Quote #21

“Writers are opposite of athletes, they get better with age” - Aaron Sorkin

Quote #20

"Stories may well be lies, but they are good lies that say true things, and which can sometimes pay the rent." - Neil Gaiman

Quote #19

"There is more pleasure to building castles in the air than on the ground." - Edward Gibbon

Quote #18

"I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork." - Peter de Vries

Quote #18

"The reason one writes isn't the fact he wants to say something. He writes because he has something to say." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

“But I like seeing shit blow up!”

Story telling has been around for centuries. Folk tales and Fairy tales were first told by gifted tellers and based on rituals intended to endow with meaning the daily lives of members of the tribe. These stories were told face to face and would be altered in order to meet the needs and beliefs of particular members of the group.

In modern days we no longer role with our tribe, spearing pigs and wearing bones as fashion accessories but our yearning for story still lingers. One thing that has changed for sure is the way in which we are told stories, whether it’s in book form, radio or film each format has both its advantages and disadvantages in how we interpret a story. Studies have shown that both radio and literature work our imaginations harder than that of television and film. This is not to say that film is a bad medium of story telling it’s just there’s a thin line between film simply being candy for the eyes. All stories must in someway touch us deeply, they have to answer to our stresses in life and help us improve as a person. “But I like seeing shit blow up!” You say? Many of us want escapism from film but remember psychoanalysis was created to enable man to accept the problematic nature of life without being defeated by it, or simply giving into escapism. Yes we may go see a film and for the two hours we are there we forget all of our problems but once we leave the safe confines of the cinema we are thrown back into the harsh reality of the real world. So why can’t these films follow us out the door and help us with these stresses we may be facing?

The key to story telling is unlocking the imagination it is this that helps us to deal with the stresses of daily life. When we see a film of courage we leave feeling we can take on the world but it is the story that stays locked away in our subconscious so that later in life when we are feeling low our imagination can conjure up its own story to help us cope with our current situation. I know this is all a little deep and you may have already switched off but at the end of the day as the world becomes more and more globalised we become one big tribe and as I writer I feel it is simply duty to help our fellow tribesman not to simply escape life through whatever story telling medium but use the power of story to help others lead a happier life and become more equipped to cope with the stresses and pressures that life throws our way. Ok, now I have to get back to my dissertation. 

Quote #17

“A good opening and a good ending make for a good film provide they come close together.” 

- Federico Fellini

Quote #16

 “It is impossible to be a writer and not draw from your own life.” - Robin Swicord

Quote #15

 “Always finish what you begin. Be vigorous but not to the point you will cancel the project because many people are too harsh on themselves.” - Guillermo Arriaga

Quote #14

 “You should not analyse how you’re going to get inspiration otherwise your not going to get it.” - Jim Uhls

Quote #13

“Writing is like making love, but it's also like having a tooth pulled. Pleasure and pain. Sometimes it's like making love while having a tooth pulled.” – Dean Koontz

Quote #12

 “Any character that I’m writing, I am that character.” - Callie Khouri 

Quote #11

"You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it." 

 – Neil Gaiman

Ever The Opportunist

As an aspiring scriptwriter the thought of sitting down and writing a feature film both excites and scares me to death. I mean nobody learns to run before than can walk - it’s just common sense. Recently, there has been a steady flow of writing competition that are less daunting to the amateur scriptwriter but just enough to get the creative juices flowing, for example, BBC Writers Room had the Rapid Response: In The Red competition, which was looking for a 5-10 minute script relating to the recent government cuts. Then there was NSFS Screenwriting Competition which also asked you to produce a short script but this one had an open brief. A new website that I recently joined, Circalet was running a 30 second script competition, yes just 30 seconds! (Which turned out to be harder than it sounds)

So what’s the point I’m trying to make here?

Basically, competitions are a great way to motivate yourself to get writing! Even if it’s as short as 30 seconds, every script will improve your writing. Short scripts still need structure and just because it’s short doesn’t mean it has to lack story and eventually slowly by slowly you can build you way up to that longer script. The other great thing about writing short scripts is that people are more likely to read them and sites like Circalet have a great community of writers who are happy to give both praise and criticisms, which is great for both confidence and improving as a writer.  Remember even if you don’t win or don’t make the shortlist of a competition it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer then fact that you have written something is what matters because you can only improve your writing by writing!

Finally, I leave you with two of the sites I’m constantly checking for new competitions. Firstly, as you probably are all aware of BBC Writers Room and secondly, a site I’ve only recently found which is also a great resource for both scriptwriting advice and industry knowledge Script Angel run by Hayley McKenzie so check it out!

PS: I didn’t win the BBC Rapid Response: In The Red competition but I did make the shortlist, which was a great boost for my confidence and I can’t wait for the next one of its type.

Look forward to competing with you soon, happy writing!

Quote #10

 “If you are not intending to write something that has never been written before then your wasting everybody’s time” 

- David Seltzer

Quote #9

“Never write a movie that you yourself would not pay to see.” 

– Billy Ray

Quote #8

“Don’t be discouraged if you think you’re not a great writer because terrible writers are successful in Hollywood” - David Seltzer  

Quote #7

When it comes to scriptwriting “fail as quickly as possible” – Andrew Stanton

Quote #6

“You have to get the clay on the table first then you can poke and prod at it.” - Michael Arndt

Quote #5

 “You have got to trust your instincts." - Nia Vardalos

Self Vs Self

Sylvia Plath once said that “the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt” and as an aspiring writer, these words have never rung more true. The battle of self-vs-self begins to rage even before you have sat down to write. Before pen has hit paper, fingers have hit keyboard, or chisel has hit rock (whatever your preference), your poor, helpless, unborn script is already being subjected to mental abuse: poked and prodded and told it’s just not good enough for this world. I wonder if the Spartans believed in second drafts? (Back to topic) So how does an aspiring scriptwriter beat these demons and build the courage to finally start? Well, I could go to Amazon and purchase a copy of Confidence Booster Workout: 10 Steps to Beating Self-doubt and then I’d be the best and most confident writer in the world! A kind of Shakespearean Hoff! Or maybe not. So instead I decided to look for help from those who know best, the professionals, in the shape of writer Danny Stack, whose Screenwriting credits include EastEnders, Doctors, Sofia's Diary, CBBC's Roy and CiTV's BAFTA-winning Amazing Adrenaline Brothers. Promptly he replied…

  “Every writer struggles with confidence from time-to-time. The thing is to ignore the inner-critic, and just continue regardless. Even if it is rubbish, at least it'll be a first draft that you can work on rather than having an incomplete (or no) script in the first place!”


So there it is straight out of the horse’s mouth! We are always going to struggle against our own self doubt and so do the professionals. So I end this blog with a quick note to self: Stop being so judgemental! Sit down, shut up and start writing!


Check out Danny Stacks Blog for great tips and advice and his all new podcasts.

Quote #4

 “Always write from your gut, no matter what the project is.” 

- Paul Haggis

Quote #3

“In writing a first draft you should never feel like ‘Oh this is what is going to be read’ you should feel free enough to write badly.” 

- Ted Griffin 

Quote #2

“Your story is like a house on fire what are you going to run in and save” - Brad Bird

our stor

Quote #1

An interviewer once asked Vladimir Nabokov “Why do you write?” he answered… “To get the stories out of my head.”