COMPETITION

You are not the only writer out there. Yours is not the only fantastic screenplay doing the rounds. There are hundreds of thousands of wannabes and professional writers competing with you for every writing job you apply for and every competition you enter. It's a bit daunting, isn't it? But it doesn't have to be.

It's surprising then there's a great camaraderie amongst writers. It's a wonderful community with as much support as any given writer wants or needs. The reason is because every single writer knows how tough it is getting started and maintaining a career. Every writer will at some point experience the ups and downs of what it is to be a struggling or working writer. Every writer knows what you are going through because they have too. The key is determination and resilience.

First of all your writing has to be top notch. It won't do you any favours going off half-cocked and sending out work that isn't ready, or that hasn't been proofread. That, as a writer, should always be your first priority. It's always worth getting a professional reader or two to check your work and recommend changes.

When your work is the best it can be, it's time to send it out. Reseach the people you are sending it to. If they don't make the genre of screenplay you've written it's a certainty they won't be interested. If they don't accept unsolicited work, move on. Don't waste your time or their's. As for competitions, make the most of them. Enter as many as you can, not just the big ones, but the smaller ones too. Competitions can be a fantastic measure of how good your work actually is. The better you do, especially the more consistently you do this, the better the writer you are.

Network like crazy. Go to every event you can fit into your diary, even the ones you can't afford. You can always crowdfund your ticket or borrow money from your partner or parents. Put yourself out there and make a great name for yourself as someone who is polite, enthusiastic, hardworking and reliable. The more people you meet and connect with the greater your circle of influence. Be brave. It can be great fun if you let yourself enjoy it.

If you see an opportunity advertised, or a friend highlights one online, have a screenplay ready to enter. If you're thinking, "I won't bother with this one because I don't really stand a chance," think again. The more initiatives, jobs and competitions you enter or apply for the more your chances increase. If you limit your opportunities to just one or two a year, then don't be surprised if you don't get anywhere. You have to be in it to win it after all, so be willing to take the risk.

Last of all, don't let the competition get you down. Concentrate on what you're doing and forget about everyone else. Don't compare your career to other writers, you'll only end up being disappointed. If you get turned down for a job don't stress it, just look for more opportunities, at whatever level, and go for them.

Even when you're an established writer you'll be turned down for work, your awesome new idea will be rejected, probably multiple times and you will be fired from the odd job now and again for creative differences. It's the same at all levels of writing. And it'll never change.

As long as you learn not to let it bother you, you'll be okay. Work hard, hunt down those opportunities and make the most of them and apply for everything even if you think you won't succeed. Successful writers are successful because they put themselves and their work out there on a constant basis. They never take their foot off the accelerator. They get on with it and don't let other people's success or doubts get to them. They write and send stuff out, write and send stuff out, day after day after day after day after day after day. Be that writer.

Happy writing!

COLLABORATION & COOPERATION

Collaboration and cooperation are a massive part of being a successful working writer. Not only do they highlight to producers and directors that you're willing to work with others, they also help to promote your work.

Over the years I've heard of several instances where writers have ruined opportunities for themselves by either not being prepared to collaborate or not cooperating. Here are a few of those examples.

1. A writer had his feature optioned and was asked to rewrite it and change a few bits. He went away and wrote a completely new screenplay loosely based on his original. He changed most of the story and the majority of the characters, so much so that the screenplay was hardly recognisable compared to the original. Because of this, he sunk the project and the producer lost money.
2. Two writers wrote a sitcom together and a major broadcaster commissioned them to write the entire series. One of the writers got cold feet and walked away killing the project for both of them as he wouldn't sign over the rights to the other writer.
3. A new writing duo had their screenplay optioned and the finance was raised. As they were about to sign the contract they decided to renegotiate so they could also direct the film. The producer tried to tell them if they insisted on this the financiers would pull out, but they wouldn't listen and this is exactly what happened. The project crashed, was never resurrected and the writers were never heard of again.
4. A new writer went to an experienced writer with a great project and asked him if he would be interested in a collaboration if he would show it to his contacts when it was done. The experienced writer agreed as he loved the project. Six months later the new writer took back ownership of his idea as he thought things weren't progressing quickly enough, just as the experienced writer had managed to get significant interest in the project from one of his producer contacts. The project and the new writer went nowhere and the experienced writer was so embarrassed in front of his contact that he vowed never to work with amateurs again.

All of these examples are true stories and illustrate how easy it is to not only get a bad name for being unreliable in the busineess but how quickly you can end your career before it's even begun. How could the above have avoided this?

1. The writer should have listened closer to what the producer wanted and rewritten his screenplay accordingly, rather than going off and writing what he wanted to.
2. The writer who had cold feet should have worked on the first series to completion before walking away and then let the other writer carry on alone with the second, either that or sign over the rights so the writer could continue without him.
3. The writing duo shouldn't have got greedy or precious about their work and instead should have trusted in the process to ensure their debut film was made, which would have put them in a much stronger position if they wanted to direct in the future.
4. The new writer should have had more patience as it takes time for a project to be picked up, greenlit and broadcast. If he had trusted the more experienced writer the series might now have been commissioned and broadcast.

So how can you help yourself? There are two great examples that have happened to me recently and they are...

1. I sat down with two producers to discuss a long-gestating project. Times have moved on and one of the producers felt the idea and the screenplay should also. We discussed it, debated and suggested new ways we could look at the story. In the end, we have a new, fresher vision we all agree is way better than the original. We will now work together to make that new version a reality.
2. I was contacted by a friend I was at university with who now teaches. She asked if I had any short screenplays her students could film as part of her course. I had eight which had been lying around gathering dust for years. The students picked the ones they liked and asked if they could make changes. Some changes were minor, some for practical reasons and others a little more drastic. I could have been precious about my work and insist they film them as I wrote them, but I was intrigued to see what they could come up with and gave them permission to change whatever they wanted. I even made a few suggestions for changes myself. I can't wait to see what they deliver.

Collaborating and cooperating shows everyone how well you can work with others, that you're reliable and that you understand how the media business works. If you have a reputation for being easy to work with you're more likely to be approached with work. That doesn't mean you have to bend over backwards and do everything you've been asked no matter how ridiculous. You can always decide not to change something you've been asked to, as long as you've talked it over with them and explained your reasons why in a polite and respectful manner. It's a collaborative business after all.

Happy writing!

COPYRIGHT

"If somebody writes a screenplay, shouldn't they own a copyright before making it public?" - posted in response to one of my posts on the SCREENWRITING Facebook page by Leon Stansfield.

Those of us who have been around for a while will have seen this query, and other's very similar, pop up on a regular basis on screenwriting pages. Why are new writers obsessed with protecting their work and is there really a need to do so? Here are some answers for you, Leon.

CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR IDEA?

In short, no, you can't protect an idea. If someone likes your basic idea or outline and wants to go and write their version of it, they can. Do you remember in 1991 there were two versions of Robin Hood made and released - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner and Robin Hood starring Patrick Bergin? There was no copyright issue there even though it was the same idea because they were two very different versions. However, if someone lifted chunks of your story and your characters straight out of your screenplay and put them into theirs, then that can be considered theft.

IS YOUR WORK GOOD ENOUGH?

While many new writers concern themselves far too much with copyright and protecting their work, they fail to realise that in reality their writing or their idea probably aren't good enough (yet). It takes time to become a good writer, to find your own writing style and to perfect it and to recognise cliched ideas and why most screenplays fail. There are always a few exceptions to the rule, but in my experience most of the screenplays new writers are desperate to protect aren't really of a standard worth stealing. That sounds harsh, I know, but never the less it's true. Those more established and practised writers worry about copyright theft a lot less, or in most cases not at all.

MAKING YOUR WORK PUBLIC.

Why would you want to post your whole screenplay on a Facebook page? Send it to friends, peers you trust and professional readers to get feedback. Send it to producers, production companies and competitions when your work is ready. But there's really no need to post your screenplay on a public website in full view of any Tom, Dick and Harry.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR WORK (if you really have to).

1. Once you've written your screenplay, that version belongs to you, it is your intellectual copyright. There really isn't any need to protect it further.
2. The Writers Guild of America West will, for a fee, register your screenplay for copyright purposes.
3. For every draft you write save it in a sperate folder on your hard drive and backup, making sure you put the date in the file name. Each time you start a new draft make a copy and then rename it. Then at least if the worse does happen you'll have a chronological record of what you've written and when.
4. Print out your finished screenplay, put it in a sealed envelop and post it to yourself. When it arrives keep it safe unopened. Alternatively, give it to your lawyer to keep in his safe.

WHY NO ONE IS GOING TO STEAL YOUR WORK

Why would they? If they want to take your screenplay and have it written by someone else, they'll just buy it off you and go and do that. If they steal your screenplay and get found out it will be the end of their career and it's not worth the risk. Why risk their reputation?

However, there are a rare few people out there that will risk doing this. In my experience, I've only ever had it happen twice to me and both times it was a student who tried to claim my screenplay as theirs to get a better mark on their uni project. I simply went to see their tutors and made sure I got the credit I had earned. End of! I can assure you that I've never come across a single working professional who has stolen any of my work or anyone's that I know.

THE BBC/ITV/SKY/NETFLICKS STOLE MY IDEA.

No, they didn't. I can guarantee you that somewhere right now, someone is writing a screenplay that is pretty much identical to your idea. The more cliched the idea, the more likely this is happening. I can't remember how many times I've been working on an idea only to have to drop it after finding out a broadcaster is working on something similar.

Last year I had a cracking school playground comedy idea and pitched it to a TV production company, only for them to tell me about a BBC comedy in production called MOTHERLAND. It's disappointing, but it happens. It doesn't mean someone has stolen your idea, it just means someone had the same idea and got there first. Tough luck! Move on!

So my advice is to stop worrying about trying to copyright and protect your work and spend that energy learning your craft and finely tuning your screenplays instead.

Happy writing!

SCARY

Yesterday was deadline day for a screenplay to be handed in. I sent it off as scheduled. But I'm not relaxed about it. I'm anything but. I'm terrified I've ballsed it up, that they won't like it, or that their situation has changed and they'll go off and work on other projects. The irony isn't lost on me that I emailed the screenplay off on the scariest day of the year... HALLOWEEN.

It's scary because it matters and not because I doubt my ability as a writer. I know the screenplay's good, they told me they love it. They just wanted a few minor changes. It matters because it's my award-winning script. It's been optioned before, only for the option to run out and the rights return to me. It matters because I've spent years refining and honing this screenplay, polishing it and improving it with every draft. I love this script. I poured my heart and soul into it. I want other people to love it as much as I do. And I really, really, really want to see it on the big screen. More so than any of my other projects.

I think every writer experiences a little fear when they send out their work for others' approval. It's only natural. But I don't fear the fear, I embrace it. I'm scared because I care. If it didn't matter or I didn't care I wouldn't be half the writer I am. A little fear now and then keeps me on my toes.

But it's out of my hands now. I've done my best. The screenplay is bloody awesome. So deep breath and on to the next project. That one is going to be awesome too!

Happy writing!

TAKING NOTES

I get excited when I receive notes. I love to see what others think of my work, what they like, more importantly, what they didn't like and I can't wait to get into my next draft. But not everyone takes notes well. Here's how to do so.

Now some of this will be familiar, especially if you read my previous blog about seeking criticism. But it doesn't hurt to reinforce what I've said before, so here goes.

MINDSET

Firstly, notes are not a personal attack on you as a writer. They are not even a personal attack on your screenplay. They are simply a guide. This is how they should be viewed, as a helping hand and not a nuisance or unwanted invasion you have to put up with. Embrace them.

Never react badly publically to your notes. You might scream and swear vengeance in the solitude of your office, but don't do it in front of the script editor or the reader and certainly not on social media. Be polite and gracious at all times.

THE TWO TYPES OF NOTES

1 - Script Editor - A script editor works for the producer of the show and will work with several writers at a time. It's their job to make sure what the writer is delivering what the producer wants, that it not only fits with the tone of the show as a whole but also the characters and their motivations as well.

A bad script editor will try and rewrite your screenplay for you, even down to individual lines of dialogue.

A great script editor will tell you something's not working and ask you to take a look at it. Maybe a scene doesn't pack the punch the producer was expecting. The script editor will ask the writer to take another look and see if they can boost the scene's impact.

If you get bad, intrusive notes like the first example then contact the script editor, politely inform them how you would prefer to receive your notes and ask them about each of their notes and the reasons and thinking behind them. If they've rewritten a fight into one of your scenes because it lacked conflict, then go back and take another look at it and see if you can find another way to bring the conflict in.

Of course, these are the two extremes and you'll probably find most script editors fall somewhere in between the two.

2 - Reader - A reader works for the writer. It's not their job to impose their version of the writer's idea on them, but to understand what the writer is trying to do and help them toward that goal. They do this by pointing out things the writer might have missed and suggest alternatives for the writer to make their own changes. They will let the writer do the work and will just point them in the right direction.

WHAT SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO?

As previously discussed in the seeking criticism blog, it's advisable to pay close attention to the issues that pop up more than once and to deal with them. The issues that are only mentioned once might not be so important and if you feel they don't work for your screenplay then you can drop them.

Whether you're working with a script editor or a reader it's up to you what you choose to implement and what you don't. Don't be too eager to action every single note. Also don't be too eager to dismiss them all as well. Read them, read them again and then pick the ones you think will work. But remember though, if you're working with a script editor you had better have a valid reason for why you don't agree with some notes and it's always best to discuss these reasons with them before you start your rewrite.

Happy writing!

ACTIVELY SEEKING CRITICISM

Why would you want to actively seek criticism? Why would you want to listen to people telling you where you went wrong and what they dislike about your work? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on the positives? Actually, it wouldn’t and here's why.

If you want to improve as a writer you need to know where you’re going wrong. Actively seeking criticism helps you to achieve that. But it needs to be the right kind of criticism and from the right people. Here are some handy tips to getting the best feedback for your work.

THE RIGHT PEOPLE

That’s right, I said people, as in more than one person. Why? Because when you have more than one person giving you feedback the serious problems with your screenplay will be highlighted by at least two, if not all of them. It’s those issues that crop up more than once which are the ones that urgently need fixing. But who do you ask?

Avoid family and friends. Why I hear you ask? Because they won’t be objective and objectivity and honesty are what you want here. The people you should be asking are your writing peers, those with a bit of experience or training. Three should be sufficient.

YOUR APPROACH

Contact them and first offer to read and give feedback on their work. They will be more inclined to help you if you offer to help them first. Second, tell them you only want to know what’s WRONG with your screenplay and not what is right. Ask them to be brutally honest with you and assure them you can take whatever they throw at you.

IT’S NOTHING PERSONAL

Whatever they say about your work don’t take it to heart. It's not about you, it's about your screenplay. The aim here is to find out what doesn’t work, not to stroke your ego. So keep a clear head and look at what they’ve said and what they mean with an objective eye.

If someone says they hate something, go back to them and ask them to explain why. The more information you have the more prepared you are when you settle down to get on with your rewrite.

COLLATE FEEDBACK

Read through the reports at least twice and on the second time take notes of the points that crop up more than once. These are the main problems with your screenplay and have to be dealt with. Ignore them at your peril.

What you do with the minor points, those that are only mentioned by one of your readers is up to you. I’m not saying they’re not important but they may have only been highlighted because of the reader’s personal preferences, rather than because the screenplay is worse off because of them. However, my advice would be to look at all of your notes, decide which ones you think are relevant and action them.

REWRITE

When you’re finished do it all again. Try to repeat this at least three times, more if you can. The more you rewrite the better your screenplay will be. Don’t be a fool and send it out to producers before it’s ready, it won’t do you any favours.

IMPROVEMENT

Do the same for every screenplay you write. Don’t become complacent with this. If you do this religiously you’ll soon find the problems with your screenplays lessen and the quality of your work will increase rapidly.

Happy writing!

SPINNING PLATES

I'm busy. Very busy. I'm working on four projects, three for producers and one for a competition. All are due this month. It would be easy to tie myself up in knots. But I'm getting stuff done. And it's all down to planning.

The first is due by the 9th. Well actually it's due by the 10th, but I want it done the day before so it's ready in time and there's no last-minute rush. The second, a rewrite of a feature, is due on the 31st. The other two can be done anytime this month, as long as they're handed in by the 31st.

The most important one is the one due on the 9th. This is the one I have to spend the most time on this week. So 50% of my writing will be concentrating on that. That's my mornings taken care of then.

The next most important project is the feature. So 50% of my afternoon after lunch is set aside for that. The other 50% I'll work on one of the other projects, the one nearest completion, to keep it ticking over. There's no point working on all four at the same time. It's difficult enough working on three at the same time. I don't want to be running around in circles worrying about four projects and not actually getting anything done.

When the script with the earliest deadline is done, I can then spend my mornings working on the feature and my afternoons on the final two projects. Job done!

However, if it's obvious I'm not getting enough done on the first screenplay, then I'll drop the third and spend 75% of my day on it and 25% on the feature rewrite. It's important to be adaptable.

So if you're struggling with several projects at once, all with impending deadlines, work out a simple timetable, putting the most urgent ones first and spending the most time on them. All that work doesn't have to be daunting. It's all about priority and not overloading yourself.

Happy writing!

PITCH

If you're a new or unproduced writer pitching can be very daunting. I've written previously about how to best prepare for a pitch, which you can read all about HERE.

But what if you're a more established writer and you have a great idea but don't have the time to write it up? Can you pitch your idea even if you don't have a one-page pitch, series outline, treatment or pilot episode ready?

The quick answer to this is yes. If you're at a stage in your career where you are regularly taking meetings, or if you have formed a particularly good relationship with a producer or production company, then it's OK to pitch an idea you don't have written down.

Let's face facts if you're a working writer your time is at a premium. When you get a new idea you might write down a quick paragraph outlining the essentials, but you probably won't have time to work on a ten page plus treatment before you contact producers and production companies. In this instance, it's OK to take a meeting and pitch the idea without anything to leave them.

If the idea is a hit and you're asked if you have something for them to read you can easily promise to send them a treatment in a couple of weeks, which should give you plenty of time to write something great. The advantage here is that you won't have to do the work until you actually have to, leaving you free to focus on paid or more pressing projects instead.

Another advantage is if the idea isn't quite a hit you can work on the contentious points again before your next pitch. Someone else will always see holes in your well thought out, polished idea when you can't. So when the time comes to actually put words on the page your project will be a finely honed work of genius and much harder to turn down.

A word of WARNING though - this is really only OK for those producers or production companies you have strong relationships with, those who have made it clear they are happy for you to contact them with any new ideas you have and who you keep in regular contact with. It's not OK to do this with people or companies you only have a casual relationship with or someone you haven't contacted before. In those instances, it's still best to make sure you at least have a one-page pitch or even better a treatment or pilot episode or a good draft if a feature.

Just make sure your idea is well worked out even if you have nothing written down because any holes in it will quickly become obvious when you pitch it. The better prepared you are the better the chance you have.

Happy writing!

WRITING DIVERSE CHARACTERS FOR FICTION TV OR FILM - LUCY V HAY

Writing Diverse Characters for Fiction, TV or Film is a thought provoking, informed and well-presented book and Lucy's most assured to date, one you cannot do without. And I don't say that lightly.

Writing & Selling Drama Screenplays was a great debut and very informative, but as a writer, I got more from her follow-up Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays. Diverse Characters eclipses both of these and is where Lucy really comes into her element. But why is it so good?

It's good because Lucy knows her stuff and does her research. Did you see our 'debate' on Facebook recently about the Doctor being female? She really pushed me hard, countering all of my arguments with cool logic and well thought out points (even though I still maintain I won the debate). It's not easy debating with Bangers and certainly not for the faint hearted. It's precisely because of the amount of research she does that makes her so knowledgeable and there's an absolute ton of it in those pages, all of it used to great effect.

A quick question. If the spec pile is full of white male protagonists saving the world and your screenplay is diverse, which script do you think is going to stand out? That's exactly why this book is a godsend as it explores why so many screenplays are overlooked, even if the writing is great and how you can make yours stand out. And who doesn't need that kind of help?

The book is split into five sections so you can jump in where you want to and come back at a later date to refamiliarise yourself with whatever you want or need. Those sections are - WHAT IS DIVERSITY? - HEROES, SHEROES AND VILE VILLAINS: THE PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONIST - SECONDARIES, SIDEKICKS AND SUBORDINATES - PERIPHERAL POINTERS - LAST WORDS.

Instead of waffling on like some books on characterisation I've read, Lucy is kind enough to keep sections short and sum up after each insight with a handy 'IN A NUTSHELL' or 'THE SHORT VERSION' paragraph. It's a great way to recap what you've just read and reinforces the information and her arguments. I find reading large paragraphs of information difficult as I get distracted quite easily. If I have to put a book down for some reason I have to go back and reread some of it to pick up the thread again. So it was refreshing to find Lucy has written this book in little bite-size chunks I could quickly read, leave and come back to when I liked, without losing any of its impact.

I also love the 'HOW TO FLIP IT' paragraphs that look at ways to avoid stereotypes and tropes, to help us writers find the 'same but different' producers are crying out for. These sections are especially thought provoking.

Lucy covers every angle as she explores her subject, even taking a look at the origins of story telling to understand why so many spec piles are full of screenplays with tired, overused stories and populated with the usual overused characters. She also explores what diversity isn't as well as what it is. And she doesn't just argue for more diverse stories and characters but also warns against positive diversity, as she advocates normalisation and banishing stereotypes and familiar plots. Writing Diverse Characters is much more than just talking about introducing characters of a different race, colour, gender, sexual orientation or disability into your work.

After finishing the book I had to go back over my old spec scripts that either haven't done so well or which weren't liked as much as others. With some simple changes, I can now see how I can easily improve those screenplays and make them fresh and appealing. It's also helped me look at the stuff I'm currently working on differently, providing me with new angles to try and helping to increase the chances of my specs being picked up. Most of all Lucy has shown me the importance of researching the types of characters and stories I want to tell, to identify those that have been overused, so I can avoid them.

I have to say, I enjoyed Lucy's book so much I've immediately started reading it again.

Diverse Characters isn't about telling the writer how and what to do, it's about making the writer think about how they approach their screenplay, the story they want to tell, the characters they choose, the reasons why they choose them and why some screenplays are successful and why others fail. Lucy often asks, 'Is there another way?' or 'Is there a better way?' There always is and Lucy guides the reader to find their own solutions to the questions she poses. In short, Writing Diverse Characters for Fiction, TV or Film isn't preachy but incredibly informative. Do you and your writing a favour and buy the book.

Happy writing!

FOCUS

You might have heard of the saying, 'don't look back, look to the future'? I've certainly always been told never to reflect on the past... but sometimes looking back is exactly what you should do.

Listening to the UKSCRIPTWRITERS PODCAST LIVE on Monday evening I was reminded of how important it is to remember where I have come from.

DANNY STACK and TIM CLAGUE were chatting about feeling down about lack of career progress or being unhappy at the slow progress of certain projects and how as a writer you shouldn't focus on negative things like this. Instead, they advocated looking back at previous achievements to see how far you had come and using that as a measure of your success.

A few weeks ago I had a minor setback and to be honest it hurt. I moped about it for a few hours and questioned why that particular project wasn't going forward as I thought it deserved. But after listening to Danny and Tim I took a retrospective view of the last twelve months and realised that despite the occasional setback it's been a fantastic journey full of marvellous opportunities. I've made the last ten of two competitions, placed in the quarter finals and semi-finals of several others, was interviewed for the BBC Doctors shadow scheme, been recommended to two big productions companies and championed by two wonderful writers. One minor setback pales in comparison. It's all a matter of focus.

Sometimes we spend too much time looking forward at our targets, dreams and goals and forget how far we have actually come. Remember the BUZZ JAR? Making note of my achievements is exactly why I keep a Buzz Jar on my desk so I can dip into it when I'm feeling a bit down about my writing and motivate myself to crack on. I looked for it Tuesday morning and found it hiding behind my wi-fi router. I grabbed it and put it dead centre in front of my computer screen so I can see it all the time. I'm determined to not let it slip out of sight again.

If you've had a rejection or things aren't going quite as you planned, have a look back at the last twelve months and how far you have come, how much writing you managed to do, how many competitions you have entered and how many connections you have made. I guarantee you things will look a whole lot brighter.

To hear exactly what the lads said about looking back HERE.
you can listen to Danny and Tim's live podcast

Happy writing!

INTERVIEW - DANNY BROCKLEHURST

In September 2016, thanks to the London Screenwriters' Festival's TV Drama Writersroom, I was lucky enough to spend a whole day with legendary TV writer Danny Brocklehurst. You can read my blog report about it HERE! Danny was just brilliant, very patient with us and very giving with his knowledge and advice. It seems only fitting then to fire off a few questions for Danny, which he was more than happy to answer.

How did you get your first screenwriting job?

I'd been writing plays and scripts for years without success. I was working as a journalist for City Life magazine in Manchester and went to interview Paul Abbott for a feature. We ended up getting pissed together and I bravely told him I was a wannabe writer and would he read a script - he did and thankfully passed it onto Nicola Shindler at Red productions. She loved the writing and asked me to pitch for Clocking Off 2. I spent a week working up three stories and they bought two of them. I was staggered. But I have cut short here the many years of knocking on doors and being rejected.  It wasn't a quick process and took an enormous amount of will power to not give up.

Have you ever been fired from a job and what was the lesson you learned from it?

I'm pleased to say I haven't ever been fired. But people do and when they do they need to reflect on what went wrong and whether they were to blame. Sometimes it's just a bad fit, not everyone can write every kind of show. Doesn't mean they are crap.

Was there a specific rejection during your career that still hurts today?

Rejection hurts every time. Even now.  If you put your heart into a project and someone turns it down, it hurts. But I endlessly got rejected by channels for a Black Mirror type idea BEFORE Black Mirror, so that one is still painful.

What is a typical writing day and week for Danny Brocklehurst?

There is no typical.  But I write EVERY week day. I usually start out with coffee, perhaps in a cafe and then go home to work in my office.  Sometimes I'm just storylining and go for long walks and think out problems, other times it is nose to grind writing the script. But I always allow a little time for my mind to wander and reflect on the work - so that might be a swim or a walk or a beer!!!

What was it like working with legends Paul Abbott on Shameless and Jimmy McGovern on The Street and who were you the most intimidated by?

They were both amazing.  I worked with Paul for years - on four different shows (Exile, Shameless, Clocking Off and Linda Green) so I stopped being intimidated and just enjoyed the chaos.  Jimmy was a real hero of mine so that was more intimidating but he's a genuinely lovely man - and very collaborative so I enjoyed my time on The Street and Accused.  Even if he did cut out my jokes.  It has been a dream to work with them both.

What’s your favourite genre to write?

Social realism.  BUT I do also love high concept stuff.  I just don't write much of it.

Have you ever been tempted by Hollywood?

Yes. In fact, I'm currently working with Amblin. On a sci-fi show.

Of all the screenplays you’ve written which is your favourite and why - produced and unproduced?

Exile - such a hard show to get right. It's a thriller and a family drama and a show about Alzheimer's.  People wrote to me afterwards to say it moved them very deeply.

The last few shows you’ve written have been solo efforts, do you find it easier or prefer working on your own, or is that just the way it happened?

I like collaboration because I like talking out ideas BUT sometimes you need a singular vision.  It depends on the show.  It's good to jump between the two.

If you were to give new writers one piece of advice what would it be?

Keep going.  Keep writing.  Find your voice.  Read scripts.  That's four pieces of advice.

What's next that we should be keeping our eyes peeled for?

Come Home next year on BBC1 and Safe on Netflix with Michael C Hall.

Thanks, Danny.

Episode 1 of IN THE DARK is available on iPlayer until 22:00 10th August 2017. Catch it while you can.

Happy writing.

YOUR NEXT SPEC

"How do you choose your next spec wisely, knowing how much of an investment of time it is?" - @KoshaEngler on Twitter.

Great question! It's especially pertinent for me having been lucky enough to be commissioned for six features in a row. For a long time I didn't have much free time to work on my own ideas and when I did I had to make sure the screenplay I chose was the right one. So how do I choose the right idea?

Don't write what is current. Once you've written it, polished it and sent it out, the subject matter or genre will be yesterday's news and everyone else would have moved on to the next big thing.

Write what interests you. This is especially important if you have very little time. You're more likely to drag your heels if you're not 100% committed to what you're writing. There's nothing worse than finding yourself working on a new screenplay and you're not enjoying it. It doesn't motivate you and you're more likely to end up with something that isn't your best work. If it's a subject, genre or story that interests you, you will automatically work harder at it and it will show on the page.

Give it everything you've got. Don't write the screenplay with an eye to selling it. This sounds daft, right? Actually, it isn't. I know that if I deliberately try to write something commercial it tends to be watered down and the screenplay ends up being not as strong as it could be. Be bold with your writing. Forget budget restraints. Don't hold back. Give this screenplay everything you have. Why? That's simple.

I wrote my spec feature FAITH while I was going through a really tough time in my personal life. I poured all of my feelings, my angst, my anger, my dispair and my disillusionment with the world and people in general into the words I put on the page. FAITH won an award and it's still the screenplay that gets me all of my commissioned work. It's my calling card script and it does a fantastic job as an advert for what I can do. What I'm saying is, the screenplay might never sell, but if it's a shining example of your work people are going to read it and sit up and take notice of you. It'll get you work. It will lead to other opportunities. It will be that career boost you need.

Happy writing.

BLOG REWIND - WORKING AROUND THE KIDS AND SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

The summer holidays are almost upon us. For those of us who work from home having our children off for six weeks can be frustrating, especially if we have work deadlines. So how do we survive the summer, ensure our kids have the best time ever and still manage to get enough writing in, all without losing our sanity?

Here's an updated blog post from Wednesday 3rd August 2016 which will hopefully help everyone stay calm and enjoy their summer.

WORKING AROUND THE KIDS AND SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

At a recent writers' event, I was chatting with a lead writer on a continuing drama who was telling me he and his wife had just had a baby. "How the hell do you get any writing done when you have kids?" he asked as he yawned so hard his jaw nearly dislocated.

We're already two weeks into the school holidays and I'm surviving... it can be done. Working from home with the kids on holiday, getting under your feet, asking for snacks every five minutes, begging you to take them up the park, screaming at the top of their eardrum shattering little voices a millimetre from your face demanding attention, moaning that they're bored and constantly trying to kill or maim each other, can be very frustrating for a working writer.

The ideal solution would be that you're earning enough money you're able to hire a childminder to keep them out of your way while you write your masterpiece. However, if you're like me and you don't quite have the money for that and you don't like palming your little terrors off on other people, then the school holidays can be a very daunting time. You're not allowed to tie your children up and stick them in a dark cupboard until school starts again, sell them to gypsies or even use chloroform to keep them quiet... I know, I've checked... apparently, the police and social services get a little cross with you if you try. So with those options restricted I've had to adapt my writing style over the years to ensure I can get my work done, keep the kids occupied and happy and retain my sanity. Here's how I do it.

Goals! What, sticking one in the back of the net for your team? No... just as your characters have goals in your screenplays, you have to have goals in order to survive the holidays without running the risk of a mental breakdown. That's goals for you as well as for your spawn. And there's one rule... we'll come to that in a second.

First things first. As a responsible parent, I will constantly monitor my children, check what they're up to and that they're safe. Dumping them in front of the TV with a bag of sugar is not good parenting. It's the school holidays. The kids are meant to be having fun. They're meant to be having that fun with you. And yes, you're meant to be enjoying it too. They've worked hard all year and now it's time to spend quality time with their parents, doing the crazy shit kids love to do. They're not really interested if you have a deadline. They are not an inconvenience. They are a privilege. They are your responsibility and you have to ensure they are safe and entertained at all times. So... to the rule!

The Rule: My boys know if I'm in my office working, or I'm on my laptop, I am not to be disturbed... under any circumstances... unless it's an emergency, or they've accidentally set fire to the dog. Of course, the one rule is not really a rule as it's going to be broken a billion times a day anyway, but as long as the children KNOW and UNDERSTAND the rule, they are aware they run the risk of encountering Shouty Daddy if they interrupt me. You also have to be aware and accept that even with this rule you are going to be disturbed, but hopefully, it will only be for important things and less often. The rule is there to help make things a little easier.

Goals For You:

• Set yourself writing targets, smaller ones than you would normally, so they are easier to achieve. When my boys were younger I aimed to write in five-minute sprints when they suddenly went quiet. Now they're older I can write for longer periods.
• Set times for lunch and dinner and stick to them. Routine is a great help.
• Aim to spend quality time with them for at least two hours a day, either taking them out somewhere special as a treat or enjoying a quick kick about in the back garden. My usual pattern is if they let me get on with my writing undisturbed during the morning, the afternoon is theirs and when we go out and have fun as a family. Whatever you decide to do, make it an adventure... kids love adventure.
• Stay off your phone and actively enjoy this time with your kids. They'll enjoy it too and then they'll be more likely to leave you alone while you writing.
• Prepare to be flexible and try and change your routine. Work in your office one day, in the back garden/down the park on your laptop the next.
• Get your kids to help you prepare lunch, engage them and then sit down and eat with them. Talk to them while you do. Ask them what they would like to do in the afternoon, or the next day and what they enjoyed doing that morning.

Goals For Them:

• Set up a points system. Give them a point for good behaviour and take away a point for bad behaviour. I start every day by giving them ten points each and then taking off points for bad behaviour during the day. At the end of the week if they've had more positive days than negative ones they get to spend a day or half a day, depending on how busy I am, with me uninterrupted doing exactly what they want to do.
• Give them tasks to do during the day. At the moment I'm giving my boys one task a day they have to complete between 9am and 10am, which gives me an hour of solid writing every morning. Yesterday's task was to draw an invention. Alex (8) drew a factory that made rainbows. Today's task was to build a rocket out of lego. Dylan (5) built a sports trophy instead.
• Ration their TV and games devices to two hours a day. I find one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon sufficient. If they know how long they have it avoids arguments. Make a big issue of how you're such a great parent when you give them an extra half an hour because they've been really good that day.

The holidays are survivable and you can get writing done with children around. Remember, children are for life, not just for Easter and happy children will mean you'll get a surprising amount of work done.

Happy writing!

PRODUCERS V AGENTS

No, this isn't the title of my latest spec feature, although I'm sure it would make a brilliant movie. It is, in fact, a question suggested by Craig Howells in response to my request for topics people would like covered on this blog.

The easy answer is 'producers'. But why?

Agents are in the business to make money. If they can't see a reasonable chance of an immediate return for their time and effort, they are unlikely to take a writer on as a client if they don't have a track record. Very rarely will an agent take on a client who only has one screenplay to their name and hasn't yet made any money. They will only do so if they see exceptional promise in either the writer or their work. To attract a good agent, a writer will need to prove they can go out and source their own work. Too many new writers chase agents when they're clearly not ready.

The easier way in is by forming relationships with producers. So where can writers find producers?

Forget about the big names. They have layers of protection writers can only dream of. And everyone wants to work with them. Try and get in touch with the smaller names, or producers who state they actively support new writers on their website. Hunt down producers of your favourite indie films and TV series.

Join LinkedIn. They have a keyword search facility to make it easier to look for producers, script editors and directors. Go to a local library every week and read Broadcast and other media publications for free. Make a note of producers who have left other production companies to start their own production company. Get in there first. Contact them and form a relationship. Also keep an eye out for Development Execs, as they will quite often become producers and decide to branch out on their own and at some point form their own production company. And remember, when contacting producers always remember to be polite, don't bombard them with stuff and be prepared to play the long game.

Speaking of the long game, there are places a writer can go to get unrestricted access to up and coming producers. I once attended a 'How To Make A Low Budget Film' workshop with Richard Holmes, organised by Industrial Scripts. I was the only writer there, shut in a room all day with directors and future producers. I still keep in touch with as many of them as I can. I never know when a contact will eventually pay off. The London Screenwriters Festival is also a great to place to meet producers, but remember to do your research on who's attending before you go.

Writers shouldn't just stick to writers groups. They should join producer and filmmaking forums or groups on Facebook and other social media. The more they do, the more likely they will make connections that will pay off five, ten, fifteen years down the line. Showing an interest in what producers do can only help progress a writer's career.

I don't think there are any quick solutions for meeting producers unless the writer knows someone who can introduce them. A writer will always have to work as hard at making connections as they do their writing

, forming relationships and keeping themselves in that producer's mind for when s/he is looking for a new writer for their latest TV series.

Hard work pays off... always!

Happy writing!

DIVERSITY

It got a little heated on Facebook yesterday because I dared to suggest I would stop watching Doctor Who if the next regeneration was female and there wasn't a valid reason for it other than the BBC wanting to tick a diversity box. But was I really so wrong to question the reasons for a female Doctor?

This is what I said...

"The new Doctor - "Looks like it's Phoebe Waller Bridge!" 

I have nothing against a female Doctor, but it should only happen if there's a solid story/character based reason for there being so. If the producers can't come up with a very good reason for this then it'll just be because the BBC want to tick the diversity box. 

If that's the case I'm afraid I'll stop watching it. 

*ducks for cover*"

And here's the link to the responses to MY ORIGINAL FACEBOOK POST if you want to have a look for yourself.

I was called a sexist, emotional and anti-diversity amongst other things. It was mostly a good-natured debate though. I was even told that insisting there was a reason for the change had nothing to do with me being a writer. Wrong! It is exactly because I'm a writer that I'm concerned about box ticking.

To be ultra clear...

****I WANT A FEMALE DOCTOR****

****THERE SHOULD BE MORE DIVERSITY IN TV AND FILM****

There I've said it, so why am I complaining about the possibility of the Doctor becoming a woman? It's simple. As a writer, I take time and great care to create my characters, to shape them, to make them believable so the audience will want to invest their time in watching them.

If a producer then turned around and asked me to make a male character female because they thought there should be more female characters on TV, I would simply say no. However, if they gave me valid story or character reasons why the character should be female, I would think on it. If I agreed with their reasons I would be happy to make the change. If I didn't, I would give my reasons for why I thought it was a bad idea and ask them to reconsider. After all, I made the character male in the first place because I felt he was the best choice to tell that particular story and changing his sex for diversity's sake would lessen the impact I intended.

In the Facebook post, I kept asking, 'show me WHY the Doctor should be female?' I was continually countered with, 'WHY NOT?' But that's not a valid reason, that's just laziness. The characters we remember are the ones that are well thought out, the ones who fit their environment and drive the story and conflict because of who they are. Change that without a valid reason and you weaken your story and risk losing your audience.

Some change can be for the better. For example, I joked in the post that if I were to write an action movie with the lead as a female Muslim, the first question I would probably be asked by a producer is 'WHY?'. Lisa Holdsworth said I should totally write that movie as she would watch it. The thing is I am. But I didn't make the lead character a female Muslim because I wanted to tick a box (or two), it's because she is the best character for this particular story.

The original idea was to have a male character in his late thirties. But I asked myself, 'WHY?' and I soon realised he was the wrong character. So I examined the story I wanted to tell, the situation, the location and time it was set and asked myself, 'who is the best person to deal with this?'. Diversity didn't come into it.

I'm not questioning the drastic character change just because the new regeneration might be female, but because it is eaxctly that - a drastic 180-degree change. I would question the reasons for any character that changed that drastically, regardless of sex, race or religion.

There has to be a reason why the Doctor is female, not just because people want more diversity. Diversity is great, but if the Doctor is female simply because of 'why not', then not only does it not do justice to the character, but also to the actress who plays her. It just becomes a novelty that will quickly wear off, rather than a strong female character we can believe in, who empowers diversity rather than diminishes it. More importantly, box ticking also insults the audience. We (the audience) aren't thick; we can recognise change for change's sake. We want to be drawn to a character for the right reasons, not put off them for all the wrong ones.

If, as a writer, you put a diverse character in your screenplay for diversity's sake, don't be surprised it the screenplay doesn't work.

The post was not about objecting to there being a female Doctor, it was about being true to the character of the Doctor.

It'll be interesting to see what Chris Chibnall decides. Whatever the decision though, I'm sure we'll be debating it for a long time to come.

Happy writing!

AND THERE IT IS

After last week's blog rewind post THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY I was delighted to receive a brilliantly inspirational comment from GILL KIRK.

It made me think!

It made me shout, "HELL YEAH!", out loud!

It put a great big smile on my face!

And it made me happy that at least one person got a boost from my post. That one person's day was made a little better. That one person turned a negative into a positive.

That... exactly that!  Boom!

Gill's comment says far more than the blog post I had planned for today,  so I'm just going to leave it here... enjoy!

What perfect timing. Thank you, thank you, thank you (and for pointing me to Lisa H's post). You made it much easier to explain my grumpy mood to a 6-y old in his bath just now (this afternoon brought two emails with, "it's great, but not for us right now").  

And in telling him, I added this to what you & Lisa gave me. Hope it makes other readers smile:
"In lots of jobs, when you get them, you're through. And maybe once a year, you'll have a big test. 

"But artists are always making up entries for tests that might not even exist, and quite often, the judges don't even really know what will pass and what won't. 

"And THAT is how brilliant art gets made. Because someone has to be brave enough to take the risks. And that - ma boy - is us." 

;)

Happy writing!

BLOG REWIND - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

As it's National Writing Day today, here's a blog post from 4th February 2015 about rejection, handling it and why writing is so flipping awesome.

There have been times in my career when I've seriously considered packing it all in and walking away for good. Where the promise of a regular income and a steady job seemed a whole lot better than the continuing struggle to get anyone to like my work, surviving on nothing but a few pennies a week.

Yesterday (03/02/2015) I read Lisa Holdsworth's excellent blog on rejection - read it HERE - where she nailed what it's like to be a writer and how we deal or fail to deal with rejection. Every one of her points hit home and at the end of the blog post I was actually sniffing back tears.

She actually got me, got what it means and feels like to have my work rejected, and for once I felt I wasn't alone. That's the hardest part I think, the feeling of being alone and isolated with your 'shame' and 'anger', knowing that your family and friends, even though they mean well, don't really understand the crippling effect of being told 'NO'.

All writers face rejection, it's an occupational hazard. Every writer will at one time or another have to face it. But whether it's a project you've been working on for months that gets rejected or you're dumped from a project in favour of someone else, the mark of a great writer is that they learn to deal with it and move on. Yes, the bad times can hurt as much as a kick in the fluffy bits - I've even had to sell my book collections and DVDs just to be able to eat on a couple of occasions when money was so tight - but I've learnt that nothing is forever.

Sometimes as writers I think we set up ourselves for most of our falls, happily telling everyone that will listen about a possible new project that physically and emotionally excites us, only later for it not to go ahead. It's hard not to share our excitement over possible projects with others. We see people so rarely that when we're asked what we're up to the temptation to blurt out every little detail is overwhelming.

Some writers are better at keeping things to themselves than others. Personally, I'm crap at it and I'm sure it makes the rejection harder to deal with when you're asked..."What happened to your Vampire vs Robots project you told me ITV were interested in?" and you have to inform them ITV decided not to go ahead with the idea.

But it's not all bad. Us writers wouldn't do this for a living if it was.

There are days when you feel like nothing can dent your armour, that you're invincible and everyone loves you and what you do, when you just want to sing from the rooftops and tell everyone how well things are going. Those precious moments when a development exec says, "we really love your writing and we'd love to work with you," are the highlights that have us punching the air, strutting down the road as if we own the world. And for those few treasured moments, we do.

We are giants! We are superheroes! Our words are platinum! Our ideas genius! And the world is a beautiful place once again..!

Happy writing!

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

As I've said many times before, it's advisable to read as many screenplays and screenwriting books as you can to improve your writing. Learning and constantly topping up your skill set helps keep you one step ahead of most new writers. However, sometimes you just have to trust your instincts.

Thanks to the hard work I've put into my blog over the years, I'm lucky enough to have publishers send me screenwriting books to review. There's a pile of about eight sitting on my bedside table at the moment, waiting for me to find the time to wade through them. Some have been sent to me and others I've bought because they interested me. Since January I've read four books. But I've just decided not to read another one for a month or two because I'm finding they are becoming a bit of a distraction.

Over the last week, I've been plotting a new feature. But it's been slow going, not because the idea doesn't work, but because I've found myself trying to implement various techniques I've read about in those four recent books. I've spent more time thinking about hitting turning points, growing character arcs and some other less conventional writing methods than actually just writing down the plot and seeing what I have.

I'm lucky in that structure and character arcs usually come quite naturally to me, more so than dialogue does, that's for certain. Sometimes I forget to trust that natural instinct of mine, to just get on with the writing and not over think things. Just seeing what I come up with, without dissecting every little detail, is very liberating and helps me to get on at a much quicker rate.

So I've stepped away from the books for a while to let my instincts take over again. I'm not saying these how-to

books are a bad thing, they're not. They're essential for keeping your writing on the right track. I'm just saying that sometimes too much of anything is a bad thing and the occasional rest does you the world of good.

Learn to trust your instincts, they may not be as bad as you think.

Happy writing!