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Diary
Published on 13 August 2009 | Download | back to previous
August 2009
Started this web-site
8th-9th August 2009. I've just been on the TAPS course for screenwriters conveniently close to home at Southerndown. It was starring, and I mean starring, Sam Snape. Never mind your Americans and their rule-books, this is the man. After two days of real intensity (it was essentially a three day course rammed into two) eighteen delegates reeled home to ponder the content. The weather was superb, the views across the Bristol Channel to drown for and the cameraderie unequalled. Congratulations to all concerned.
Having seen the programme about Terry Pratchett, I realise that I need more computers. One desk-top and one lap-top just isn't enough, especially since my desk-top is currently refusing to link to the internet. I think it's just getting cantankerous because I make it link to a wireless connection with the house (30 yards away) and it's starting to feel its age. The fact that my lap-top does it with such ease from the same location, probably only serves to annoy. Sometimes I understand how it feels.
Sent a short story in for the Rhys Davies short story competition run by Academi. I won't say any more since it's supposed to be anonymous, but it's magnificent. Well, reviewing it after two pints, it is.
September 2009
1st Sent an old children's stage play "Dodo Dolores" in to Arad Goch in Aberyswyth. Never acknowledged.
4th Sent my film "When the Hurly-burly's Done" off to a few film festival commpetitions. At times it feels a bit like throwing bemessaged bottles into the sea but one came up trumps last year, so hope throws bottles eternal.
Can't get my lap-top and my desk-top to talk to each other via some free linking software I found on the net. So lap-top talks to Internet but not to desk-top. Desk-top won't talk to anyone. Miserable git.
Still at loggerheads with my computers. I dream of the Amstrad/Locoscript days when you couldn't take anything for granted and so you didn't get complacent. I keep promising myself that I'll take a month out to do it but I still have some material that I haven't converted from Locoscript to Word.
16th - I've just been told that I've got onto te first stage of the TAPS continuing drama course. Don't know where, don't know when, yet.
23rd - Now I do. 9th-11th October.
29th Sept - The brief arrived, so now I'm looking at what I have lying around that might be suitable. I'm allowed three sets (from Emmerdale) and six actors. No spaceships - that wipes several possibles from the list.
I'm leaning towards an idea called Dying Like George. Old nutter against the world of the middle-aged bores.
October 2009
9th-11th The TAPS course. Intense or what? Dominated by Bill Lyons (head honcho of Emmerdale) and aforementioned Sam Snape with sessions by Richard Zajdlic (horribly young and horribly successful writer), Diane Culverhouse (script editor) and various panellists. My head is still spinning two days later and I have to turn Dying Like George into a 23-minute drama in two weeks. Too late to worry that I was the only comedy script offered as far as I remember. Everyone else's seemed to be about illicit affairs and the consequences thereof. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.
16th October Willa King (BBC Wales for Radio 4) came back to me to say that, given some tweaking, she quite liked a short story 'A Calling' that I had sent to her some time ago - August possibly. Even if it goes further it won't be recorded until a year hence. Breath holding not an option.
26th October. Everything crossed, I sent draft 1 of Dying Like George to TAPS. I'm standing by to get whittled.
I was. Whittled, that is. I may try refining the script and hawking it around. Varied reviews. You're going to have to get to know me better before I show them to you.
10th November. Got through to the next round of the Scriptshadow log-line contest. First ten pages of WHEN THE HURLY-BURLY'S DONE (a feature film script) sent by on 29th November.
December - Didn't get any further with the Scriptshadow contest.
2010 Blwyddyn Newydd Da ~ Happy New Year!
Sometime around the beginning of February I sent a short film script off to some students out East. Didn't get a reply.
February 10th I sent another short film script off for a competition in Devon. They gave you the set up; Victorian man on a train wakes to discover that his son is missing. The nightmare begins. I decided that he was dead and that the train was taking him to Heaven or Hell. Possibly a bit obvious. We'll see what they think. Or maybe not - like the students.
February 20th Did the first day of a course on Promotion, Protection and Pitching. Nigel Crowle in charge of things. Next part 0n the 27th
But meanwhile 24th-26th February, I went on the Writing for 60 Minute Drama course at the studios of The Bill in Wimbledon. That was seriously intense and a joy to listen to the real writers talking. We had a double act of Tom Needham and Stuart Morris, both of whom have written for everything you can think of. They were scary and inspiring in equal measure. I don't hold out huge hopes for myself but you never know. Had to get across London and onto the train on the last day. Said train arrived in Cardiff just in time to meet the spectators of the Wales/France rugby international.
The next day was the second part of the Nigel Crowle course. Once again, it's a treat to listen to writers of his status and once again, I feel well below standard.
Somewhere around this time Mari and I decided to see if I could write anything for us to film together. Still working on the idea. A short film involving gnomes at the moment. I've started a blog on the subject. I'm already interested in how much more detailed my writing has become as I take on the role of bit-producer, bit-editor, bit-dubbing editor (or Sound Designer as they seem to call themselves these days).
February 2011 - First cartoon in Private Eye! See cartooning section.
