The Perfect 10
And here's the last one, number 10:
Be Yourself
People have commented on the passion instalment how they were pleased to see it there as it's the kind of thing you don't usually get in script writing books etc. I think being yourself is just as important. Writersroom is primarily in the market for finding people to develop. If we find a great script that goes on to be made, then that's brilliant. And it can happen. But the most important thing is to find original voices and writers we believe can go on to great things. And the only way to do this is for you the writer to be yourself.
We want an individual voice. A distinct voice. A writer with something to say and an original, surprising, unique way of saying it. By this, I don't mean wacky and unconventional for the sake of it; I mean a writer whose passion for an idea, for characters, for a subject, for the need to write, whose understanding of the important of stories and storytelling, literally drips off the page.
It's hard to express and define precisely what this 'thing' actually is, but one way of describing it is a writer who has written a script that no other writer you know would have written the same way - has tackled an idea, imagined a world, voiced a character, engaged my attention in ways that no-one else would.
Crucial in this is to make sure you are not 'sub'-anybody. Of course, you will have writing heroes and heroines, people whose style you love, whose very individuality you wish to emulate in your way. But it's unfortunately far too frequent that I find myself reading a stage play that is sub-Beckett/Pinter/Kane, or a film that is sub-Charlie Kaufman, or a TV script that is sub-Paul Abbott etc etc etc. It can take a while and will certainly take a lot of hard work, but you need to learn how to follow your own instincts and forge your own path.
There are a great many writers out there. Some have more and less experience, and most are trying to break through. The last thing anyone in the industry wants is an automaton that simply churns out scripts. It may be that for a variety of reasons and circumstances, a finished production/episode can seem like it's emanated from the metallic hand of a robot. But it's almost certainly the case that at an early stage in the process a writer has been commissioned because someone somewhere is genuinely excited about them and believes they will deliver something special. At worst, they will commission someone they know can deliver on the evidence of their success in the past. At every stage, you commission an individual rather than a machine.
So, you need to invest time, energy, thought and work in what it is that's unique about you and what you have to offer. And then you need to make your scripts somehow express that you-ness. Because when all's said and done, when I've run through all the things - idea, world, characters, coherence, structure, dialogue, surprise etc etc etc - that figure in my thinking, I'm usually left with a gut instinct about whether any given writer simply makes me want to send that email or make that call and say: when can you come in for a chat?
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~16~RS~)
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
Paul - great series and much appreciated.
I've come to this blog late in the day which is actually pretty good timing. It means I get to read it all in one go, and it also takes the edge off the fact that I couldn't make last week's WR roadshow in Bristol.
The first 10 pages are so crucial and for writers starting out like myself it can feel like a huge challenge to ensure those initial pages truly represent what's to follow. This series has been a great help - something to hold my script up to and compare.
A quick question though, if you're able to answer; if I'm writing an international ensemble drama and the UK-based characters don't appear in the first 10 pages, would you personally read on, or assume it wasn't for your market?
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks
Complain about this comment
thejacknapierproject: I don't think it would matter from our point of view - if we feel it's strong writing, then we'll read on, pure and simple
Complain about this comment
Thanks Paul - good to know.
Complain about this comment
Thanks Paul, a great series which came together as a micro writing course at the Bristol roadshow. Could you confirm some Writersroom rules please - I handed in a script at the roadshow and have a radio play I'd like to send in now but we are told not to have more than one submission in Writersroom at a time. Could I send it to a producer in the Radio Drama department or is there no such thing? Does everything sent by writers without agent representation have to be sent through Writersroom? At the roadshow I asked if there were submitting writers who had recieved five or six full reads and you said yes - as we all want a full read which takes about four months that's a lot of years and not a lot of submissions. I've only had one full read with feedback so far so not sure how Writersroom progresses new writers. Also, in the new Acadamy posting the blog by a graduate from last year, Micheal, mentions that each show - Eastenders, Casualty, Doctors - has it's own 'channel' for new writers. What is this and can a writer who would like to write specifically for these shows send a calling card script - not a script for the show - to the producers/head writer of each show? If so, who do we send scripts to? Realistically, is being picked from hundreds for the Academy the only way any of us can hope to write for a continuing drama series,apart from hopefully catching the eye of Writersroom after numerous full reads? Are new writers allowed to send unsolicited drama scripts to any other BBC department? Sorry to throw all these questions at you, regards Michelle Copelin.
Complain about this comment
That's an inspiring post Paul, but shame it doesn't echo much truth in regard to most the BBC's output of late.
Forgive my jaded tone but try this, detach yourself and watch a hospital drama or Eastenders etc, then listen to the cliché ridden, exposition-friendly, puerile dialogue, or the obligatory 'shouty bit' and watch the 2 dimensional characters sleep walk through a poorly formulated plot. Now put yourself in the position of a young talented writer watching with a WR rejection slip in his/her hand.
I've seen more than 1 writer give up in despair.
If the Writersroom really want to encourage new champions, change needs to happen at the BBC. Big change.
That all said, I found your 'Be yourself' post genuinely motivating.
Complain about this comment
Hi Paul,
I wasn't sure where to post this comment as no thread for the subject has been established...
Anyway, it seems that there is a new trend of 30 minute dramas (Entourage, Hung, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Nurse Jackie, Moving Wallpaper etc) but there is no way to submit this kind of script to the WR. My questions are:
1) Is this likely to change?
2) If I have a script that fits this description, what would your advice be? Should I submit a two parter?
Thanks for your attention.
Complain about this comment
Hi Orpheus
We're happy to read 30-minute drama scripts, so please just send it in via the usual channels.
Complain about this comment
Hi Piers,
Just to confirm, does that mean we can ignore the following criteria?
"A submission for a proposed returning series should consist of a full episode script (between 45-60 minutes)....."
Thanks
Complain about this comment
To confirm: Yes, if you've got a half-hour script, it's fine to send it in to us as-is.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
View these comments in RSS