that my intention is to fundraise and produce it as a podcast myself, because I don't actually think it would ever get picked up by a production company. Academics and women, or worse, academic women, are not really a priority audience for them. I mean, we've seen the appalling attitudes towards female-focused writing quite recently, so it feels more realistic to take control myself.
Another extremely helpful analysis.
And for my part timely in as much as I stopped writing -- I say that as though I'm a writer and there are parallels in our current experience...I'm not and there aren't and do not wish to imply otherwise -- because I found myself frozen by all the things I wasn't doing that the books and articles and videos assured me I should be doing. It hasn't been writer's block. Only this feeling that the tale I'm telling doesn't match the "rules" and thus a feeling that I should abandon the tale entirely. Hah. Again, implying I'm some sort of writer.
Anyway, and I know I must sound like a broken record each time I comment on your posts but I genuinely appreciate you sharing these insights. Perhaps I comment too often and for that I do apologize. I suppose I find it heartening and reassuring to learn that even professionals like yourself have a love/hate relationship with the "rules" and have to fight to maintain their authenticity (is this the same as voice?) each new time they are at bat.
The comments are always great! If you're writing something, you're a writer. And the more you do it, the better you get and the more you start to figure out which rules to follow and which to ignore.
I love this! I mean, I don't love that you've written a script that you don't much like, and I hope you have more success tearing it up and doing something more authentic. But it is a good reminder to stick to my guns. I just know that people will tell me to ditch some of the science from Fieldwork, but my audience is scientists and the sci-curious, an audience that rarely gets paid any attention at all. They will appreciate the nerdery, so the nerdery will stay. It might mean I have a lower chance of winning any of the competitions I'm going to enter, by at this point I only use them for motivation and immovable deadlines anyway. Winning's not on the cards. So I may as well do what I want and see how it comes out.
I have to confess I have never understood the script competition thing. I know lots of people who enter, and some who win, but I have never seen anyone benefit from being a competition winner. In reality, first prize is making the thing. Second prize is attracting attention with the thing and being asked to do something else. Third prize is getting better at what you’re doing by doing it. Winning a script competition is not on the podium.
I could write reams on script competitions, but will try to keep it brief!
I generally do not have any real interest in script competitions with regard to winning, because like you, I don't really see evidence that people kickstart their careers that way. If it's one of the writers room type competitions with the BBC or Channel 4, where you get training and mentoring, then I can see that there's a benefit there, in that you get access to stuff that you otherwise wouldn't. But the value of "hey, meet a production company!" comps seem quite low to me.
What is useful for me is having a hard deadline. If I didn't have these comps to enter, I'd probably still be noodling around with more background research. When I started the writing process a week ago, I was all "Oh fuck, I'm rubbish, this is going to be rubbish, I haven't done enough research, I don't know what I am talking about and I'm a crap writer, but I have to get on with it because there's a deadline."
For that reason alone, comps are useful.
The Sitcom Mission one also comes, optionally, with two rounds of feedback for an extra £80. That's a pretty good deal, so long as the feedback is good but I'll have to see about that when it arrives. The Oxford Uni/42 one is free, so that falls into the "Why not?" bucket, especially as I'll have a script ready.
But nothing changes the fact that my intention is to fundraise and produce it as a podcast myself, because I don't actually think it would ever get picked up by a production company. Academics and women, or worse, academic women, are not really a priority audience for them. I mean, we've seen the appalling attitudes towards female-focused writing quite recently, so it feels more realistic to take control myself.