DON'T BE A DICK PART 2

We're barely into the second half of the year, and yet again I find myself writing about other writers' behaviour for the second time this year. Why do some people never learn? It's like they actively want their careers to crash and burn. Sigh!

Let me make this clear... if you want a long and successful writing career, don't treat people like they're something stinky you picked up on your shoe. It's that simple. The media industry is small and very well connected. Everyone talks. Everyone knows someone. And if that someone only has a bad word to say about you, then you can be sure others will hear about it. Maybe even high profile others in influential positions. It's incredibly easy to get a bad reputation and very difficult to maintain a great one.

Let me try and explain it another way. There have been plenty of times when I've approached producers at events, where they've asked me who my agent is, I've told them, and they've gone, "Oh Christina, we love her. She's brilliant!" Where they might have been initially frosty to my approach as soon as they knew Christina is my agent, they were more than happy to chat to me and agree to read my work. Christina's reputation is an instant icebreaker. Now imagine that's you. If you're open, friendly, approachable and helpful, people are only going to say lovely things about you. That's the majority of your networking already done for you right there.

How many times have you avoided watching a movie or TV show because someone you know told you it was rubbish? How many times have you told others to avoid a film you've watched and hated? It's frightening how quickly and easily a lousy reputation can spread.

One of the TV shows I want to write for is CASUALTY. So I've been chatting with a couple of legends who work on the show, and their advice has been a massive help. I've been careful not to bombard them with emails and questions, I haven't been pushy, and I've been respectful and polite in all my communications with them. I asked Jeff Povey what advice he would give to someone who wanted to write for the show and he replied the same day with a page of fantastic insights. I met Jon Sen a few years ago and have kept in touch with him, occasionally emailing him and asking what he's up to. Last month I wanted to ask him about CASUALTY and a few other things, and he kindly arranged a Skype session with me to answer my questions. Now I know they're both extremely busy (especially Jeff who must have easily written more than ten episodes of drama this year already), and they didn't have to answer my questions, but they did because I didn't make a nuisance of myself and that's the kind of people they are. They are both shining examples of how every writer should act.

Making sure you follow up on emails is a big deal for me. There's nothing worse than emailing someone and not receiving a reply. I don't care how busy you are; if you don't reply to a polite email, even in the briefest of terms, it's just rude. I can't speak for everyone, but when I don't get replies to my emails it automatically clouds my perception of those people from then on. That's why I'll always try and email people back and answer their queries, even if it's with a short and polite, "No thank you."

Remember, don't be a dick.

Happy writing!