THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE BLOG

Via my Script Consultancy Business http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk I work with a lot of writers, mainly via email or Skype, from my desk here at Script Advice Towers aka My House. I also have a child to raise and to make sure he doesn’t become feral and a house to run. Not as many plates as some professional parents, but still a plate juggling exercise non the less.

Just as well that I am a goal orientated person. One who needs deadlines and sights to be firmly set on the target in hand, otherwise, completely zero gets done and absolutely nothing is achieved.

Writers and those that work from home beware, The Island of Self-Loathing is not far away and there, on the shore, lie the bulky forms of Laziness, Procrastination and Indolence, shading themselves under the ominous shadow of Day Time Television. Not a nice place. To be avoided at all costs.

I thrive on Lists. Lists are good. Lovely Lists.

If I don’t make a list, then the following scenario can, in extremis, unfurl.

7am – Woke by sense of a warm presence in my room. Unstick eye to find son 2 cm from my face, holding a Lego policeman. ‘He says get up or else’. I do.

7.30am – Breakfast on the go. Must make a list for the day. Stand in bare feet on sharp edge of Lego brick stuck in the rug. Swear. Try to hide the swear, by sneaky segue into a sing along to Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom on the telly.

8am – Finally the threats have worked and son is upstairs, getting into his uniform. Must make a list – got so much to get done today. Son can not find his school Polo shirt. I know where they are. In the dirty laundry basket. Assess the level of dirt/disease of Polo shirts. Chose one that sports Marmite stain but unfeasibly enough, under the arm pit. Hope it won’t present as Mange or worse.

8.15am – Wash, dress, attempt to apply mascara in 5 mins flat. Manage it. Although I am aware I have the appearance of Malcolm McDowell in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ due to the over application of one eye and the under of the other.

8.20am – School bag on his back, shoes on his feet, jettison Son out of the house, remember car keys just in time before slamming the door. ‘Why is my bag so light?’ Son’s question reminds me I haven’t made his packed lunch. Fly back into the house and make sandwiches, find a yoghurt, some fruit and a biscuit and then spend another agonised five minutes trying to find his Darth Vader Sandwich box. It’s in his school bag. Empty except for the wrappers of yesterday’s packed lunch; made without guilt and more time.

8.45am – I drive up to the school 10 minutes later than yesterday, that day when the sun shone and I was a perfectly sane, balanced working mum of one. So now, today, the day from Hell when I look like a Droog and son’s shirt smells of 3 day old Marmite, I can’t find a parking space. Find one – it’s small. More a gap between cars rather than an actual space. Learning to drive in London finally paid off. I park within a micro particle of the bumper in front and the radiator behind. No way can I open the door. Wedged between a garden fence and a hedge. The hedge being more porous, encourage son to clamber over the gear stick and out the driver’s side.

8.55am – Just before school gates shut, son waves goodbye and runs past Head Mistress with Privet in his hair.

9am – Essential food shopping. Get distracted by non essential shopping. Get talking to friendly mum I know from school run. We both buy a jug we don’t need.

10am – Home to make my list. Do not make my list but spend 2 hours on Social Media Networks. Some of it productive. A lot not. But I have seen some engaging pictures of disastrous weddings and a Meerkat that looks like Nigel Farage.

Lunch. Each mouthful tastes like sand. I truly hate myself.

1pm – I make a list. That feels very good. I put the kettle on to celebrate.

2pm – 3pm – I work. Hard and productively.

3.10pm – Flying out of the door, I am determined not to be late for son’s school pick up.

Son is pleased to see me. I am not late. I have done some work. I am ok. I can do more when we get home and we neither of us care I have Privet in my hair.

So, to avoid sailing one’s rickety craft towards Self Loathing Island, here is my rough guide to a smooth passage and productivity on a daily basis.

1/ Proportion off your day.
Write this stuff down. Holding a piece of paper with your tasks and your responsibilities outlined in your own writing, honestly has a calming effect. Then, when you have achieved one of these things, you get to tick it off and feel a sense of personal achievement.

2/ Be Flexible.
Some of the day is child related, some work. Sometimes work has to over lap child duties. That’s why DVD’s were invented. I used to feel guilty about letting my son watch a programme, or play Super Mario on the laptop while I beavered away on my computer, but not any more. I have to be flexible in my work/mum rota, otherwise I will snap and that only serves my Osteopath.

3/ Tea is good.
Take a break regularly through the day.

4/ Do watch the clock.
Apply a rough time frame to each task and try to stick to it. Leave enough time to get from A to B if you have to leave your desk.

5/ Leave your work in a good place so you can come back to it without dread and the threat of distraction.

6/ Ease up on yourself.
You can do a lot if you stick to a time frame and an achievable number of tasks in the day.

7/ Only manageable bite-sized chunks of Social Media Time is allowed.

I encourage my writer clients and members of my writer’s group on Facebook Script Advice Writer’s Room; https://www.facebook.com/groups/scriptadvice/?fref=nf to use Social Media to get in touch and stay in touch with like-minded types and those actually working in the industry. But do this in very strict time allocated bursts either throughout the day (to mix things up a little) or in sections of time in the morning or the afternoon. Never over do the internet trawling thing. It literally eats your time. You will be cast away on that flippin’ island before you know it.

Sizzle or Substance? Creativity v Commercialism in Series Television Drama – is my session for the London Screenwriters’ Festival in October. I would love to see you there. Come and hear me, Waking the Dead creator and Bafta winning writer Barbara Machin and Executive Producer of Holby City Simon Harper talk all things story related for series television.
http://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/whats-on/sessions/sizzle-or-substance-commercialism-vs-creativity-in-tv-drama-series

My book, Writing for Television, Series, Serials and Soaps is getting five star reviews and lots of nice comments on Amazon and Twitter. Follow me there https://twitter.com/YVONNEGRACE1 and buy your copy here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Television-Yvonne-Grace/dp/1843443376/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400840643&sr=1-7&keywords=writing+for+television

THE BBC WRITERS’ FESTIVAL 2014 – From a Writer’s Perspective

I asked Jayne Lake; writer, twitterer, facebook member of my group Script Advice Writer’s Room and all round good egg, to pen me a blog about what she took from the BBC Writers’ Festival 2014. Here it is….

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The fifth BBC TV Drama Writers’ Festival came to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, a one-time Victorian wheat store transformed into uber-cool lecture rooms and rubber clad studios for arty types, it’s industrial strength air con much needed – by me.

Kate Rowland and her team sprinkled fairy dust over the unrivalled schedule, I made a point of selecting all the available sessions about ‘women on the box’. Apart from the short notice withdrawal of doyenne Sally Wainwright, this year’s strong female line-up would not disappoint.

Keynote If Content is King, Where’s our Crown? – Like an entertaining fruit and veg wholesaler Tony Jordan outlined established and newly forming markets for drama output and gave us his rally call to feed the ever-hungry story beast. A community of writers drawn together to listen, learn, share and contribute, we are all connected, he tells us ‘[by] story struggling to tear itself from our souls’. Feeling a smidgeon taller, I floated off to my first sesh, my life’s goal to: ‘create something extraordinary’ tucked under my heavy-duty bra strap. Can-do-will-do-stuff indeed.

Developing Your Character – Writer Danny Brocklehurst discussed his writing process behind Exile and disgraced journo Tom Ronstadt (John Simm) – a character who returns to his backwater hometown to discover his once brutal father in the grip of Alzheimer’s. It’s the way his character relates in any given moment that hooks his audience Danny argues. There is a mystery to solve – why did a once beloved father violently banish his son? But whilst plot is crucial, for Danny character always lies at the starting block and at the heart. In Barbara Machin’s long-runner Waking the Dead the emphasis shifts. Character is the ‘elephant in the room’, what’s not said speaking volumes about protagonists the audience comes to love over time. Her characters develop in ‘slow burn… [they] occupy a deeper emotional place… [big] event moments allow new and exciting chinks in character’. Danny talked about writing self-indulgent ‘physical’ directions in the first draft to inform himself as much as anything else. Subsequent drafts stripped back to allow the actors and director to do the work. Someone asked Danny and Barbara to name memorable leading female characters in British drama. Time was up, a session for next year, or the year after, perhaps.

Women in TV: Unfinished Business – Head of Drama Scotland Chris Aird chaired a superb discussion on women in TV. Pier Wilkie and China Moo Young (Director/Producer-Director) and Sally Abbott (Writer) talked about working at the BBC and in the independent sector, giving anecdotes about obstructive others and critical selves. Sally described her early battles with self-confidence until a cathartic light bulb moment freed her from a creative cul-de-sac. Although her juggle with deadlines, kids and a rescue dog is not easy, she knows the value of her own voice now and rightly excels in it with the support of her family.

Pier Wilkie talked about the huge financial pressures on drama production. When she’s looking to hire the stakes are enormous, she needs ‘experience’ first. Conversely women can’t get experience as writers, producers and directors unless someone is prepared to take a financial (and I might argue here) conscious punt on an unknown quantity. There was a rumbling anxiety in the room – won’t moaning about inequality alienate the powers that be? To be valued in the industry, women need ‘an assured and calm and measured’ outlook – nothing divaesque!

Do women only write ‘domestic’ or are there any opportunities in genre? A mixed response from the panel but isn’t domestic writing just screaming babies, preeclampsia, dirty nappies? Is it that little show with nine million viewers Call The Midwife or maybe it’s Pier’s much acclaimed BBC 3 Murdered By My Boyfriend – both dramas depicting the stuff of life and death and everything in between. More next year on what women write/want to write. Maybe.

Do We Need Treatments? – A blessed rest from all this angsty feminist malarchy! Bryan Elsley’s entertaining take on the writer’s roadmap, he argues we need treatments to encapsulate the semi-coherent ‘idea’. The first draft treatment is the ‘what if’ document, the blueprint created by the ‘organized magician’ within. This is the place where Bryan feels most confident but for the production company the fully worked version is the solid thing that says this is ‘our property’, our development ‘asset’. Bryan’s advice is that the exec wants pure story. Some shot based treatments work well but may be too directorial? The exec’s bus or tube ride is a finite thing so as a guide; fit your story into his/her journey to work. A narrative based approach enables a quick read. For series treatments each ep should imply a defining event best embedded in its title. Set out the arc, the movements and connections between the episodes. Name characters with a brief description and how they relate to one another. Write the ‘out’, or in other words: Why you are the writer for this project and where your work sits in the market. Clarify the thing that is worth the money creatively and spiritually, then reduce the entire document by 10%! Don’t reference other shows – your story is ‘unique’. Be illusive. Tonal. Box clever.

Keynote The Two Tones – Tony J in relaxed conversation with Director General Tony Hall who affirmed his commitment to creativity, diversity and risk taking across drama at the BBC. Did you know that, despite his previous gig at The Royal Opera House, Tony Hall’s a real man of the people now he’s binge watched Happy Valley? Yay! The ‘Two Tone’s’ conversation flowed, Liverpudlian roots and regenerated accents made them blood brothers right? Tony J slipped comfortably back into expletive heavy. Tony H didn’t seem to mind and I felt assured this effusive, passionate bloke liked what we do and he wouldn’t let us down.

How I write – Sarah Phelps’s research task for BBC 1 six-parter The Crimson Field was gargantuan, not least because much of what we think we know about The Great War is so misshapen by the ‘heroic lies’ of history, mediated accounts of the men and women on the Western Front. Sarah’s main resource came in the form of Lyn MacDonald’s The Roses of No Man’s Land, a contemporary account of the women who volunteered to serve in the medical tents not a stones throw away from the trenches. So much material was handed over to Sarah that she was oftentimes overwhelmed, she made hard decisions about what to read and what to include whilst still staying true to her raw writers voice and trying to keep her sanity! For an hour Sarah had us spellbound as she recounted anecdote after anecdote about these brave women and men’s lives, many of whom found themselves transported from their genteel Edwardian British society into the bloody heart of the first world war. Off by heart, Sarah concluded her talk with Thomas Hardy’s 1916 poem In Time of ‘The Breaking of Nations’. Beyond moving.

Face to Face with Abi Morgan – I wanted to know every juicy detail, who, after all, wouldn’t want her life? Abi left university and got work imputing data about the building she worked in. Aside from the computer, she was entirely on her own in this empty office block; her employers didn’t seem to care what she did or how long she took to do the job. She wrote her first screenplay and didn’t input data. She got paid. For FIVE YEARS. It was great, she achieved tons. She was horrendously lonely. Today Abi has a partner and two children. When the children were small she worked from home but they’re older now, more distracting. Abi is currently working in an office at Kudos. Undisturbed. Abi’s working day is from 9 – 7. Sometimes this is filled to busting writing and sometimes she gets distracted by Solitaire Blitz. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Abi writes what she finds ‘profoundly moving’ and advises writers to ask of themselves always: ‘what is this story about?…[And] give something of yourself’. Have an outline, keep poetics minimal, tone is paramount. Abi doesn’t read back her early drafts she just clicks ‘send’! An audible incredulity (on my part covetous!) spread amongst the audience, this writer obviously is self-aware, majorly confident (not arrogant, I did not find her so) and brave. In the Q&A someone asked what work she was most proud of writing? And I was knocked sideways by her response…. introspective for a moment: ‘pride is something I find hard to associate with what I do’. What!? With such an influential body of work behind and undoubtedly in front of her how on earth can this possibly be? I may have misunderstood my heroine here but why the hell shouldn’t she be proud of what she’s achieved? It seems that women writers, even at the very pinnacle of the industry recoil from publicly blowing their own trumpet. Love her.

Keynote Unstoryfiable – Documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis believes story is in mortal decline, news on a continuous loop, nothing resolves. Google, Facebook, Twitter and Cisco reducing everything to a manipulated, homogenous stream, the worlds financial markets unelected and unchecked. Curtis calls this the ‘algorithm loop of news, power, money, media and [subsequently] STORY’. I understood in principle where this guy was coming from, I felt for him – for us, but rather than be gloomy I should go do something about this heinous state of affairs shouldn’t I? I mean I should write something… write something really ‘extraordinary’.

Adjusts bra strap. Clicks send.

Thank you Jayne for sharing your experience of the Festival with the Script Advice readership.
Contact me: http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk for help with your television writing and buy my book on the subject http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Television-Yvonne-Grace/dp/1843443376/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400840643&sr=1-7&keywords=writing+for+television

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF …… A SCRIPT EDITOR ON EMMERDALE

Regular readers of my blog and readers of my book; Writing For Television Series Serials and Soaps  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Television-Yvonne-Grace/dp/1843443376/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400840643&sr=1-7&keywords=writing+for+television – will know how that I started my long career in television drama production via the script editing route.  My baptism of fire was on EastEnders, but here I talk to a busy script editor, working on Emmerdale.

Donna Metcalf’s route to script editing was not a straight forward one. Like anything worth having in life, she had to work hard to get the gig. But as I point out in my recent blog about making connections in the Television Industry – only-connect-making-contacts-in-the-television-industry – every one needs a champion, and once you find that person, you will find doors open easier. Be ready to take the opportunity that arises for you.

Here Donna shares her thoughts about working on the show, her specific role within the production process and tells us how she got in to the business in the first place.

How did you get into script editing for series drama‭; ‬was there anyone in particular who you feel helped you to get to this stage in your career‭?

Getting into script editing was a long hard slog‭!‬ I first heard of‭ ‬it by seeing a job description,‭ ‬and thought it was perfect for me‭ – ‬I wanted a job where I could use the analytical skills I learnt during my English Degree,‭ ‬whilst working in a fun and creative environment.‭ ‬As I had no previous media experience,‭ ‬it took a great deal of hard work and persistence to get my foot in the door.‭ ‬I started off by working as a runner and doing bits and pieces of work experience‭ ‬-‭ ‬I took anything from audience runner on Jeremy Kyle,‭ ‬to script development at Lime Pictures.‭ ‬As these jobs were few and far between and mostly unpaid,‭ ‬I worked as a waitress and receptionist to pay my way.‭ ‬I also volunteered to script read for as many groups as possible,‭ ‬widening my skillset to radio,‭ ‬animation and TV.‭

I found it difficult to find out about script editor training,‭ ‬so did a script reading course at The Script Factory in London,‭ ‬and script reading and script editing courses at North West Vision,‭ ‬where I later became one of their script readers.

My first big break was a short contract at Emmerdale covering the Script Secretary role,‭ ‬however,‭ ‬this was only temporary and I was soon back to temping.‭ ‬After a pretty fruitless year,‭ ‬the assistant Producer,‭ ‬Tony Hammond asked me to come back and I’ve stayed ever since‭ – ‬starting as script secretary,‭ ‬then Emmerdale archivist,‭ ‬assistant script editor‭ (‬a role which I created‭) ‬and then Script editor.‭ ‬I have so much to thank Tony for,‭ ‬because he was always willing to give me a chance‭ – ‬and eventually,‭ ‬it paid off.‭

To be a good script editor,‭ ‬you need to genuinely love writers and working with them.‭ ‬How many writers do you work with regularly on the show,‭ ‬and what,‭ ‬from your experience,‭ ‬could you say are the best sort of writers to work with‭?

My favourite part of the job is working with the writers.‭ ‬We currently have‭ ‬25‭ ‬writers on the team,‭ ‬so we’re never short on variety‭! ‬I find it really important to have a good working relationship with our writers,‭ ‬and the best edits are with writers who embrace the notes and want to discuss how to make the note work in the most exciting way possible.‭ ‬I love a good mixture of enthusiasm and creativity,‭ ‬and work hard to ensure‭ ‬the writer still feels they have their own stamp on the episode.‭ ‬It’s always easier if the writers are open to changes and want to have a healthy discussion rather than‭ ‬dig their heels in or passively take notes.‭

Note giving is a delicate job to do well.‭ ‬What are the techniques you use to get the best out of your writers and how do you handle giving tricky notes‭?

The key for me is to know the writer,‭ ‬that way I can deliver my notes‭ ‬appropriate to each writer’s temperament.‭ ‬I fully appreciate that writing is a lonely profession,‭ ‬and pouring your heart into something just to be given notes must be a difficult thing.‭ ‬So I make sure I’m always tactful and positive.‭ ‬I try to be as honest as possible,‭ ‬but also supportive and enthusiastic.‭ ‬If there’s an issue in the script,‭ ‬it’s often because the writer didn’t quite believe what they were writing,‭ ‬so I try to locate the problem so the next draft can be as strong as possible.‭

Can you briefly outline a typical script editing day for you on Emmerdale‭?

Emmerdale works on a monthly cycle,‭ ‬so for script editors,‭ ‬our week will generally alternate between first draft edits or publishing week.‭ ‬Each week tends to consist of a reading day,‭ ‬a script meeting where we go through scripts page by page,‭ ‬then I prepare edits and get on the phone to writers.‭ ‬A typical day would start at around‭ ‬9am.‭ ‬I usually work on the train to Leeds,‭ ‬prepping my edits,‭ ‬then pretty much as soon as I get to work I’ll be on the phone.‭ ‬I chat through headline notes on story changes and character through-lines,‭ ‬then we go‭ ‬through‭ ‬page by page.‭ ‬I tend to do about three edits a day,‭ ‬and in‭ ‬between that I’ll answer my emails and get calls from set.‭ ‬When a script is filming,‭ ‬we get regular updates on timings‭ – ‬often having to look for cuts or add extra material,‭ ‬but we also have to be available for any on-set issues.

How many scripts to do edit at any one time‭?

We tend to work on a block of four scripts at any‭ ‬one time.‭ ‬This can mean having four at first draft stage,‭ ‬four at publishing stage,‭ ‬and up to two blocks in production,‭ ‬where we’re on call from‭ ‬7am to‭ ‬7pm every day for any on-set issues or queries.

How many writers do you work with‭?

25.

How many script editors are there on the show?

There are‭ ‬4‭ ‬script editors,‭ ‬1‭ ‬assistant script editor,‭ ‬and‭ ‬2‭ ‬part-time‭ ‬series script editors.

Does Emmerdale use storyliners.‭ ‬And if so,‭ ‬how is your job affected by their input‭?

Yes,‭ ‬we have a team of storyliners as well as a story producer and story editor.‭ ‬Our stories are generated at story conference every month,‭ ‬where the storyliners go away and write story strands and a storyline document is produced.‭ ‬We use their story document when reading first draft scripts‭ – ‬it’s important to see what the intention of the story was,‭ ‬as well as understanding any decisions the writer has made,‭ ‬and to check that all story beats are covered.‭

Lastly,‭ ‬can you sum up what it is like,‭ ‬working on a huge juggernaut of a show like Emmerdale‭?

Working on Emmerdale is a dream come true.‭ ‬I couldn’t‭ ‬wish to work with a better team of people‭ ‬-‭ ‬there’s a‭ ‬wonderfully friendly atmosphere here.‭ ‬It’s a very busy and challenging job‭ – ‬the hours are very long and it can be stressful.‭ ‬There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for where I work.‭ ‬I’m very passionate about Emmerdale,‭ ‬and when you work with so many talented people,‭ ‬it’d be impossible not to give it‭ ‬100%‭ ‬every day.‭

Contact me for script editing help and editorial advice on your work here http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk
Follow me on Twitter: YVONNEGRACE1
Join my writer’s group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/237330119115/

Get in touch and happy writing!

ONLY CONNECT – MAKING CONTACTS IN THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY

Writing is a solitary exercise. But the business of getting your writing read, talked about and appreciated is just the opposite. You need to be a focussed solitary scriber, and then morph when the time dictates, into a sociable, approachable type who is more that happy to talk about your work and ask questions of those that are experienced and able to help you get in and get on in the industry.

Even if you have a writing partner; someone with whom you work to create and construct your drama scripts, there is always that point in the creation process where you must turn the collaboration switch to ‘off’ and get on with making your part in the writing process your own. You need to get your head down and start writing.

If you work solo, (like most writers in my experience do) then it can be really hard to put on a convivial face and go off to rub shoulders with, most likely, writers like yourself, who work alone and then feel they have to socialise for the good of their work.

 But I think its important that you do this.

The television industry dictates that writers be both disciplined (in terms of getting the pages done in a structured, accessible time frame) and also able to turn on the sociable charm when the time is right.

 I have had the pleasure of working with some great writers who are now at the top of their game and showing by the sheer calibre of the work they are now producing, the way forward for lesser experienced television writers, making their way up. Writers like Russell T Davies, Sally Wainwright, Jonathon Harvey and Tony Jordan. If you were ever in a position to ask any one of them if they, as they were starting out, had a champion, or if there was a person they felt they could point to that helped them, when they needed it, I believe each writer could come up with more than one name.

 I had my champions too.

 We all need at least one.

 So where do you find your champion? The person(s) who may turn out to be the people you, when asked the question, sometime in your future you happily name as the individuals that helped you most?

 There are many ways you can potentially meet like-minded writers and also connect with professionals that can either champion your work themselves, or suggest others that can.

 I suggest you spread your area of connection wide.

 Initially, I would encourage you to join a good writer’s group. I run a very good one on Facebook. My members come from all over the globe and represent all levels of writing experience. Many are professional writers who, like myself, genuinely enjoy sharing their knowledge of the industry. It’s a great place to start.

 The Script Advice Writer’s Room:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/237330119115/

Another good way of opening up communication with others in your chosen field, is to use online forums. Phil Gladwin runs a great one here. His organisation the Screenwriting Goldmine also runs writing competitions and workshops:

http://www.screenwritinggoldmine.com/forum/

 In general, the BBC website for writers is a good place to bookmark. You can download scripts and keep up with the initiatives they run.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/about/the-writers-academy

 Attending workshops on writing and those that teach the skill base needed to work in television as a writer is a good way of making contacts and building useful friendships with other writers.

 I run workshops for the Indie Training Fund regularly and throughout the year.

http://www.indietrainingfund.com/courses/production/how-to-storyline-a-series-for-television/

 Euroscript is very good for writers wanting to connect with others and they also run courses throughout the year:

http://www.euroscript.co.uk/

 Engineering meetings between writers and Producers, Commissioners and key players in the Industry is a central aim of the Rocliffe Forum:

http://www.rocliffe.com/index.php

 Attending festivals and specific events aimed at networking and sharing of information related to screenwriting is a great way of building your connections and making potential key connections with useful to know people.

The London Screenwriters’ Festival is a brilliant, exciting, informative and genuinely friendly event run by people passionate about the business of writing for the big and small screen. This link takes you to the page showing some of the speakers of this year’s event. You will notice I am there and very pleased to be so!

Speakers

 Raindance run both a film and television festival:

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My book attempts to bridge that gap between you, the solitary writer who wants to get in to Television and stay there, and the Industry itself; comprising of important people you need to get to know and to make them aware of your existence.

Here’s a lovely review on Amazon by writer Mark Davies. I add it here because he highlights my intention when writing it, which was to metaphorically hold the writer’s hand through what can be the labyrinthine nature of the Television Industry.

 ‘Rather than a dry how-to style text book, reading this book is like being invited to spend the day with an expert and having her take you by the hand for a tour of Television Centre, and being introduced to everyone you could ever need to know in the process. Then imagine someone following you the whole day with a camcorder and giving you all the footage afterwards so you can rewind to your favourite sections and live them all again. And again!’

Follow me on Twitter: YVONNEGRACE1. Here too, it is almost too easy to hook up (in cyber space) with a whole new strata of writers, producers, script editors and agents who may well take up a big space in your future.

 You don’t know who’s out there till you get your sociable coat on and venture outside…..

 Check out my website for my script reading and script development services and to access my blog and find out what I am up to over the year.

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 I hope to be able to help you in the future.

 Good Luck and Happy Writing.

 

THE CREATION SPARK

 My son has Chicken Pox. He is not at school and as I type this, he watches his favourite Lego-themed DVD; ‘Clutch Powers’; Malick The Maligned has stolen  Clutch’s father’s Creation Spark….I feel a blog coming on………….

 Do you have a bank of ideas? A space in your head where your (as yet) unwritten ideas come from? Some writers I work with have a drawer (metaphorical or actual) where their ideas languish until realised on paper. Others don’t sweat it, but rather expect their creative ideas to come whilst doing something entirely different. Usually repetitive, or mundane tasks, like housework or driving, or taking a bath.

 I have worked with writers who must finish one idea in script form, before moving on to the next. The opposite also is true and a lot of writers I help, have more than one idea,  at varying stages of development.

 There is no right or wrong way, to creating, devising, grabbing-out-of-thin-air, dramatic conceits for the screen. But every writer I have come across has their particular way; something pertinent to them, that aids the creative process.

 The urge to tell stories is innate all of us. Some people become more obsessed with the process than others and it is this obsession that separates writers from other people; those that like a good story, but are not concerned about the process of telling one well. The latter is a fixation afflicting all writers I work with. And as a writer myself, I empathise.

 The chances are if you are a writer, that you will spend a disproportionate part of your day observing your life in a removed sense; a part of your brain appraising the view from your car, office or kitchen window as a potential scene opener, or the dialogue you over hear on the bus or in the supermarket check out queue becomes great material for a couple of characters you have been bringing to life. Imagery, snatches of dialogue, smells, sounds and the way these things click together, forms the building bricks of future scripts.

 And the key to getting these disparate, eclectic images and snatches of spoken word into the beginnings of a beginning, are the connections, the correlations and the relationships you find between the various components of your script.

 The narrative: story + plot + subtext; must tie into, weave through and relate to, the visual side of your story; imagery and text work together, counter balancing the narrative, or highlighting aspects of it. Both must be present and both have a specific job to do in the telling of your story.

 Your voice; the essential component of all script writing that is particular only to the creator, provides that vital element of a successful piece of screenwriting – the message. There must be a reason why you wrote this script and this reason must come across subliminally, suggestively, subtly, to your audience. It is your voice, your intent, that comes through in the end.

 Why tell your story in script format in the first place?

I hazard an opinion here, that you want to tell your story in scenes, filmed by a camera and cut together to make a cohesive narrative, because you are an immediate sort of story teller. You like narrative that has a pace, a rhythm, a beat.

 Television writers understand the pr0cussive nature of good story telling. There is always an under tow of momentum in anything worth screen time.

 So the idea has hit home. You need to get this down before it either drives you mad, or goes away entirely.

 * Pitch it to yourself in a couple of pithy, grabby, interesting lines. If the idea has a purpose, a message and a natural shape, it will become apparent here.

 * Then do a quick plot outline. A meets B and C happens. Still hold water? Carry on.

 * Write a treatment. No more that eight pages. Six if you can control yourself that much. Less is more. Here’s my blog on definitive treatment writing for quick reference: https://scriptadvice.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/the-definitive-guide-treatments-for-series-and-serials/

 * Scrivener, Final Draft, or doing it by hand, now you need to plot your character story arcs across your script. I use post-its, or cards stuck on a wall. You will be able to see at glance, where your plot has holes, or where you need to beef up a story line for a character. Points of contact, of cross-over and correlation will now present themselves between your various story lines.

 * Write your script outline. Order your scenes roughly. Using broad strokes, don’t get bogged down in ‘he said then she said’ detail; you will hate yourself and it will be both dull to write and duller to read. This document will highlight the push and pull of your story line; the pace and beat of it. If you find it a good read, then the first draft of your script will reflect this.

 Several drafts later, you have your idea fully realised. From creative spark to full script.

 Take heart; it is impossible for your creative spark to be stolen. The world around you reflects back into the inner eye of the writer; Malick the Maligned, be warned.

 Get help with your creative projects: http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk

STORY LINE IMPACT

I have started watching ABC’s ‘Nashville’ and am re-awakening my enjoyment of CBS’s ‘The Good Wife’ on More4.

The former is a big frothy bath of soap bubble and intrigue, set against the backdrop of the Country Song Scene. I am a sucker for a good Country and Western song. These songs are soaps stories in their own right; tunes like ‘It Won’t Hurt When I Fall Off This Bar Stool’ and ‘All my Exes Live In Texas’  hold a particularly warm place in my heart.

The bare-breasted, tell-all-in-a-loud-voice nature of a classic Country Song lyric has a theatricality, a whiff of the melodrama about it and I like that. But there is a subtle emotional under tow that pulls at the heart strings too; it’s not all bluff and bluster. ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ is such a sad tale of a lonely man; yearning to be popular but clearly looking a bit pathetic in his cheap shirt. ‘I Have Friends In Low Places’ is declared rather too heartily to my mind; smacks of self-preservation if you ask me.

‘Nashville’ encompasses all that is glitter and fringe-fronted shirts about the Country scene; it brings you muscle bound songsters in black roll sleeved t’ shirts who can draw tears from their guitar strings with their manly hands. The women are sassy, perky, naughty and driven. The men are flawed, soul-searching and handsome. Bring it on, I say.

But what separates ‘Nashville’ from an also-ran type of serialised drama with a musical precinct, is the sheer volume and detailing of the story lining.

The same goes for ‘The Good Wife’. Here, there is no flim-flam frippery. It’s brittle, no-holes-barred, in-your-face stuff. The women are massively complex and layered. The men are rather shifty, psychologically slippery and snog-able. It’s a potent mix.

Both series rattle on apace. Both are packed with story and character detail.

Nashville and The Good Wife are very expensive, glossy soaps. EastEnders on steroids and Botox.

And like soap story lines, both shows understand how to layer a character arc so it does not deliver a linear stream of story. In both cases, every character, the lesser and the greater, have at least 3 or 5 (odd numbers are always better in story telling terms – it adds a frisson that evens don’t deliver) layers of subtext going on, underneath their plot line.

Remember when you begin to plot your story lines across your series outline, that your story has to deliver two things at the very least.

VISUAL IMPACT

EMOTIONAL  IMPACT

Nashville is obviously a visual series. The territory it explores is innately so. The Good Wife; not so much. But again, both series use imagery to a maximum at every turn.

In The Good Wife, it is a conscious decision on the part of the wardrobe department to give the female legal movers and shakers a stream-lined, pared down look. Alicia Florrick and her nemisis Diane, are rarely seen without  a Chanel Suit or a jacket with an ‘ A’ symmetrical zip fastening – adding a certain dynamism to their look.

Alicia Florrick is a character bowed under a rich seam of story lining. She is the pivot around which the show’s story lines flow. Her husband ripped her world apart by his less-than pristine public image. She tears herself away and claws a furrow for herself through the rich loam of the legal world. She is a wife, a mother, a business woman, a legal brain, a girl with insecurities with her own girl who has insecurities. She must be both lioness and figure head.

The show never lets it’s audience forget that although Alicia is a political animal, she is a flawed human too. As are her team. The emotional and visual impact is felt.

In Nashville, when Raynar gives an open invite to schemer and self-server songstress Juliette, to join the Grand Ole Oprey, she paints herself into a corner. Her voice is gone. She fears for her gift, she lacks confidence and her self-esteem is battered. She turns to her father for financial support, but he is a dark soul; he will lead her ever further on to the wrong side of the law. But she is trusting. This story line culminates in Raynar being forced, on stage, to sing one of her best-loved songs. Visually the impact is felt at the same time as the emotional under tow kicks in. She manages the high notes – she is back lit, she looks like the Queen of Country. Her audience lift her up.

I have spent the last 20 years working with writers, scripts, stories and story lines. I have made a fair amount of television drama; having the good fortune to learn my craft on EastEnders and then producing some tip top children’s television (Knights School, My Dad’s A Boring Nerd, The Ward) and finally producing Holby City for the BBC and latterly Crossroads for ITV.

I have put much of what I have learned about making drama for television in this book: Writing for Television; Series Serials Soaps. It is packed with information, tips and tricks for writers keen to get in, get on and stay in Television; out in June 2014 by Kamera Books.  The cover is undergoing a re-design, but here’s the link where you can pre-order copies:

http://www.kamerabooks.co.uk/creativeessentials/writingfortelevision/index.php?title_isbn=9781843443377

If you need help with your story lines – contact me http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk

WRITER SELF – ESTEEM

Writers are their own worst enemy.

As a Producer, I had no problem believing in my opinions on drama, on television writing, on scripts; why some worked and why some didn’t. I felt confident that I knew how to fix scripts that were not up to scratch and blissfully full of myself on how to bring a wide audience to watch the resulting drama on screen.

Then my career took an interesting turn and I set up http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk to help writers write better scripts. My self assurance has not deserted me. I find myself solid in my self-belief when writers come to me for help. ‘Here’, I say, (rather kindly I like to think) ‘let me sort this mess out for you’….And then there’s the workshops and short courses I run. You have to have a ton of self-confidence to not only run a successful course, but to actually enjoy running writing courses for paying writers.

You can be a stroppy lot you know.

And like in any walk of life, if you say you know what you are doing, woe betide you if you actually don’t. So I come prepared; armed with knowledge and a significant grounding in the techniques of television writing to impart to those that want to know. There’s no hiding when you do something like that.

But it’s ok you see, because I do not suffer from a lack of Self Esteem. Not in this scenario anyway….

But now we come to the crux of another matter entirely.

I also write myself. And this is where it gets messy very quickly.

Self-assurance; that calm, strong place you go to when you are certain of yourself and in what you believe, is Absolutely Absent when I begin the writing process.

I have the idea, (they come quickly and regularly; like sneezes; exploding into being when I am usually doing something mundane like polishing my son’s school shoes or un-gunking the kettle.)  I will begin to think the thread of the idea over (this is the fun bit) it doesn’t feel real yet, so it won’t matter if it all melts into a nonsensical mush after half an hour of mulling. Then I will, (if the idea doesn’t reveal itself as being the exact same premise as something already on screen, or isn’t, by my probing, unveiled as the worst idea yet) commit it to treatment form.

I am still ok by the way, at this stage, on the Self-Esteem Front. Feel pretty fine actually. The hell is to come though.

The Treatment, as readers of my blog, and members of my group on Facebook will know, is the document I bang on about a lot. It sorts the rather rubbish ideas from the potentially really good ones. Get a good treatment written and you are half way there.

Here’s a blog of mine on how to approach the writing of Treatments. I also go into detail about the step outline and the episode outline, which are stages 2 and 3 before we get to the cliff face which is The First Draft.

https://scriptadvice.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/writing-mistakes-you-dont-want-to-make/

And here we are. At that cliff face.

This is where my self-esteem takes a nose dive. A belly flop. A comedic slip on the banana skin of dignity and goes flying. And I am sure, many writers suffer the same humiliating collapse.

I think it is normal.

I know this to be true. So there isn’t any need to panic.  Or beat yourself up about it.

You have come a fair way down the road to writing your first draft of this idea you had when you were stuck on the M25.

You have tested out the merits of your idea; its stories, characters, themes, and they pretty much stand up to the test of your scrutiny; so that should be enough. Surely?

The next stage is the true test. Writing the script.

Planning and plotting is taxing graft; can be really frustrating, not a little laborious (particularly if your script carries a complicated plotline, so in the planning of it you have to make sure you have begun the narrative process with character A and character C before character B is aware of what A and C knows etc) and in the end, this writing adds up to one thing.

Hard bloody work.

And you must begin this process (knowing what lies ahead) with all the confidence and self-belief you know you once had. Or must you?

The creative process is never straightforward and without that voice saying ‘Is this really interesting? Is this engaging? Do you know what you are doing here? Why should anyone care about this story, these characters?’ as you are writing, perhaps you would never make your script any better.

So I suggest that we should all listen to that dissenting voice; get a bit of a mad on and forge ahead anyway, inspite of the negative whine in one ear.

Annoyingly enough for me, my inner critic’s voice often sounds like a well known celebrity. Jane Horrocks harangued me throughout the writing of my first commissioned script and latterly, (because let’s face it, he can do just about anything) Benedict Cumberbatch is sniffing pithily as I write my series outline of an idea I am currently working on.

It is through the process of facing up to the doubter in you, that you will  create a piece of writing that you truly believe in. And then….well, a lovely thing happens. Self-Esteem comes home.

This entity without which you are not truly happy, has been out for a long walk but is now back, muddy boots in the porch, fluffy slippers on and making a cuppa whilst you get on with your writing.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Here are a tasty few websites I rate highly and links to script writing competitions/initiatives that are a good way of getting firstly, your script written (you have to write to deadline) and secondly have your script read and assessed by people who not only care about writers and writing, but know what they are doing.

 http://www.redplanetpictures.co.uk/prize.php

 http://www.rocliffe.com/forum.php

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/about/the-writers-academy

http://talentcircle.org/event/talent-circlefilms4lifered-planet-pictures-short-film-script-competition/

http://awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com/

 If you want my help in anything related to writing contact me: http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk

Join my group The Script Advice Writer’s Room: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scriptadvice/

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/YVONNEGRACE1

Now, me and Mr Cumberbatch have a script to finish…..

HOW TO STORYLINE A TELEVISION SERIES – WORKSHOP

Chain Link Fence (Photo credit: camknows)

ATTENTION ALL STORY-TELLERS!

If you follow me on Twitter, or are a member of my facebook group Script Advice Writer’s Room, then you will know a bit about how much I am obsessed with structuring and shaping stories for television.

It’s in my DNA. I can’t listen to an anecdotal story without internally strapping the various beats of the tale across my mind. Anyone would think I do this for a living…

Just as well then, that the Indie Training Fund have asked me to run a one day workshop next year for them.

How To Storyline A Series For Television Workshop.

In this, I ape what it is like to attend a Story Conference. You, the workshop attendees, are the writers who have been asked by the Production, to come and pitch, and plot, a particular block of episodes for the (fictional) Series HARKNESS HALL. I am your Executive Producer and I will take you through the process of story creation, plotting, structuring and planning a new season of this series.

It’s intensive, collaborative, creative, exhausting, practical and hugely enjoyable.

Here’s some comments from writers who have attended my storylining workshop for the Script Factory:

“Yvonne is a powerball of energy, humour, and wisdom. There is never a dull moment in this hands-on course, which provides an authentic taste of what it is like to take part in a storylining conference, but in a safe and supportive environment. Never have so many storylines been created in such a short time by so few! A real creation experience.” Gale Barker – Writer

 “Yvonne’s storylining workshop was superb. Her enthusiasm, experience, and ‘tell it like it is’ humour made the course an invaluable learning tool. It stretched all of us, giving practical structure advice that crosses and informs other related media – I loved it.” Sue Nelson – Broadcaster

 ” A highly productive and refreshing experience that showed me how collaborative ’round table’ writing is actually done. An enriching and enlightening practical workshop. Yvonne is an excellent and insightful tutor who creates both a relaxed and productive atmosphere to work in.” Lee Ramseyer – Media Student

WHERE: INDIE TRAINING FUND: HOXTON SQUARE, LONDON.

http://www.indietrainingfund.com/about-us/find-us/

WHEN: FEBRUARY 6th 2014 – 10am – 5pm

 COST: £50.00 to all freelance writers

 MORE INFORMATION: tel: 0207 3487 0354 email: info:indietrainingfund.com

I hope to see you there!

www.scriptadvice.co.uk

WINTER ROUND-UP THE BEST OF MY SCRIPT WRITING BLOGS

Snow crystals 2b (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The nights are drawing in, 2013 is putting it’s feet up.

Now, with Cocoa in hand, I feel is a good time to give you the best and most popular blogs I have written on screenwriting, over 2013. All in one place. So you know where to go.

Over the past year, Script Advice has been busy and I have had the pleasure of working with writers and their scripts in various ways:

Running workshops; (thank you Jersey Arts Trust for hosting my Treatment Writing Workshop Weekend in October this year.)

Conducting Script Edits with you, on your features and television drama hours, both series and serial formats, over Skype and telephone.

Reading and writing Script Reports for writers new to the game and the more experienced, seasoned writers.

Next year, I will be running exciting workshops for the Indie Training Fund; http://www.indietrainingfund.com/

‘How To Storyline A Series For Television’; more details on this one to follow – I hope I will see some of my blog followers and members of my writer’s group on Facebook; Script Advice Writer’s Room there.

My book is out in May next year too; published by Kamera Books; Television Writing: Series and Serials. More information on that nearer the time as well.

I hope you follow me on Twitter so you can keep up with my blog posts and the writing information I tweet over the writerly web. https://twitter.com/YVONNEGRACE1

Similarly, here is my Facebook group which I would love you to join. It’s a great place to keep up with all things screenwriting related https://www.facebook.com/groups/237330119115/

Without further ado, and not gift-wrapped, but it’s the thought that counts….here are my most popular blogs on the business of script writing:

 * FIVE SCRIPT WRITING TRIPS AND SLIPS:

FIVE SCRIPT WRITING TRIPS AND SLIPS

 * SHORTENING THE ODDS:

SHORTENING THE ODDS

 * INT: A SCRIPT EDITOR‘S MIND:

INT: SCRIPT EDITOR’S MIND – HQ – SCRIPT ADVICE TOWERS – DAY

 * STORYLINING – IT’S AN ART:

STORYLINING; IT’S AN ART

 * SCRIPT EDITING – THE LOW DOWN:

SCRIPT EDITING – THE LOW DOWN

 * WRITING MISTAKES YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE:

WRITING MISTAKES YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE

 * PULLING OUT THE STORY

PULLING OUT THE STORY

 * TEN MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE WHEN WRITING FOR TELEVISION:

10 MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE WHEN WRITING FOR TELEVISION

 And over on the Euroscript Website; two popular blogs I did about the journey a storyline makes from conception to production….

 * TELEVISION WRITING; GETTING INTO SHAPE PART ONE:

Television writing – getting into shape

 * TELEVISION WRITING: GETTING INTO SHAPE PART TWO:

Television writing – getting into shape (part two)

The Festive Season is upon us, but believe me, it’s not just the smell of a good mince pie and the sound of a popping cork that makes me say that I genuinely love helping writers write better scripts, and if you’ll have me, I hope to do this next year too.

Here’s to working with more of you in 2014. Cheers!

AUTUMN NEWSLETTER – STORY STRUCTURE

WHAT THE SCRIPT FACTORY SAYS ABOUT SCRIPT ADVICE:
We can heartily recommend Yvonne’s workshops – she unravels television like no one else!
Find out if I can help you with your current project@ http://www.scriptadvice.co.uk offering writers mentoring, training and script editing services in order to develop their work and talent.

Join me on Facebook at the Script Advice Writers' Room; http://www.facebook.com/groups/237330119115/
Here's what Phil Gladwin of http://www.screenwritinggoldmine says about it:
'It's run by Yvonne Grace, a seasoned BBC producer, and her … incredible energy, passion, and dedication (in true, old school BBC style) means new links, new resources, and a very nice community of like minds on a daily basis.'

I am on TWITTER here: https://twitter.com/YVONNEGRACE1
* HELLO
* STORY STRUCTURE
* TASTY LINKS

It has been damp for months. I am human compost. I am rotting from the soles of my shoes upwards. It’s raining again. Autumn; not with the usual blistering display of colours, but I live in hope.

Here is my non-soggy, water retentive writerly newsletter for all writers fighting the gloom of persistent wet.

STORY STRUCTURE

The Net is awash (more water) with advice on story structure.

There are very specific, prescriptive, formulaic ways of making sure you have the per-requisite amount of drama in your scripts and there are rules for 25 minute episodic television drama, half hour Sit Coms, television drama hours and feature film length scripts. If you are a rule hound, there will be something for you within the omnipotent reach of the Internet.

However, I have a confession to make. I don’t do rules. Not prescriptive ones. I am not one of those script consultant types who set out their stall selling ‘This Way or No Way’ theories on how to make your screenplays work.

I just have a lot of experience doing this. For real. Against deadlines and within budget. And for some of this time, I was giving up smoking as well. There’s pressure. Forget what your inciting incident is; who’s got a Silk Cut?

Flippancy aside, there is a true art in structuring a story properly. It’s a lot to do with instinct, and a fair amount to do with natural flair, and a big dollop of experience and then there’s the craft stuff. The stuff you learn as you go along.

There are basic rules to shaping any story, but if you are a writer, chances are, you already know them – innately.

My take on the knotty problem of story structure is that you will already have a strong idea of how to structure your story in the moment you first think of the idea. There will be a natural shape or approach to the story telling part of your idea, that will have presented itself.
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Playing with the structure of a story is both creatively liberating and at the same time, restricting; as all structure gives shape and therefore boundaries within which your story and your characters are free to move about.

Story telling is all about perfect communication. Getting the structure right of your script; ensuring it supports the story you really want to tell; will guarantee your audience will follow you every step of the way.

The three act structure is most commonly used. The Beginning, the Middle and the End. It’s an obvious shape; the set up, the exploration and the resolution. But what you do with this simple three act structure is up to you.

You can sub-divide these three basic sections; you can stretch or shrink any component of this shape.

Your story may best suit a bigger build up; more sub acts within the first act for instance.

Your narrative may depend on a longer middle act; you may want to give your story more development time here; there may be a multi-stranded narrative in need of stretching in this middle, (now fat) act of your script.

The third act; the tie up, may be little more than a epilogue. This is ok. More than ok if your story has dictated this shape.

The key to all story structure problems is at the base root, simple; and the root of story creation begins with a question; what is the natural shape of the story you want to tell?

Does your story depend on flashback, do you feel the need to use montage? V/O is useful here or not?

Does the time line of your narrative (and by narrative I mean the writer choices you make to tell the story dramatically) have a linear pattern? Chronological, straight?

Does your time line flip backwards and forwards; in a non-linear pattern?

Do you have an ensemble group of characters who’s storylines work in tandem with each other?

Or does this group of characters have separate storylines that run parallel with each other and cross against each other?
Does your script have a protagonist who has a linear storyline; but told backwards; entirely in flashback?

These are exciting, variable questions and all of them relevant to the process of getting your story straight (or otherwise) on the page.

Knowledge of structure is essential to all good writing. But prescriptive formulas are to my mind, alarming and cut out the creative process.

Television writing more than any other discipline, demands a respect for and a working knowledge of structure and the rules inherent within it. But (and I speak as a television drama producer with years of experience in making long running serialised television) no-one wants a writer who delivers to formula.

Producers want original voices. Writers who can keep their end up in a highly competitive market by proving they can write slick, structured, polished work to deadline and with a personal flair all of their own.

A little of what I have mentioned here is taken to a dizzy height by the staggeringly clear and very insightful Linda Aaronson. Here is her website. http://www.lindaaronson.com/

Linda has given names to some of the examples of different story structure I mention; if it helps to name the decisions you make in your natural writing day, I would recommend both this site and Linda. There are few to match her.

Writers often work out their structural problems themselves. Draft by draft. If a story is sticking; if the script is now painful to write, if the narrative is not flowing, then you know there is something wrong with the basic structure. If you are lucky enough to have a script editor working with you, or a professional like myself reading for you, then you will find the impurities in your story structure may be flushed out between you.

A good script editor + writer = potent team.

If you are a writer and also tend to script edit yourself as you go along, please I urge you, gag the script editor in you and get the script writ. Then go back and script edit.
Do not worry about formula. Ask yourself – ‘what shape does my story need to be?’
Then work it out from there. If you get stuck; ask me.

TASTY LINKS

THE LONDON SCREENWRITERS FESTIVAL: Here, the website for what is now the biggest UK film and tv festival dedicated to all things writing related. I have had the pleasure of speaking at their sister forum, the London Breakfast Club and ran a popular session dedicated to storytelling in series and serials. Get your ticket here for next year. Pricey. But great exposure and a challenging, enjoyable experience for writers at all levels. http://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/

ROPE OF SILICON: a great site where you download the 2014 Oscar nominated scripts http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/2014-oscar-screenplays-download-midnight-frozen-rush-past/

LA SCREENWRITER: another site dedicated to downloadable scripts – this time, tv pilots from the US
http://la-screenwriter.com/2013/10/11/this-seasons-tv-pilot-scripts/

TV WRITING: dedicated to television in UK and US; downloadable scripts for your reference. https://sites.google.com/site/tvwriting/

I hope I can help you with your writing; be it a television script, short or full length film or screen play, treatment or outline, novel or radio play, I read and script edit them all and can definitely help improve yours. Drop me an email@ Yvonne.grace@scriptadvice.co.uk and let’s get working!

BYE FOR NOW AND HAPPY WRITING!
YVONNE GRACE OCTOBER 2013