Up and Running

I'm in my office and today we finally got internet! I did move in on the 1st August with a brand new hard drive on my PC. However no internet foiled setting it up so I've had to lug in my laptop in the meantime. This means sticking it in a bag and hauling it up Leece Street but never mind (cheaper than the gym). But the difference having an office makes....

1) I can't distract myself with housework - and I hate housework!
2) I can't distract myself with baking.
3) I can't distract myself with gardening, shopping, playing with the cats, reading, decorating or any of those things.

All I can do is write or plan my writing.

And it's wonderful!

Helped by an Angel (Script Angel to be precise)

A while ago I decided to book some courses to help me during my year off. I had a little splurge on the internet, left them in Calendar and got on with The Exam Treadmill. While you are on The Treadmill all meaningful life is sucked from your soul. Thank heavens for calendar reminders because I'd forgotten I'd booked this course run by Script Angel creator Hayley McKenzie. And I'd really have missed out if I hadn't gone.

Why I loved this course:

1. Hayley is a top script editor with twenty years in the industry. Her advice on both script writing and how the industry works is impressive and delivered with great clarity.

2. She goes over the craft elements to emphasise how essential it is that the script you send out is as perfectly crafted as it can be.

3. It is in Manchester so we are not all forced to go to London yet again.

4. The other people on the course are lovely too and it's great to hear about everyone's journey (including one from Iceland).

5. The real gold is in the career advice. She told us how to look at work so determine our own brand, how to organise our 'eclectic portfolios' (guilty as charged) to make it easier for an agent to market us. We had tips on ways to attract producers attention plus where to find on-line communities.

By the end of the day I'd realised that when I looked at what I'd already written (and abandoned) was worthy of revaluation and re-crafting as that is the area I really need to work on. Hayley has stopped me from hoping my next piece might be the Holy Grail and to dig for the gold in what I already have (although I still have a hat full of ideas I want to write).

Script Angel blog is great too. See this for competition lists.

https://scriptangel.wordpress.com/tag/competitions/

My Creative Space

Yesterday I saw my new office. It's in an old factory building on Hope Street and the inside is new and clean and white. There are large windows that look out onto student accommodation (it would hilarious if I could see my ex-students from there). At the front of the building we can look into the gardens of the Georgian terraced houses. Although the office is small it will be be my creative space. I'll have room to stick up character notes, beats in my scripts and deadlines. Now I'll be able to treat writing as a business and focus my efforts on it. Best of all I'll be sharing my space with another writer and an actor as well. That'll keep me working as I don't want to report no progress and Karen is a terrific mentor too. If I was left at home I'd be doing household jobs and finding excuses not to start. Best to head this impulse off at the pass. Plus I'm writing stage plays and am in theatreland.

For any prospective writers in the area a cheap office is a great way to save on bills and you get some company too. I debated our local library but I want to be able to mutter in peace, although, judging by the cutbacks, I might be the lone voice.

Vive 1st August!

Time for Training

There are six weeks left before I step off the education merry-go-round. I now have an office with other writers I'll move into in August. This is thanks to great advice about how isolated you can feel when you're working at home.

My office (well, a desk in an office) is on Hope Street in Liverpool, right next to the Everyman. If I ever have an ambition it will be to have a full length play performed there or at one of the amazing theatre venues in Liverpool. If I want to dream big, the West End and Broadway!

These days simply sending a piece of work to an agent won't cut it, you have to do social media well. Guess what? Yup, sometimes I feel I'm shouting in the wind. Anyway as an associate member of Writers Guild I discovered free training courses to help me. It was given by the very amiable and informative William Gallagher in Manchester and I really learned a lot. Even better. So many people are doing what I am doing and talking to them was wonderful.

This means even with this one training session that my Writers Guild membership has been worth it. Last year I was lazy about it but this year I'm going to use it to the max.

If you're interested then try this link. The FEU training is also open to NUJ, NUM, Equity and other unions for creatives.

https://writersguild.org.uk/

At Last...

I've finally been granted my sabbatical. A new teacher has been hired. I honestly thought this would never happen. This last half term has been filled with betrayals and unimaginable stress. I think they were hoping I'd changed my mind about leaving but I haven't. I've booked right from 1st September so my new life starts immediately. The relief.

As a perk, on the same day they made the appointment I discovered I was a finalist in a short film competition. True, my script about an elderly couple just before the asteroid strikes may never get made but... it made it out of 2000 + very decent scripts. So if nothing else I can hang a decent story together. Now I need to hang a decent writing year together.