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Features Interviews How To Quit The Day Job And Live By Writing
Features Interviews How To Quit The Day Job And Live By Writing How To Quit The Day Job And Live By Writing |
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Giving up your day job to become a full time screenwriter may be a daunting prospect until you've sold that first script (and even after that) but it can be done. At the Cheltenham Screenwriters’ Festival 2008, a panel of writers shared advice on how they have been making that switch to screenwriting as their main occupation while paying the bills - and gave up a bundle of tips and ideas on how everyone can do the same. Screenwriters enter the business in a wild variety of ways. A few have been fortunate to write a single screenplay in their spare time and have it go straight into production. But for the majority there will be a transition period between their ‘pre-screenplay’ life and getting established in the business as a full time (and profitable) screenwriter. Balancing the need to pay the bills while making sure you have enough time to write effectively isn't easy. But there may be ways to overcome this hurdle while building your screenwriting career. Tim Telling started out as a journalist. However, his love of telling stories and his penchant for comedy has seen him diversify into a number of writing areas. Working with a writing partner, he has lots on the go. As he puts it: “it’s good to have lots of plates spinning, to have lots of things on the boil, because some won’t work out while some will.” Most of his income has not come from writing a full-length screenplay. Instead, Tim has been successfully writing sketches for television, radio and a web community series. He is also involved in some development work. There are plenty of pluses to this. It is a great way to demonstrate you can write and that you are committed, you can quickly build up a portfolio of ideas and sketches - which can really help your chances of getting your foot in the door. Tim says he and his writing partner “got off their backsides” and actually set up meetings. They searched for contacts, put the calls in, and ended up meeting the right people. One of the outcomes is that he now understands where there is a strong demand for writing – and at the moment he says there is a need for funny internet content. This ties in with another of Tim’s skills. He has spent a couple of years as a stand up comedian, writing through the day and gigging at night. As he puts it: “There is no better way of getting your material to an audience.” Sketch writing has also been the route for Stephen Morrison. He did a drama degree and then went back to university to do a screenwriting degree. He found his way in by sending off lots of comedy scripts to producers and eventually got a call back asking for sketches for BBC Radio One. “Comedy is a really good way into writing,” says Steve. He is now working for television and is writing more. Yes, he says, there are more deadlines, but he is also meeting more people and is now able to turn to writing films. He also endorses stand up comedy, arguing it makes you more confident, and also makes you more visible. And there are plenty of places that have open mike slots and some comedy venues may even offer comedy workshops for aspiring stand ups. Steve’s advice for writing comedy is to start by writing down something that makes you laugh. How to get noticed? Submit more and more writing so that you start to be accepted. Sending in shorter works on spec is also good for deadlines. Robbie Morrison’s career could have been in communication studies, something he studied at college. But when he completed his course, he realised he did not want to work in an office. He is a big fan of comics and this is where his writing started. “It’s a visual medium, it’s visual story telling,” he says. “A comic story is not too far from a film script.” But to earn money while his writing took off, Robbie admits to having a number of jobs – including telesales and selling pies at a football ground. When he had sold a couple of six-page comic strips, he was able to get onto the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, a state benefit to help unemployed people start their own business. This meant that he had a regular, if small, income for a year but which he says allowed time to “break myself in”. By the end of the year he had built up his portfolio of work and reputation so that he was getting sufficient commissions. However, he warns that you have to be prepared to face “being skint” as well as having “a huge pile of rejection letters”. And if you are writing screenplays, start short, for example with a 30 minute pilot script and a ‘bible’ for the series idea. This can be less time consuming than writing a full series only for it to be rejected. Then progress from 30 pages to 60 pages and work your way up. As Susy Greaves says, “it’s important to get small wins quickly.” Suzy is a leading UK life coach who has an interest in writing. Managing director of The Big Leap Coaching Company (www.thebig-leap.com) and co-founder of Storyville, “an inspirational forum for writers in London”, Suzy is keen to see people realising their ambitions. People want to be writers, says Suzy, “but I want people to be happy too.” There are a number of drawbacks to being a writer – feeling disempowered if your work is being rejected, and mentally tired with having to use your imagination on a daily basis. But that should not stop you and there are ways you can help keep enthusiastic and committed to your chosen career path without losing motivation, she suggests. Getting a balance with the ‘bread and butter’ work is important to get you excited and creative “and firing on all cylinders”. Having some sort of an income, even if from a part time job, means that the financial burden is eased so is not sapping your creativity. Stephen agrees and recommends of having part time work. “Find a job to just get by, and it frees up days to write,” he says. “You can be happy, it keeps your feet on the ground, and you can get inspiration from where you are working.” However, he adds that there’s no right or wrong way to go about this. Tim’s advice includes using eBay. He jokes that he sold all his stuff until he was down to a chair and table. “Do not be scared about being broke. You have a lot less stuff and you realise you did not need it. Blag yourself some free stuff. Embrace poverty.” As Suzy says, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.” Many of Suzy’s clients are in ‘normal’ jobs, but are interested in making screenwriting pay. One direction is to think beyond simply writing a screenplay. Suzy asks her clients what they are interested in. Is this something that could turn into a business or something they could write about? Suzy’s ideas include setting up an online business (offering advice or selling products you are interested in and which you can write about) or organising a writers’ retreat and creating space for writers. One of her clients, Keris Stainton, has set up a blog (www.keris-stainton.com) and has been writing novels while working as a journalist. The benefit for Keris is that she has been putting her head above the parapet with the website and demonstrating what a great writer she is. Another client, Kay Stopforth, has set up Quantum Tales at www.tarot-tales.blogspot.com. “Quantum Tales is a story and self development process for writers. It’s a work-in-progress, an attempt to make my own writing process more conscious,” says Kay, a graduate in film studies. Kay has also designed her own tarot cards which se sells via her website. Sharukh Hussein’s Narratives Online site (www.narrativesonline.com) includes writing courses she has designed as well as offering mentoring with an Oscar and BAFTA nominee. Her role can be likened to that of a ‘wise woman’ in the industry. So how can you go about deciding whether this is the sort of thing you can do to help your screenwriting career? Suzy asks you to think first of all about what you are good at. What are your interests and what do you value? Is it just writing a film script, or might you have skills that could get you into the industry, such as being part of a show runner team? Could you help other people write, for example with a local writers’ group, or online? Could you write a comic? Have you any graphic artist/illustrator friends who might be interested in joining forces with you? If you don’t know any artists personally, are there any local art groups or does a colleges near you teach illustration? Could you hook up with one of the students? If you rate your sense of humour could you write comedy sketches? If you have some experience – whether in life or the career you have been following so far, could you be a mentor? Is there a way that you can get your name, and your writing in front of people in other ways? Have you considered using new technologies, such as Facebook, to increase you visibility? Storyville, another of Suzy’s activities, holds monthly meetings with big name speakers, and members get to talk with established writers. There’s nothing to stop you setting up something similar. Decide the model for your group. Suzy advises you to avoid teleclasses, as people do not like them so much as being able to attend an event. Think about when and how often it should meet, how you can publicise it and how can you make money out of it. Look for keynote speakers, and find a moderator to chair the meetings. Raise awareness by setting up a website, using a web designer if necessary to make it look professional and sort out the technical side. Connect with Facebook, Flckr, Stumble, Yahoo groups, and so on, and set up a blog. Build up a big noise about what you are doing. Charge people to attend – to cover costs, but also to pay yourself – after all this is your new job. A club like this could be your way of moving into an area which will help your writing, increase your exposure and generate some income. But do remember, to ask yourself whether this will make you happy. “To create a business around what you enjoy is a winner,” says Suzy. But don’t be overly ambitious. “If you see the peak you may think you cannot climb up there; start by taking the first step.” Stephen Morrison – www.comedycv.co.uk/stevemorrison/index.htm Steve has written for ‘Touch Me I’m Karen’ for BBC 3 and on radio has written for ‘Out To Lunch’ (BBC Radio 2), ‘The Consultants’ (BBC Radio 4) and ‘The Milk Run’ (BBC Radio 1) Tim Telling – Among Tim’s credits are ‘Blowout’ on Channel 4 and ‘Barely Legal’ for BBC3. In 2006, he won the Newbury Comedy Festival's new act prize for his stand up routine. Robbie Morrison – http://www.robbiemorrison.com Robbie’s award-winning work includes ‘Nikolai Dante’, ‘White Death’ and ‘The Bendatti Vendetta’, as well as the ‘Judge Dredd’ franchise for 2000 AD. Other work includes seven graphic novels, and 'Intimate Apparel', a screenplay for a romantic comedy-thriller set in Glasgow.
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