Apologies for the such lengthy gap between this and the last blog. I have done nothing for as long as I could. Its just been Top Gear and Scrubs for the past couple of weeks. And as much as I love doing as little as possible, it wasn't doing me any good. I've been out a couple of nights to see some shows but I haven't been writing which is what I want and am supposed to be doing.
As I was slowly getting back into my writing stride with 1SPH (1 Sentence Per Hour) on my novel I finally received my 2nd script (my first radio script) back from the BBC writersroom. It wasn't accepted though I was kind of already expecting that. Just have to accept, move on and start again as annoying and as difficult as it sounds. It is forming the new idea, a place or time where a programme is rarely set, and making it funny, that gets the go-ahead. I did this (or at least I think I did).
The script was a bit unique, not the common workplace for example, and I'll happily admit that it wasn't gag after gag. You wouldn't cry with laughter and rewind to listen to it again. Maybe it was a wrong setting, maybe it wasn't funny enough or funny at all or maybe it just wasn't what they were looking for even if it was hilarious. And I didn't laugh at any of my jokes. I think if you laugh at your own gags it can sometimes be a sign that it won't be funny to anyone else. You're obviously going to smile if you've come up with a smart gag or witty one-liner but when you laugh out loud you know that your friend might find it, well... a bit crap. Or very crap. Or slap you in the face for saying it because it was so utterly crap. Or leave you alone to dwell on the sewage that was spewed into their ears. And I apologise for the image that conjures.
Once the fresh idea is in mind then you can begin to expand on your characters and plots. And if you take any advice on how to write a half hour comedy script from a stranger on a blog (ie me) it is always have more than one story in a script. Being able to interweave stories is key to a successful script. And even though I failed it is still a necessity.
I have always been told to make the title of the show as appealing as possible. That is what the person will see or hear first. That said, how do shows like 'My Sharks Auntie Lives in Norfolk' on TwonkboxTV channel 666 get aired? And there's the answer. I'd watch 'My Sharks Auntie Lives In Norfolk' but maybe only for a minute until I realised it wasn't a documentary but a cheap, tacky 70's "sitcom".
And as random as this is, I saw Derren Brown's new show 'Enigma' last week. It rocked the room something good. Until segment 7...
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