Saturday 23 August 2008

Ah crap, it's do or die time.

Phillip Barron's blog is so f**king entertaining and inspiring, I ignored common sense and responded to an advert on mandy.com which requested a synopsis and logline for a supernatural horror script.

I have one of those! I thought.

You may remember my feedback regarding The Grim? "It's not ready yet!" A unanimous verdict. Rewrite definitely required!

And seduced by the ease of email, I gayly sent off the synopsis despite the fact that the script is in DIRE NEED OF A REWRITE.

I'll have loads of time, I thought, they won't get back to me for weeks. Besides they'll hate it. I'll probably never hear from them again - - unless it's to tell me to stop contacting them.

Wrong. So very wrong.

2 days later... TWO. Count 'em! ... 2 days later they email me to request the script.

Now way back when I did start the rewrite, but then my time got taken up with other things like getting my book ready for publication, outlining new ideas, and working every-hour-there-is just so's I can pay the bills and eat. And then of course there's all the time taken up by pointless things like sleeping and eating and socializing...

Okay, it's nearly a year. You've got me, I'll cop to it. I have no excuse other than pure laziness. And now someone wants to see a supernatural horror script ASAP. DRAT!

So, I figure I've got about two days to rewrite The Grim to get it ship-shape and send it in before they read someone else's masterpiece and block all other email submissions!

What? They might. In my paranoid dreams they do at any rate.

Two days? Phill would laugh, easy, he'd say. - - Yeah right. In addition to that I made the mistake of agreeing to work overtime this weekend, so my days are fully taken. I have about an hour free after sunrise and and hour in the evening before sunset, but other than that I only have the dark, wee small hours to write in. Still it's a supernatural horror. It should add to the atmosphere of the piece. And I've always fancied staying awake for 48 hours straight when I'm not high on adrenaline and coffee from playing D&D like I used to back when I was 17.

I've been tired for the last two weeks and I didn't get much sleep last night due to my neighbours' very loud party... I wonder at what point I'll pass out on my laptop from exhaustion?

Wish me luck! ;)

4 comments:

Phill Barron said...

Right, you've had your two days ... what happened?

Eleanor said...

First I really realised I'M NOT YOU!

I also realized that I can't effing handle the 48 hours without sleep thing now that I'm not 17.
-- I dunno, you turn 18 and you might as well buy slippers and a hairnet and start going to bed at 6pm. Sheesh!

But all of that's alright because it turned out that I could cheat! :)

I'd done a lot more work than I remembered on the rewrite, and 10 months subconscious mulling does wonders for creativity. :)
So HOORAH!

Got it done. Sent it off.

All happy! :)

Of course it's probably shite.

Now the options are:
1. Bite off what remains of my nails while I wait to hear back from them.

2. Re-read what I wrote and then have to stab myself in the eyes for allowing such shite to be sent to a professional company. (Then again I didn't bother with this option last time, so why start now?)

3. Relax, they're gonna hate it and never speak to me again, so I may as well get on with one of the other million scripts I'm part way through writing... and you never know, maybe even finish one of them?

I think I'll go for option 2!
... No, 1!
... No, 3!

Option 3!

Definitely 3. Yes. Because I'm a writer, damn it!

Phill Barron said...

Go with 3) Always go with 3) - move on and forget about it. That way a rejection is for something you've forgotten you sent and an acceptance is a nice surprise.

Eleanor said...

Are you a sage Mr Barron on top of all your other skills?