Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 Wrap-Up

Blah blah blah end of year blah blah blah retrospective blah blah blah.

On the personal front, 2008 has been -- momentous isn't quite the right word. Whirlwind isn't it either. Let's just say it's not been boring.

In the spring, I got engaged.

In the summer, I got unemployed from my day job. Two hours later my fiance also got unemployed, thus dropping our household income to nowt.

In the autumn, I got re-employed and wound up sitting one floor down from where I'd sat before I got unemployed.

As winter approached, I got married.

Just after Christmas I got a camper van. It's a 1980 VW called Barney.

Not a lot of time for writing in the midst of all that. But I did manage to get my first radio credit, be told by another radio producer that I don't suck, join the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, and dash out a first draft script or two. So while it's not been a good year in terms of volume of output, I'd class 2008 as perfectly respectable in the career progress department.

Next post, New Year's resolutions. Don't worry, I'm not going on a diet. But be warned, I am going to have a moan about the mess in my house.

Friday, December 26, 2008

A Bad Year for English Dramatists

First Simon Gray popped his clogs, and now Harold Pinter is swearing and chain smoking in the sky. Not unexpected in either case, but still a pity.

I heard Pinter speak in 2005, having read a few of his plays and found them vaguely entertaining at best, puzzling, stiff and impenetrable at worst. He started the lecture by reading from his most recent play. As I sat there laughing and enjoying every second, I realised that on the page the scene he was reading must have been turgid as hell. (Beckett is like this as well, I find.)

"I must go see a production of one of Pinter's works," I thought to myself. But did I? Did I hell. I didn't even make it to the big West End revival of No Man's Land last autumn.

Maybe there will be a flurry of Pinter productions now he's shuffled off his mortal coil, and I'll be able to make good on my resolution. At least I got to hear the man himself while I still could.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Recorded for Training Purposes, Mark II

I've just had a little form letter from the producer saying they liked my submissions. Or rather, submission (see below about writer's block, etc.). This is no guarantee at all that I'll get anything in, but I'm well chuffed to be on the producer's writers-that-don't-suck list.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

All Guilded Up

I've just submitted my application to the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, along with proof that I've sold something to BBC Radio 7.

What I didn't realise until today was that to qualify for full membership, I could enclose details of one sale at guild rates (e.g. to BBC Radio 7), or two sales on other terms. Does that mean my NewsRevue and Treason Show credits would've also got me in? If so, this rule must be new. I'm sure theatre stuff without a formal contract, e.g. NewsRevue and The Treason Show, wouldn't get you in a couple of years ago. Does anyone know for sure?