We will now refer writers wherever possible to this information regarding any questions about submitting a script and how the system works. Much of this is brought together from what already exists on the website. But there are some new changes, the main ones being:

• We will no longer accept unsolicited adaptations
• We will no longer accept short films - only scripts of at least 30 minutes
• We will no longer accept scripts from overseas

Of course you can also send them in a bit early to make sure they're here in good time, just to be sure...

Kerry Drewery The Office of Imaginary Friends
Nick King Misfits
Mark Brotherhood Take Two
Debbie Moon Wrongblood
Maxwell Slater Sparks
Alice Charles 2088
Felicity Carpenter Quick, Decide!
Matt Sinclair The Magician's Daughter

Also, a quick word about another writer, Mark Daydy, whose script was really well liked and who was shortlisted for the masterclass, but who already had some experience writing for a younger audience - so we put him straight in touch with the CBBC drama team at that stage.

Kerry Drewery The Office of Imaginary Friends
Andrew Turner From All Sides
Christina Balit The Remnants
Nick King Misfits
Mark Brotherhood Take Two
Jon Ware Sheila's Ark
Abigail Chandler Edison Bright
Debbie Moon Wrongblood
Matt Kimpton Melanie Watson's Guide to the Impossible
Brian Spence The Santa Trap
Tony Kerr Tell Tale
Maxwell Slater Sparks
Kulvinder Gill Cybertecs
Alice Charles 2088
Felicity Carpenter Quick, Decide!
Darren Rapier High Seas and Little Bs
Matt Sinclair The Magician's Daughter
Andy Dixon Circus Scrumptious

We fully appreciate that it's frustrating to be kept waiting for a decision and to want an individual response and feedback. But we did turn it around very very quickly and we did give a deadline by which we would contact shortlisted writers. With more than 700 entires, we simply cannot offer feedback other than to those shortlisted. (This was all in the rules and regulations, of course.)

We did receive more entries than we expected. Which did mean the odds stacked more heavily against any given writer. But it was great that the opportunity caught the imagination so much.

The process we operated was this:

A team of readers read at least the first ten pages - if they weren't hooked or engaged enough by some element of the script by this point, then it was given a 'no'. If they were immediately impressed, it was given a 'yes' and longlisted. If they were unsure, then they read on until they felt confident about making a longlisting decision. If they were still unsure, it was given to another reader for a second opinion. If they were still unsure, it was put through anyway to give the benefit of the doubt. We also had regular reading team catch-ups every couple of hours about the scripts they were putting through, the ones they were unsure about etc.

All longlisted scripts were second-read by either myself or our in-house script reader. We then recommended on scripts for a third-read by Kate Rowland. Once this swathe of reading was done, we sat down with the piles of third-read and second-read scripts and talked about them. This is where we decided on our shortlist for the masterclass.

We did receive a fair proportion of scripts that showed promising writing and writers - but that just didn't really connect with the brief and the potential audience. In fact, we received a lot of scripts in general that didn't have central characters below the age of 12, that were unsuitable for a 6-12 audience, that weren't particularly imagined and told from the child's point of view. We also received a lot of scripts covering very similar precincts and ideas. For example, school - first day of school, bullying at school, geeks at school, weird conspiracy/sci-fi/alien/monster at school. We had a lot of portals into other dimensions, plenty of time travel, a fair few goblins/monsters/aliens.

The ones that got through to the next stages had an original perspective on precincts and ideas - a unique touch with the characters, idea, world, tone. There were a lot of very competent scripts - but we focused our energy on that small proportion that were doing something different, something we'd never seen before, something that surprised us, something that hooked us emotionally, something that made us laugh out loud.

So that's how it worked. A couple of other things:

Just because there isn't a coffee stain on your script, doesn't mean it hasn't been looked at - we in fact ask our readers not to abuse scripts while on the premises.

Our readers work extremely hard for us - even if writers don't get feedback, that doesn't mean we are treating your script with contempt in any way shape or form. If we say we're not going to email everyone or do a blog post in our rules and regulations then it's not really bad manners to not do them.

And yes, we do read the blog comment trails...!

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?

Passion

It's not an easy thing to explain, but one of the most important things we are looking for is that true, unquenchable desire in the writer to tell their story. You can tell very quickly when the writer really means it - and you can tell just as easily when they are just going through the motions. If you don't truly care about the story you are telling, then why should we? Of course, passionately believing in your story is unfortunately not going to make the script work all by itself - but I think it's an indispensable part of why we get excited about any given writer.

But what do I mean by 'passion'? Well, I mean: does your idea and story keep you up at night? Have the characters and their stories really got under your skin? And have you got under theirs? Do you feel compelled to write? Does it feel like your story is already writing itself in your head without you putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard? Do you believe your take on an idea has never quite been seen before and needs to be seen by an audience? If you don't feel any of these things, then you need to ask yourself whether it's worth persisting with an idea.

What I also mean is: don't try to be expedient. An extremely common question we hear is: what do you want, what are you looking for? What we're looking for is a great writer who does the kinds of things that I've been exploring in these blog posts. What we're looking for is something we've never seen before. You can waste a lot of time and energy trying to write the kind of script that you think you ought to write because you believe/hope/assume it will get you to whatever next stage you want to be at. But you can't be this calculating. If a script is simply there to be expedient, then it's likely it will never really, truly impress anybody.

What I also mean is: don't try to second guess what people want. Because you will almost certainly get it wrong. If people in the industry were crystal clear about they want, then life would be so much easier - but it would also so much less interesting. The truth is, we are waiting to be hit between the eyes and in the solar plexus with something that genuinely surprises us. Because if it can surprise someone who is being constantly bombarded with ideas and scripts, then there's a decent chance it will surprise an audience.

And that is what we really, truly want.

Exposition and Expression

Or in other words: dialogue. In truth, i think it's almost impossible to teach or learn how to have an ear for characters and their voices. It's perfectly possible to learn how to edit it, improve it, polish it up and make it leap off the page - but only if you have that instinct to hear it and voice it in the first place.

I've read a lot of scripts where the structure is tight, the story is right, the genre and tone spot on etc - BUT where the dialogue is wooden and without life and personality. And I've read scripts where the structure is loose, the story quite confused and all sorts of things are wrong with it - but where the characters step off the page immediately because the writer has really caught their voice. In truth, i think i'd generally rather have the latter kind of script. Because it really takes a true writer to do the latter.

Strong dialogue expresses character. It isn't just words - it breathes life into character. It gives them lines, sayings and sentiments that we remember for life and want to say back to people in order to impress them at parties, in the playground, in the office. (Around BBC Television Centre and Broadcasting House there are numerous walls and screens with great quotes from great characters - because the currency of that great dialogue is so strong.)

The converse of this, therefore, is that poor dialogue is there purely and simply to relate and explain information for the purpose of plot and story exposition. If this is the sole purpose of your dialogue, then you need to do something else with it - or something else with the scene. Often, expository dialogue tends to mask the fact that there is no real drama in a scene - so if you can find a push and pull, a conflict, a beat of story for your scene, then there will be a better dramatic reason for the dialogue to be there. Even better, the more ways you can find to put information across through action and story, the more your dialogue will be the sole domain and medium of your characters expressing themselves.

It sounds obvious - but real people don't tell each other things they already know in obvious ways, and neither should your characters. Real people also don't always say what they mean, don't always mean what they say, and don't always know what they mean and what they mean to say when they open their mouths to speak. Ordinary conversation isn't dramatic dialogue - but good dialogue should at least be able to take on board the idiosyncracies and complexities of real, ordinary people when they try to (or try not to) express themselves. Real people say the best lines that most writers could never conjure up, which is why many writers happily steal from real people.

Subtext is just about the hardest thing you as a writer will need to master. Because subtext is what is being said and expressed beyond, behind, below and in spite of the words actually spoken. Subtext is the silent language that people use when words either don't say enough or say too much. Subtext is story and character that can't simply be vocalised. If you can work meaningful subtext into a scene, then you are doing something really quite special.

Structure

Whole books have been written about this, so it feels foolhardy to try to tackle it in one blog. But I'm going to keep it focused and simple. In other words: story is structure. They are inextricably linked. A great story cannot be separated out from the manner in which it is told, structured, shaped - constructed. Every choice you make about where a scene goes, what goes before it, what follows it, why it's important for your characters, is structure.

For your script to hit the mark straight away, you need to begin the story in the right place. This is much easier said than done. Because in order to begin in the right place, you need to be clear and sure about what your story is, who is driving it forward, where it is going, and what tone you intend to set from the off. Far too many scripts waste precious time setting up the story and world, glimpsing characters, waiting for the story to start, and this poor structuring is normally a signal that the writer hasn't confidently decided what they are doing and where they are going. It's ok to be undecided in your first, exploratory draft - but not in the one you send out for consideration.

Beginning in the right place is about knowing where you are going. And your story must be going somewhere. There must be an imperative to keep reading, to keep watching/listening. There should be an end point. Many aspiring writers feel hemmed in by this - but many successful writers will often know their ending and know what they are working towards. It's this ultimate direction that can give you the momentum to get there.

How you get there will determine how effective and original your story is. The key thing, however you choose to get from A to Z, is that there is a dynamic, significant, dramatic purpose for each act, sequence, story beat, scene and moment along the way. If it isn't there for a compelling reason, then it doesn't need to be there - and will only hold the story back if you don't cut it. You need to be focused, precise and meaningful in how you select which elements will tell your story. This is the essence of successful structuring. Whether it's a guns blazing action movie or a quiet, subtly drawn character drama, each scene must be there for the right reason for your story.

And again, understanding what the right reason is, comes back down to knowing your story, knowing what it is and what effect you want it to have. Memento is the story of a man who can't form new memories and appears to be chasing an elusive past that haunts him; the complex interplay between linear and non-linear narrative strands which at a crucial point meet is the perfect structure to contain, effect and express this story. Billy Elliott is the story of a boy who dares to be who he desperately wants to be in the face of opposition from his family, his background/class, the world around him, and himself; a straightforward, linear, classic hero's journey narrative is exactly the best way to bring that story to life.

The better you understand and the clearer you are about the tone, the genre and the kind of story you are telling, the more naturally will the structure present itself. Because story is structure.