The weekend of mad scribblings...

... is what I plan this one to be!

I have been spending my lunchtimes this week writing ideas, mainly for short films. I quite like them so far!

Thinking of ideas that will be cheap to film for students, but that are hopefully a little bit different. I kept my old lady Betty from my original script submission for the course, and put her in a new situation - I like her, and there aren't enough films about old ladies! I also have a circus theme to one, and a hairdressing them for another.

Anyway, tomorrow I plan on honing these ideas and little and maybe coming up with a few more. I'm still not nervous about the interview but I'm sure I will be on Sunday night, so i want to get as much preperation done as I can!

I'll update on Monday afternoon... unless I'm too traumatised.

Interview

Yay! I have an interview for the Screenwriting MA next Monday!

So I have just under a week to panic madly about what they're going to ask me. Will they ask for more ideas? Will they ask why I want to write? Will I be asked all the same questions I was when I went to chat to the lecturer? (Hopefully...)

On the plus side, I've decided that this means my writing was good. The way I see it, they accept interview candidates based on their application submissions - which mostly comprises the script and single page proposal - and will judge interviewees on their interviews. So if I don't get into the course now, it's because of my personality, not my writing! Woo!

The above all makes sense in my head. Anyway, I'm very excited. Also, this should mean that I find out one way or another by the middle of May as apparently all interviewees are informed of the University's decision within 2 weeks of interview. So whether I get into the course or not, I'll be able to plan ahead better than I can just now!

Woooooo!

Laptop

Man, I am desperate for a laptop computer. I want one soooo much. I've wanted one for about a year, with an increasing intensity. And tomorrow, I'm going to get one!

Woo!

I've held off because, essentially, I've never had the money. And while I still don't have the money I do have more ambition, and I think mobile writing is the way forward for me. Plus if I do get onto the course at Napier I can use this in class.

Thinking about Napier, I remembered it was the Easter holidays for the University just now, so I'm not going to hear anything back for a while anyway! Although after Andy saying that you hear confirmation of application after 21 days, I've calmed down a bit anyway.

Anyway, back to laptops... I'm thinking of a Toshiba one, perhaps. As long as I can write on it and play the Sims, it's all good :)

Lunchtime Writings

I've taken to going to starbucks on my lunch break and having a long-lasting latte while I scribble away.

I know, Starbucks is a big chain and all that, but I don't know many nice coffee places round here that I can reach on my lunch break. Plus, the one in Waterstones on Princes Street does have an amazing view from its window - I can sit and stare outside when I'm losing track of things...

My book!

I mentioned something last week about my novel… I thought I would elaborate (slightly) here.

I am aiming for an audience of 9-12 year olds, and have studied as much as I can about writing for that age group. My central character is a girl, who is also 12 years old, and I had set the book some time in the future (though not in too much of a sci-fi way).

I’ve already done 2 massive rewrites of my novel, and I’m still not quite happy with it… something has been missing, the heart of the book isn’t there. Last Friday it dawned on me that if I set the book now, I can make the book more emotionally meaningful to a modern audience.

I’ve decided this because I realised that all the books I loved the most as a child were filled with characters I could relate to, transported into another world. The world could be something as simple as boarding school, or as elaborate as Narnia. I still find this sort of story appealing – as my love of the “Harry Potter” and “His Dark Materials” series’ testifies! So if I set my story now, but have the “other world” part of my book running alongside, I think it will work better.

I’m not going into too much detail here as I’m a secretive so-and-so, but I wanted to put this much down, at least.

I’m off work all next week, and while I don’t plan on doing loads of writing, I’m going to make a start on it. I’m already writing notes on my lunch breaks.

Ottakers

Oh no! Ottakers on George Street, Edinburgh is closing! They close in 5 weeks, apparently.

I'm really annoyed about that. I far prefer Ottakers to Waterstones as they support local authors and publishers. I wonder why they're having to close? Is it because of the location? I bet they'd improve their sales if they were located on Princes Street instead of George Street.

If you ever check www.JKRowling.com you'll know that only last week she was complaining about the lack of stationary suppliers in Edinburgh. It's going to get worse! I like being able to go into Ottakers and get a nice notepad to write in, even if they are a bit expensive. I'm going to have to traipse up to Newington now. On the plus side (kind of), Ottakers are selling their stock off, so I'm sure there will be bargains aplenty for the next month. They've currently reduced their stationary, it's at 50% of the original price. I bought myself a couple of notepads at the weekend.

That brings me to the topic of my friends on Blogger. Currently I have a single bloggy friend, Andrew, who lives at http://andrewtibbs.blogspot.com. I say that it brings me to him as he had a post the other day about whether or not to write longhand. I like to plan things longhand, myself, otherwise I find it difficult to refer back to notes. I also don't have a laptop so it makes life easier if I want to write while I'm having a coffee or something. I've taken to writing on my lunch break, so longhand notes do me fine!

University Application

So that's been a whole week since I sent away my application, and I don't even know if they've processed the forms in the registry to send onto the department. How long's this going to take, I wonder?

I want to find out for sure whether or not I've got a place within the next month, otherwise I think the stress of it will kill me. When I chatted to the lecturer about the course last week he seemed really positive, but surely the fact that I did Maths is going to count against me. I liked my script, but I'm not convinced about my film spec, so I don't feel uber confident in my writing.

Sigh.

Roll on 5pm. I'm going to write my little heart out this weekend, I'm planning on working on my novel for a bit. I think I need to restructure the story again, I think I need a proper villan of the piece... More on that on Monday...

When to write

I find it hard to allocate a good time of the day for writing. Because I work full-time, I can't do it during the day. I make grand plans to write for a couple of hours after work, but find that I am too mentally exhausted to face sitting in front of a PC concentrating for any longer. That only leaves me with the weekends, and assumes that I don't have plans.

How do people get round this? I can't imagine I'm alone... If you make time to write, even after work, and force yourself to stick to it on every occasion, does the process become easier? Or do people find that you write better when you really feel in the mood for it?

My major flaw is my lack of determination... I need to buck up, I reckon.

Bits and Bobs

Hmm. Now, I feel this really ought to have been part of my first or second post, but since they are already published I'm starting a new one, for the sheer devilment of it.

I thought perhaps it would be nice - for me if nobody else - to make a list of sorts, charting my progress so far. So here is a very brief summary of my writing life!

I have always loved reading and writing - always. I tried to write a book when I was 11 (I say tried as it was, on reflection, a blatant copy of Lord of the Rings) and always enjoyed english at school. I took Drama to a high level and attended a Youth Theatre for 6 years, so I developed some playwriting skills too.

However, Mathematics reared it's ugly head and 10 years ago I went to study it at University. WHAT A MISTAKE! Word to the wise: don't study maths unless you really, really love it.

Anyway, despite a string of unrelated jobs and a degree in a boring subject, my love of writing has yet to be sapped from my system. I've been to a fair amount of classes on different types of writing, and have come to realise that I NEED to write. I seem to enjoy screenwriting and novel writing the most, so I'm sticking to those fields.

This time last year I went for broke and quit my full time job. I worked part time for 5 months, and in the afternoons I worked on a novel for 9-12 year olds - still a work in progress.

If nothing else my life so far has spurred me into applying for a postgrad and given me a new desperation towards becoming a writer, so it's all good! Hopefully if I get on the course I will be able to keep my current job part time, and study full time too. Money is an issue for me, just now!

Ta ta for now...

Post the Second

Although nobody will be reading this I thought I would write a little more.

I have the usual reasons for blogging, I suppose. Bit bored, want to share my experiences, and using it as a sort of diary for myself, aside from anything else.

As I said in my first post - I want to be a writer. It's strange, I've wanted to write for my entire life (27 years and counting) and it's only in the last year or so that the impulse to do so has become crazily strong. I can't imagine wanting to do anything else for a living, and I'm so desperate to get to a place where I can do it and be paid!

Anyway, I have finally got off my behind and applied to do a postgrad. It's in screenwriting, so I had to send away a script and proposal for a film, which was a nice wee challenge! Gave me some sort of deadline to work towards for the first time since University. I liked it!