I’ve been as busy as some bees
Posted on | August 18, 2008 | 12 Comments
Honestly.
Last week I wrote the first draft of a short and, oddly enough, I don’t feel the usual burning shame on considering it. I’m very aware of some rough edges to be knocked off in the rewrites but, overall, I’m actually happy with it. So far.
More importantly, for me at least, is that a muse has paid me a visit.
For the last month or two, time has been slip-slipping away towards the deadline of the Red Planet Prize – a much-respected TV writing competition thing. It’s a toughie though. A 60-minute pilot for something with TV series potential. As well as the pilot script, the competition also requires an outline of the series it precedes. That’s big-boy shit and I’ve been pretty much at a loss for anything even remotely resembling an idea since it started. I didn’t want to stray into the well-worn areas of cops or doctors or adventuring archeologists. I had considered a show where Robson and Jerome reprise their Soldier, Soldier roles ten years on. They’re now a duo of mercenaries that travel the world, meting out bloody destruction and soulless covers of sixties classics. The working title was Crooners Of Fortune.
Last night though, I had an actual idea. Something that can definitely get me the 60 minutes required but needs some slapping about to give up a series. I think it’s a runner though (although not a returning series – one-off). Some initial plotting today and a half-dozen experimental pages to see if the characters have any meat on their bones. So far, so not-bad.
I am very much on the back-foot in this though, everyone else having had a big head start, but there’s time to get something sorted between now and the end of September.
Also, if you haven’t already, it’d be great if you could go to the Movie Mogul page, register and vote for me, Gerry Hayes. I’m slipping down the ratings and I need to be in the top ten at the end of the month to go through the the jury round. It’s all explained here and here. I’d really appreciate it if you could register and vote – it would genuinely help me out.
Ignominious plea over. Thanks a lot.
Comments
Gerry Hayes
I mostly sit around all day and drink tea. Occasionally, I write stuff and send it to strangers so they can humiliate me and deride my efforts. Other than the self-harm to dull the shame of failure, it's not a bad life. Like I say, there's tea.
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I voted. Long before this ignominious plea. I now depart to verify my interpretation of ignominious.
Clarissa: I think it means handsome or something. Thank you very much for voting. I really appreciate it. I’m off to pay some tramps to vote for me from an internet cafe.
I think I voted for you.
I certainly meant to, but I’m not sure if it worked.
(I suppose if I go back and try again, and it won’t let me I’ll know for sure won’t I….see you later…)
…yup, it worked!
Beth: Hurrah, hurrah and thrice hurrah. Also, ta very much. I am genuinely grateful – especially for the extra effort of going back to make sure. Thanks a lot.
TIGHT PANTS ROCK
Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie. I have a sneaking suspicion that I have been spammed, given that your comment seems mostly unrelated to this post and your URL pops off to a MySpace page with no mention of someone called Ronnie.
However, if you did spam me, it is spam of a relatively harmless kind and, in the spirit of magnanimity, I will leave it here.
Oh, too long a reverb on the guitar in that track, in my opinion. Reflection soup. Ends up being a bit distracting.
Crooners of Fortune?
Too good – they’ll never go for it.
I shall vote for you as many times as I can.
Ister: Thank you kindly, sir. You are indeed a prince among men. Ta.
So, what do you suppose is taking those judges so long? I hope they’re counting ip addresses ;).
I thought for sure Amanda had a fan base she was rallying, but according to her, 80 perfect strangers signed up and voted for her entry in the last hour of the competition. So here’s hoping the best (and also most honest) man wins.
Best of luck,
Poz
Poz: Eighty strangers? Hmmmm. Will that scupper you (I seem to remember you were in the lead for most of the month)? And, at the risk of sounding selfish, I wonder where that leaves me. Bah, bah and thrice bah. I hate this waiting.
Good luck to you too.
It leaves you on higher moral ground, is where it leaves you. And anyway, I rather liked your ending. Your work is solid, so the worst case scenario is that it gets picked up by a different production company at some other time. I’ve actually been wondering how much trouble movie mogul will give me for producing my entry on my own as a second option. I really don’t think it’s fair that they should get to keep all the “runner up” work, as their contract implies. And why haven’t they posted an update about what’s taking so long? My friends are going to beat me senseless if I mention this thing again!
If it’s any consolation, my stomach has been in my throat for days too. feh…
Poz