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!