Not a game anymore

I am not a serious person. (Though I like to think I am a sincere person.)

But I was thinking about this screenwriting lark last evening and reviewing what's happened with me in the last few years.

I had toyed with scriptwriting a few times in my life, but really done nothing serious. The end of Buffy had prompted me to write a series bible for a British replacement (just as the end of Blake's 7 in the 70s had prompted me to write the outline of a proper final episode). I hawked it about a bit, there was some faint interest, but I had no idea what I was doing. So I did nothing else for a few years.

Then Heroes came along and I was inspired. I took my series bible and started writing. I researched, I read, I joined online screenwriting groups. It was April 2007 when I used Scriptfrenzy as the impetus to make me finish four full episodes of Monsters, the complete story.

I had to know that I could finish a script, and I did.

That's when I contacted Lucy to script read (How many pages?!! was her comment [dramatised]) and I began to work in earnest. I felt there was something good about Monsters. Then I entered it into Red Planet 2007 and didn't make it past the first cut.

After that I went through a bad patch. I wrote a novel during Nanowrimo 2007 which made me feel better. But Monsters went on the backburner, I did work on it but I wasn't a happy bunny. I messed around with some other stuff and wrote a feature film during ScriptFrenzy 2008.

It was about than I started this blog.

In May 2008 I contacted Philip Shelley and got the most astounding feedback: He thought it was good, he thought I could write. To be honest I was quite rude to him, because I didn't believe it. I mean, I knew I could put one word in front of another in a way that made sense, but to be good at scriptwriting?

So I worked on the script with him as well, and pulled in David Bull too. And he liked Monsters as well.

Then it got shortlisted for Red Planet 2008.

Then it got me into the BBC.

Now another experienced TV guy is interested in it.

I can't ignore what's happening. I can't pretend this is just a game anymore. I have to take it seriously.

...

Anybody got any idea what that means?

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What's on the turntable? "Nocturn" by Kate Bush from "Aerial"