So it’s been a week since LSF – where did the time go, eh!!
One thing I see a lot of submissions-wise is what I call “boomerang projects”. For those of you entering the LSF 2014 Script Labs, you’ll remember these projects are those that turn up over and over again in the spec pile, for a variety of opportunities and script calls.
Now, boomerang projects *can* be seen as good, as they can mean writers are clearly perservering in writing and stories they believe in … And you need a LOT of perserverance in this biz, as we all know. But like anything this can depend on the writer and project in question, so boomerange projects can also be taken another, more problematic way, which I’m going to outline here.
First however, I need to ask about that project you’re sending out again and again and again:
1) Are you getting no replies / little traction with it?
This is very straight forward. If you are not getting replies or people “like your story BUT …” for an extended period without biting (whatever that means)? Now is the time to move on. None of us have time to waste. You need to take the time you’re trying to market your screenplay that no one is biting on and WRITE A NEW ONE.
But of course it’s not just as simple as that. Things change too and this can be very confusing. So, if your project did well, but now mysteriously no longer does, again: NOW IS THE TIME to retire it. Sometimes spec screenplays do fantastically for a while in contests, with agents, feedback-givers or whatever … then it dries up. I don’t know why this happens for every screenplay, it can depend, but it’s worth remembering storytelling can follow fashion of a sort. In other words, what was popular about your story? No longer is.
The key here is not to get depressed about scripts and stories that don’t stick, or works that did but now no longer do … Think instead about what those scripts gave you for a short while: perhaps that was practice, or a particular opportunity. You CAN do it again and this time, DO IT EVEN BETTER.
2) Have you “signed off” on your screenplay?
This, you simply MUST do. But what does it mean? Well, it basically means you have to finish it … AND LEAVE IT ALONE.
This is a lot harder than it sounds. Very often we believe we’re finished, then we go to an event like LondonSWF or get coverage or whatever and suddenly realise we’ve missed opportunities in our story, or there’s something in the script holding it back for some reason. The desire to tweak it then – or even return to page 1 – can be HUGE. And perhaps, if you have the self discipline to do it just the once, then you can get away with it … but in my experience as a script editor, this rarely happens: scribes can and do end up writing and rewriting their specs FOR YEARS.
But we must not.
Do note I am not advocating sending out crappy drafts or concepts inton the marketplace, here. Instead, I’m saying you must ALLOT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME to development … And once that development time is over and it’s *still* not working? Junk it.
I AM saying that as writer you are BETTER OFF starting a new draft of a new story, then writing and rewriting endlessly. There’s a certain comfort in returning to the same story over and over and over, but make no mistake: it HOLDS YOU BACK as a writer, for two reasons:
a) You cannot progress, literally. This business is like throwing spaghetti at a wall. You have to keep doing it and the more spaghetti you throw at the wall? The more likely it is to stick. It really is as simple as that. So if you stop yourself throwing that spaghetti in the first place? Well, it’s obvious.
b) You cannot grow as a writer. If you are not literally progressing, you end up in the same place and as a result you are not as desirable to work with as the writer who is progressing, all the time.
It’s a vicious circle. Again: I’m not advocating writing a load of stuff half-assed, but rather having a STRATEGY and part of that is timing yourself and cutting off the dead weight. What’s more, you need to progress, in a measurable fashion – whether that’s making a short film and seeing how production works; getting as many meetings with industry pros as you can (have you tried asking people on Twitter for coffee? You’re buying!); or something else … Otherwise you’re just one of the many, many guys or gals or writing stuff destined to stay on their desktops FOREVER.
So, really the theme of THIS post?
If you love something – in this case, your story and/or screenplay – you have to LET IT GO! Don’t hold on, no matter what, til the bitter end … And believe me, it will be bitter. FOR YOU.
So, take a look at your current ideas and portfolio. Decide how long you’re going to allot them in terms of getting the recognition they deserve. And once that time is up? Let them go.
And never, ever stop writing. Keep on keeping on. And progress literally AND grow as a writer, always. That’s how this works, people!
HEY: wish we could do LondonSWF all over again?!! Good news, we totes can – in just 356 days! Get your ticket here on PAYG, just £26 for 10 months. BARGAINOUS!
LINKAGE
7 Steps To Road Testing Your Concept
3 Reasons To Write A MARKETABLE Screenplay
What Is A Marketable Screenplay?
5 Career Strategies For Writers
THIS is the biggest mistake I see from new writers by Ashley Scott Myers
Time Is NOT On Your Side by @LeeZJessup
Posted by a member of the London Screenwriters’ Festival team.
