Gone to Cornwall, back on Tuesday

Having my first break since early April. Talk amongst yourselves until I get back. If I'm not blogging by Tuesday - wait longer.

Preacher saved from development Hell?

This morning entertainment industry bible Variety announced acclaimed British director Sam Mendes is resurrecting a controversial comic book from Hollywood development hell. Created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher tells the story of an American churchman who discovers he can wield the voice of god. The preacher takes a road trip across the US in search of answers, in a story that had something to offend almost everyone [see below].

Preacher was snapped up as potential film fodder while it was still being published, with director Rachel Talalay attached for a long time. Considering how badly her adaptation of iconic British comics character Tank Girl misfired, some might consider it a blessed relief she never got to make Preacher. More recently there was talk of the Ennis-Dillon creation finding the promised land of production as a mini-series for pay cable channel HBO.

Now Mendes is having a crack, bringing his considerable creative clout to bear on the project. An esteemed theatre director, he won many plaudits for his film debut, American Beauty. Mendes has previous form when it comes to adapting comics for the big screen - his second feature Road to Perdition was based on a graphic novel. The helmer is back in the frame for potential Oscar glory this winter with a film of celebrated novel Revolutionary Road.

The big question is how closely can any film version of Preacher follow the source material? Is the world ready to see hillbillies humping farm animals? A suicidal simpleton with a face like an arse? Considering how some religious fundamentalists react to films that take an allegorical look at religion [The Golden Compass, for one], how will they feel about any movie based on a comic book that virtually nukes religious zealots from orbit?

It'll be interesting to see if Mendes came overcome the many hurdles that have scuppered this project in the past. He'll need plenty of courage for the battles ahead.

I've got an angry frown on my thumb

Two weeks ago I foolishly chose to swift some large sheets of wet, broken glass in the garden without putting on gloves first. Sliced my right thumb open, a big flap of bloody skin with some meat on it too - tasty. Trooped off to the nearby cottage hospital, had it sealed with some steri-strips and a bandage the same of Omaha wrapped round the foolish. Below you can see my swathed digit in all its glory - hours of comedy fun, it was.

A week later the bandage and steri-strips came off to reveal the wound. The treatment had done its job, my wound was knitting back together nicely. The treatment nurse told me I'd have a scar - cool! At least I won't feel left out next time I'm on a deep sea fishing boat hunting a great white shark and the crazed captain decides to regales me with glimpses of his war wounds. Below you can see a rather blurry photo of my thumb soon after unveiling.

One week on and the wound is much happier. You know the special effects in 1980s horror films always looked kind of cheesy and fake? That's what my scar looks like now. There's a frowning mouth on my thumb. At any second I expect it to open up and taunt me in a Nightmare on Elm Street stylee. The thumb's healing nicely, but does feel like I've suffered a simultaneous sprain and bee sting. Still, could have been much worse. Onwards!

Are all second films of 007 actors flawed?

The new James Bond film Quantum of Solace opens in the UK this Friday, with America getting it a week later. I was looking forward to it until I saw the reviews. Almost without exception, everybody seems to be underwhelmed, with two stars out of five the most common assessment. To a large extent Bond films are critic-proof, a high-octane institution full of bangs and flashes [in more ways than one]. But a great Bond film is a treat to savour.

Daniel Craig's first appearance as 007 in Casino Royale injected fresh like into a long-familiar franchise. Much the same happened when Pierce Brosnan took over as Bond in Goldeneye. Even the much-maligned Timothy Dalton was considered a breath of fresh air in The Living Daylights after the safari suit shenanigans of the 1980s. And Roger Moore brought new life and vitality to 007 when he made his debut in Live and Let Die some 35 years ago.

But all four of these Bonds had a considerably less successful second outing. Moore's sophomore effort The Man With the Golden Gun is less than memorable. License to Kill fails to thrill, only killing Dalton's fledgling residency as Bond. Tomorrow Never Dies bores for Britain, sticking Brosnan with a steaming mess of hokum. It seems Quantum of Solace may be another sticky second helping for Craig. [George Lazenby never got a second chance.]

There's a theory among geeks that even-numbered Star Trek films are always better than those with odd numbers. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan certainly trumps its predecessor, Star Trek: The Slow Motion Picture. Trek IV: The Voyage Home thumps III: The Search For Spock - and so on. [The exception is Trek X, which all but killed the franchise.] Perhaps a similar theory should be posited for second efforts for new James Bond actors.

The question is why so sophomore Bonds slump? The arrival of a new 007 gives the production team a chance to redefine the character and the franchise. They can kick against everything that typified the previous Bond - safari suits and smug quips, dull and dour, invisible cars and quiffs, etc. Sometimes there's a longer gap between old and new 007s, allowing more time for script development and rediscovering the essence of Bond for a new era.

But once the first effort works, the pressure comes to pump out another Bond and capitalise on that success. As a consequence, the second film of a new 007 struggles to recapture the lightning in a bottle qualities of its predecessor. It's a common phenomenon in US TV drama, where a new show seems amazingly innovative first time round but less so the second time of asking. They even have a name for this - the sophomore slump.

Just witness the less than stellar offerings found in the second seasons of Desperate Housewives, Heroes, Ugly Bettery - my beloved Friday Night Lights couldn't match the genius of its first season last year. [Happily the current third season is back in the zone.] Mad Men just finished its second season with a stunning finale, but couldn't quite meet the standard of its first year. Even The Wire's second season was not the equal of its dazzling debut.

So it is with second films for new 007 actors. There is one exception is to this newly minted geek theory: Sean Connery. His second appearance as Bond was From Russia With Love, building nicely on the success of Dr No. But his 007 didn't take off until the third film, Goldfinger. So there's hope yet for Daniel Craig. Expect a return to form in Bond 23, due sometime in 2010 or 2011.

Finding a title for the next Bond may be problematic. The producers are running out of original Ian Fleming titles. Only three short story names remain unused - The Property of a Lady [sounds like a Henry James novel], Risico [doesn't sound like anything] and The Hildebrand Rarity [sounds like a Robert Ludlum book - as if Jason Bourne hasn't caused the Bond franchise enough problems].

Perhaps we should take comfort in the knowledge things can get better. The Man With the Golden Gun was succeeded by The Spy Who Loved Me, one of Moore's finest Bond films [IMHO]. The World Is Not Enough was a significant improvement on Tomorrow Never Dies for Brosnan. Fingers crossed Bond 23 gets things back on track for Daniel Craig, after what may be a less than stellar second appearance as 007 in Quantum of Solace. Time will tell, as usual.

Only 8 days until the US presidential election

What's in a name? Or a story title, come to that?

Got an email from a script editor yesterday, suggesting a new title for one of my projects. I'm still fond of my original name for the story - having the word Atrocity in my working title left nobody in any doubt about the tone - but the new title is much better. Clever, gives a call-back to classic terminology for the genre, and still sums up the essence of the story. Just wish I'd thought of it myself.

When I was a comics editor I wasn't too bad at suggesting alternate titles for other people's stories [objectivity makes you so much smarter, don't you find]. But putting a name on one of my own efforts is more of a struggle. Most of the novels I wrote for Black Flame got their titles changed along the way, for one reason or another. My Doctor Who novel Empire of Death was Metempsychosis for a while - too obscure, perhaps, but far less cheesy.

Had a debate with another script editor yesterday about character names. They have a pet peeve about writers giving their creation outlandish or unlikely monikers. Me, I don't mind it so long as the names serve a purpose. Calling a woman Jemima suggests an elevated upbringing [how many girls from sinkhole estates do you know called Jemima?]. Calling a former thief Fingers hints at his past. But calling a crime boss Caligula is probably going too far.

There's a choice to be made. Do you want your characters to be memorable and distinct from one another? How can you achieve that in a ten-page treatment when you have to introduce a large ensemble cast? In a full script characters define themselves by their actions, but in a treatment some shorthand is required. Memorable names are a brisk way to make characters pop. Calling a crime boss Caligula may be on the nose, but it's easy to remember.

Whole album concerts I'd like to see

There's a vogue at the moment for recording artists to stage concerts where they perform an entire album in order. Lou Reed, The Wonder Stuff, Gary Numan and OMD all have had or are taking a crack at this. Not that the concept's a new idea - Suede did a week of concerts five years ago where each night was a different album from their back catalogue. David Bowie did something similar when he released Heathens, performing Low in full in concert.

So, what albums would I like to see performed in full and live? If death wasn't a factor, I'd start with Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. But Miles isn't with us anymore, so that'll have to remain a fantasy. Ditto anything by the Beatles, seeing as how half the band isn't around anymore. So let's stick to acts that are, by and large, still alive. Assuming I won the lottery, who would I hire to perform favourite albums in full and live on stage?

ABC - LEXICON OF LOVE: A joyous confection of 80s-tastic production and bittersweet lyrical wordplay. I must have listened to this a zillion times over the years. Always surprising to rediscover it only lasts 37 minutes, as it feels so much bigger.

DAVID BOWIE - HUNKY DORY: A pick 'n' mix selection of styles and songs. This feels like Bowie trying on a dozen different outfits, searching for the perfect persona to become a superstar. Plus it features Life on Mars - pure class.

PRINCE - SIGN O' THE TIMES: A double-album but Prince loves giving long concerts, so stamina shouldn't be a problem. Another eclectic musical collection, ranging from cold funk to hot soul via perversity and playfulness. Ooky and its kooky.

JOHN HIATT - BRING THE FAMILY: A dazzling, hand-crafted album cut in handful of days that brought this much admired tunesmith to a wider audience. Remains a high water mark in his career, not a duff track to be found on it.

k.d. lang - INGENUE: A gorgeous gathering of songs, full of longing and yearning and simmering sexuality. Angst and joy and whatnot, all wrapped up in a shimmering, gutsy voice and heartfelt musicianship. Priceless.

So, what albums would you love to see performed in concert? No greatest hits compilations, no mostly dead bands, just your favourites and the reasons why. Post your answers in the comments section - and no sneering at other people's choices!

It was dawn when the skull wept blood...

My 19th novel - A Massacre in Marienburg - is due out the first week of December, published by the Black Library imprint of Games Workshop. Set in the phantasmagorical city of Marienburg [natch], this hefty tome puts the war back into Warhammer as a vicious necromancer resurrects the dead to attack the living. Expect a searing saga of noble sacrifice and gore galore [the title of this post is also opens the novel]. Download the first chapter as a free pdf from here - enjoy!

Tina Fey vs Sarah Palin: can you tell them apart?

Why do you want to write this?

The question of why you want to write a particular story tends to arise mostly when you're doing speculative work. That's not to say it does apply to commissions. When I'm pitching a novel to an editor or publisher, I still need to convince them there's a story worth telling and that I'm passionate enough to deliver upon the promise of the premise. [For non-fiction pitches, you need to demonstrate why YOU should be chosen for a particular project.]

But why you want to write a particular story is fundamental to doing good speculative work. [Apologies for any mistypings, thumb still on the blink.] If you can't get excited about the story you're trying to tell, why should anyone else? If you don't have passion for your concept, your characters, the world you're creating, most likely it'll seem lifeless, manufactured, false. You can fake it, but you won't fool all the people all the time.

This week the next stage of my work for the Lighthouse TV drama course is due in. By Friday each writer [or writing team] must submit a 10-page treatment for their original TV series idea. Characters, individual story ideas, the concept, the world of the show and where I think it would go in a second series all need to be included, along with a detailed synopsis of the opening episode. So it's time to make decisions, nail down some choices.

Crucially, do I want the pilot to be a typical episode, redolent of what the show would be like week to week? That's the hit the ground running approach, as used in such pilots as CSI, Mad Men and Hill Street Blues. Or do I want to spend the pilot establishing the premise of the show, so that the second episode would be more typical? Examples of this are Life On Mars, The Street and Clocking Off. I'm probably leaning toward the latter.

Why? My proposed show is quite high concept, so there's a fair amount to set up. I like to see a protagonist transformed by events in a pilot, their ordinary world disrupted - probably because it replicates the classical storytelling structures. On the other hand, a show like The Shield has a great episode of the week pilot and only reveals the backstory of how these characters came together for a later episode [ditto The West Wing].

Like I said, this stage of the process is all about decisions, a thousand little choices that all contribute to a bigger picture. That's why you need to know why you want to write this particular story. If you don't, you risk being paralysed by indecision over every little one of those choices. Onwards!

Pipe wrench fight!

John McCain cast in next Batman film?

'It's always somebody else's fault' syndrome

To me, there's no shame in saying you can do better next time, or admitting responsibility when things don't work out. I've always gleaned far more from my mistakes than I have from successes. I tend to learn by repetition, so having to do something again is good for me. That's not to deny an in-built tendency to hope for perfection at the first time of asking - but I learned to accept failing short isn't fatal or abject failure.

It's the finished work, the end product that counts, not the stages required to achieve that gleaming conclusion. Often a story you've written gets tainted by the tortuous development process, so much so you lose all objectivity about its merits. The audience only sees the end results, not your workings. Every draft en route is merely another step on the path. Some drafts leads done blind alleys, so back up a step and then go forwards again.

If there's one thing I can't abide, it's creatives who blame everybody else for a story's poor reception - but never themselves. When I was a comics editor there was one particular individual who specialised in this behaviour [they still do, judging by interviews with them I've read]. The audience didn't like a story? Perhaps the audience wasn't clever or sophisticated enough to appreciate it. Or it was presented badly, or marketed poorly.

No, hold on, it was the editor's fault. They interfered with the creative vision. They commissioned the wrong collaborators. They did too much editing, or too little editing. They deigned to change the creative's priceless work, or didn't challenge the creative enough. Maybe the collaborators weren't given enough support, or perhaps they were over-managed. Everybody else was to blame with this individual, but never the individual themselves.

Sometimes I wondered if they owned a mirror. Had they never spotted themselves as they walked past a shop window? Had they ever thought - hmm, perhaps my work wasn't good enough? Apparently not. Me, I'm more than willing to acknowledge my mistakes and my flaws. I figure it's the better to recognise your weaknesses, listen to criticism and endeavour to improve. Blaming everyone but yourself is delusional behaviour that helps nobody. Live and learn.

Slowly getting back up to speed

My right thumb remains swathed in bandages so it's double the normal size, but I'm adjusting. Alas, my accidental wound came at exactly the wrong time, as such injuries are liable to do. The slicing, blood, bandage and pain combo meant I got little useful work done on Tuesday, when I'd hoped to make significant progress on a major rewrite for a project that's got to be locked off by the end of this month. Unable to type much, I opted for thinking.

Rushing a rewrite is not usually a great idea. If the notes are relatively minor, you can give a project the required spit and polish in short order. But if there are fundamental changes to be made or clarifications to be found, you need time away from the project to short those out in your head [at least, I always do]. So my comedy wound provided a little distance, along with a chance to invent new methods for previously simple bathroom functions.

Yesterday I bit the bullet and got typing again. Progress was slow and fumbling, but I'm getting back up to speed. I don't need to stare at the keyboard while I'm writing, which makes touch typing far more efficient. Digression: the DVD release of a Channel 4 drama called Dockers is worth getting just for its special feature - a documentary that shows writer Jimmy McGovern developing the script with Liverpool dockers whose story the drama told.

It's a fascinating insight to the creative process, with McGovern challenging the dockers' preconceptions about scabs workers. You get to see people who've never written before blossom, their stories coming alive through words and fiction. But one image stuck in my mind: McGovern tapping out his scripts with two fingers, pecking away at the keyboard with hands like a pair of chickens. Wonder if he's considered taking a touch typing class?

Anyway, back to my rewrite today. Also got two extra jobs on, the combination of which are liable to consume most of a day for little financial or creative reward. Wishing I hadn't taken them on now, but bills don't pay themselves and every little helps. October is turning into a helter skelter month, and I can't see November being much better. Two day trips to Brighton, another day running writing workshops in Ayr and grud knows what else. Onwards!

Learning to value my opposable digits

Apologies for any mistyping in what follows, but I have a good excuse. Had some work done in the garden on Monday. A few sheets of broken glass got left behind, so I tried to tidy them away yesterday morning. When they were still wet and slippery. If this was Casualty, earlier scenes would have shown me under extreme deadline pressure, arguing with my partner and being close to breaking point. Cut to close-up of slippery glass with jagged edge.

Well, you can guess what happened next. Least I now know why those guest characters on Casualty are always so surprised when they suffer an accidental injury - they don't see it coming. They don't get carefully lensed camera angles of the imminent danger, they just blunder towards it, blissfully unaware. Should I ever write for Casualty, I'd argue for more surprise and less careful set-up. It's the surprise that catches your breath in these moments.

So, yes, I sliced open my right thumb. A big old flap of skin [with some meat attached] was hanging off my favourite opposable digit. No gushing or spurting blood, no sudden change in background music, no actual pain. Just dumb surprise and instant dismay. Went inside and wrapped some kitchen towel round the wound to apply pressure. Drove to the local health centre, holding my thumb aloft like a Roman emperor, still cursing my stupidity.

I wasn't going to bleed out anytime soon, but it was getting quite uncomfortable and my kitchen towel was now an alarming crimson. [Fresh blood is really red, isn't it? Way red. No wonder giving somebody a bloody nose is sometimes called tapping the claret. Though I prefer a rich cab sav or a malbec myself - but I digress.] The health centre sent me round the corner to our local cottage hospital [a bit like Spearhead From Space, Who fans].

There I got questioned for form-filling purposes, my wound cleaned and some of those narrow white plasters put across the wound to hold it together [just like in Casualty!]. Then a big dressing, followed by a lot of bandage [not as entertaining as badinage, but more effective in the circumstances] and tape to hold it all in place. Finish with a lecture on not getting it wet and an invitation to return in 24 hours for a check-up.

Of course, if the bleeding persisted and soaked through the many, many layers, I should come back sooner. Hell, if it soaked through all of that I'd be busy panicking. Anyway, off I wondered back to the car and drove home, filing the experience away in my head for future writing reference. I only started feeling pain when the nurse was pressing the two halves of my wound back together.

My thumb still bends and still has plenty of feelings. Stretch it too far or try to do too much and I'm sharply reminded how many feelings my thumb has. No stitches required thus far, and I'll be fascinated to witness the unveiling of my wound this afternoon, 28 hours on from the accident. If nothing else, this has certainly made me appreciate my opposable digits a lot more. Opening doors, carrying drinks, doing up buttons - my thumbs do a lot.

Guess I should be grateful it was my thumb that got sliced. Had it been my palm or my fingers, had the wound been deeper or the glass sharped, things could have been a lot worse. When it comes to typing, my eight fingers do the bulk of the work - my right thumb is all about the space bar. But it's amazing how many times you hit that particular key, perhaps more than any other. And every time I do, it hurts. That'll teach me, I guess.

What do you want to be doing in January?

Had tree surgeons in yesterday to give the garden its annual hack and slash. Hedges got trimmed back, a run-down wooden shed got taken away, and several trees were removed. As a consequence it looks like winter arrived early, lots of empty spaces where foliage and branches used to be. The garden looks a bit naked, denuded, bare. All of which got me thinking about what I want to be doing when the worst of winter hits in January.

If you're a freelance writer, this is the time to be setting up work that will see you through the long, cold months ahead [assuming you aren't commissioned from here until the end of time - that means you, Moran]. Like a squirrel storing nuts for the times when food ain't so plentiful, soon editors will pull up the drawbridge and stop commissioning new work. That's not to say there'll be none around, but it gets a lot harder to find.

For example, the Frankfurt Book Fair happens later this week. It's one of the key events in the publishing calendar, helping to shape what books will see print in 2009 and beyond. When publishers returns they have to process any intelligence and new deals they obtained in Frankfurt. By the time that's done, November brings the pre-Christmas crush of work, parties and organisational nightmares. December is largely a write-off for new commissions.

January sees most people still recovering from Christmas, and that's before the credit card statements come home to roost. There's no shortage of publishing going on - 400 new books a day in Britain alone - but fresh work gets harder to find. Throw the credit crunch into the mix, redundancies, cut-backs and belt-tightening... It all adds up to a tough time if you haven't got a few commissions already lined up, plus some bread and butter jobs.

This month could be your last chance to secure the commissions that will stave off a barren January. It's all very well promising yourself you'll spend the weeks after Christmas writing that spec feature script or starting that special novel you've always wanted to write. But inspiration can be hard to find when bills are mounting and the boiler needs fixing. Get busy or come January you might end up looking like my garden does today.

Suddenly busy after months of not so much

At the start of last week I realised there were six different projects all wanting my attention, all interesting and all worth progressing. Some required half a day, others a whole week, some considerably more. Attempting to nudge them all forwards at the same time was the path to inertia and madness - it was time to prioritize. So I sat down and made a list of everything I needed to do, everything I wanted to do, time needed and specific deadlines.

The first half of last week went to plotting a media tie-in novel and submitting that for consideration. Next came developing Story of the Day ideas for Doctors. This week I planned to split between developing a Phantom pitch and plotting a new novel, with some Tv reviewing in my Copious Spare Time®. Next week I need to submit a ten-page treatment for the Lighthouse TV writing course. That left the last days of October to revise my Inspector Morse tome.

Of course, that went flying out the window by Tuesday. Got a welter of notes on a commissioned project I'm not allowed to discuss yet, requiring a nose-to-tail rewrite within three weeks. The media tie-in novel plotting overran by a day, nudging my Doctors efforts into today. A screen agency asked me to read a script and I need to do some paying work this month, so I said yes. That means this week's planned activities must wait until November.

And then something else came up, another enticing opportunity [with a Non-Disclosure Agreement attached, so no details allowed]. And an exciting job opportunity. Not to mention yet another novel proposal I've got sat on an editor's desk awaiting their feedback. Or a documentary pitch I submitted to a new competition that should bring a yea or no answer this week. Or finishing a new draft of my Red Planet Prize entry in case it makes round two.

It's nice to be so busy after months of submitting material, waiting and waiting some more. If half these projects came off I'll be amazed [one in four is a more likely scenario]. I'll also be run off my feet. I'm already reducing all extra-curricular activities to a minimum in anticipation of a busy winter. It was a relief when I heard on Saturday I wasn't shortlisted for a local writers' fellowship. Time's at a premium. Let's get busy. Onwards!

Rodeo cakes, country singers and Roald Dahl

A month or two back I reconfigured Vicious Imagery to take advantage of improvements to Blogger. In doing so I stuffed up my links to Sitemeter, so switched this blog over to StatCounter instead. My favourite part of their service is better access to the keywords that lead people here. As you'd expect, plenty arrive looking for me, my work or things relevant to either of those.

For example, last year I reprinted my Sopranos episode guides. These covered the first three seasons of the acclaimed HBO show, and have generated a lot of traffic ever since. I reprinted my interview with author Roald Dahl and that guarantees a steady stream of visitors to this blog. Guess there's not many Dahl interviews freely available on the world wide interweb.

My guides to 80 different Michael Caine also bring quite a few punters. Lately everybody wants to know the final score from that kitsch Caine classic, Escape to Victory [a.k.a. Victory]. The Germans were up 4-1, but the P.O.W. side levels the scores 4-4 [must have been a real hairdryer halftime team talk]. Sylvester Stallone saves a penalty and it ends a draw.

More obscure keywords and phrases that bring people here: rodeo cakes; vicious swallow, Athelhampton House is reportedly haunted by what kind of animal?; Shania Twain's wooden leg; Claire Grogan's scar; Gordon Brown - texture like sun; the art of being subtle; London Underground murders; Sally Field sex; lust vicious; hoops dinner; and hot smut letters. Well odd.

How long do you keep pursuing your dream?

Went to Coatbridge yesterday to do a spot of acting for former classmate Wilma. We were among the first part-timers to take the MA screenwriting course at Screen Academy Scotland. Wilma has been making low-to-no budget films for years, most often with her partner Duncan. All that hard work is getting them some attention - their last feature, My Life As A Bus Stop, was selected in competition at the 2007 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

When Wilma asked if I'd like to appear in her new film, I was happy to say yes. Alas, I can't sustain a Scots accent to say my life, so she cast me as a frazzled teacher. It was my first experience of guerrilla filmmaking, and for me it made an interesting afternoon away from the computer. For Wilma it's a hobby that's become a lifelong passion. We got to talking about the struggles of pursuing your dreams, never knowing if they'll pay off.

I learned a lot on the MA, but a big part of that experience was the camaraderie we shared - especially the part-timers. While the full-time students were rattling through the course at ramming speed, we had more time together as a group. Writing is a largely solitary endeavour, so it was good to have people in the same boat with whom you share the triumphs and the torments. I've struggled to fill that absence since finishing the MA.

I've found the best way to keep the dream alive is setting little milestones, and enjoying the achievement when they happen. One of the last things we did in class as part-timers was plot where we wanted to be in years to come. Back in May 2007 I turned that discussion into a list of six goals and gave myself two years to achieve them. I didn't expect to nail the lot, but hoped to hit at least half of them. [Aim high, that's my policy.]

One was getting an agent - I've set that aside until after I get some more broadcast drama credits. Not much point asking an agent to represent you if you're not going to make them any money. Goal two was pursuing radio drama, something else I've sidelined for more urgent objectives. Three was get my first TV drama credit. Hasn't happened yet, but the BBC invited me on the Doctors shadow scheme this year, bringing my goal that bit closer.

Four was write at least two more TV pilot spec scripts. Falling short on this one, I have to admit - but help may be at hand [see #6, below]. Five was get more experience in TV drama storylining and/or script editing. Big tick here - did a Script Factory course, spent a day with the Emmerdale storylining team and there's more ahead. Goal six was get selected for another script workshop scheme, such as the Lighthouse TV drama course in Brighton.

Another big tick here after having my first day on the Lighthouse course last week. That experience will run through the next seven months, involving storylining, team writing and working directly with professional script editors. It concludes with a networking event in London to meet agents, drama execs and indie production companies, and they get sent out finished work. You never know, that might get me closer to ticking goal #1.

Those six goals have helped keep me focused since May last year, and they'll carry me through to May next year. Then comes the tricky part - decide my objectives for the next two years. In the meantime, I've got three Story of the Day ideas to develop. Onwards!

Being sanguine about notes

Got a plethora of notes on the first draft of a project I'm writing. My script editor was a bit worried I'd throw a wobbly about them, but I've learned to disengage any prima donna tendencies my ego may harbour. The notes were full of tough questions I need to answer, intriguing suggestions of ways to improve the script and not one of my weaker scenes got through unscathed. It means a massive, page one rewrite - but I don't mind a bit.

Because it's all about making the script better.

The opening sequence can be tighter and tauter? Great. Let's pump the conflict between two characters who spend most of their time together? Cool. The protagonist's reason for getting involved needs to be clearer and more consistent? Yes, couldn't agree more. I've got no objection to any of the notes given because they all make sense. Finding solutions for the problems highlighted - that's down to me, with the help of the production team.

When I first started writing, I expected every first draft to be perfect. I'd get irked when people gave notes or expected rewrites. Looking back at how naive I was, I can't help smiling. My attitude's completely changed, especially in the last few years. To me, a first draft is now nothing more than a work in progress, a rough diamond in need of polishing. The structure should be solid, it's the details that need honing and refining.

Got a big batch of notes? Welcome them, it's a chance to make the script better. That's what everybody wants, the best possible script. Remove your ego from the equation and rewriting becomes a much happier experience. Chances are there was a voice nagging at the back of your head when you were writing the first draft, telling you certain scenes weren't working or some characters lack drive or motivation. Good notes spotlight such flaws.

Got a bunch of notes? Get sanguine. Onwards!

Let's play creative leapfrog

Been jumping from one project to the next a lot lately. I'll have a meeting or phone conversation about something, write or type up my notes - and then have to move straight on to another project. Deadlines are a wonderful motivating tool, but can also create frustration. At least they make prioritising easier; if a proposal is due tomorrow, you should be working on that today, not another project that's not required for another fortnight.

At times this game of creative leapfrog can be frustrating, other times it's useful. I find my subconscious does my best creative thinking, finding interesting solutions to story problems that would likely have eluded me if I'd tried to force out an instant plot fix. So having to shift focus elsewhere gives my subconscious a chance to work on such knotty problems. But moving off a project just as you're building up momentum can be right irksome.

For example, I had a meeting a few weeks back about an exciting gig. I'd have loved to been working on that and that alone ever since, giving it 100% of my time. But I've had other fish to fry, as the saying goes. I've rewritten my script THE WOMAN WHO SCREAMED BUTTERFLIES twice, after a couple of directors expressed interest in it. [Still needs another pass, but that'll have to wait now.] I took on some journalism, and did prep for that.

Talked with a publisher who interested in a project I pitched them back in August. That needs further development work, but isn't hyper-urgent so I've filed that back into my subconscious for now. Finished polishing my Red Planet Prize entry and pitch doc, sent that away. Talked through half a dozen Story of the Day ideas with my script editor at Doctors, need to polish three of those for formal submission - again, that's a job for later.

Wrote ten pages of notes on a feature screenplay for two friends. Wrote two pages of notes on a TV spec script for another friend, and gave verbal feedback on several more pitches for others. Devised a 100-word pitch for a documentary I'd like to make and submitted that to a competition. Got on the Lighthouse's Screenwriting for Television course thanks to a phone interview. Cue mad scramble down to Brighton last Thursday for the first day.

All of that in the past 17 days. Oh yes, and I wrote an issue of The Phantom comic for Egmont Sweden - that was my one paying job since my meeting in London. [Blimey, didn't realise I'd been quite so busy!] Anyways, I'm not lacking for things to do right now. Got a deadline tomorrow, another next week, and another the week after. Plus there's all the other projects mentioned above that need progressing. Looks like more leapfrog ahead. Onwards!

Sarah Jane Smith audio dramas on special!

Big Finish is offering a special deal on its SARAH JANE SMITH audio dramas this month. You can now buy both series of adventures featuring the popular Doctor Who companion for just £30, a saving of £55! For that you get nine discs and nine hours of thrills and chills featuring the lovely Elisabeth Sladen - a bargain in anyone's book.

Why am I plugging this? I contributed one of the stories in the first series, a taut tale called Test of Nerve. When the SJS audios were revived several years later, I was lucky enough to write all four scripts for the second seres. It's the longest story I've ever told, which the cast and production team did an amazing job bringing to life.

Exhausted, exhilarated and excited

Got back from Brighton round midnight after an epic 24 hour journey involving planes, trains and automobiles [but no Dell Griffith, thankfully]. My reason for spending a day beside the seaside? I've been selected on the Lighthouse's Screenwriting for Television workshop. Over the next seven months we'll be using a team writing approach to create script for an all-new six part drama series, guided by tutor and working writer Philip Palmer.

Out of respect for everyone else involved, I won't be blogging at length about what happens until we've finished. We're operating a "what's said in the room, stays in the room" that seems only sensible at this point. But I'll try to offer a few thoughts after each session. By next April we will have each written a 50-minute episode. Yesterday was all about discussing and debating the different ideas proposed for our putative drama series.

By the end of it I staggered back to the train station for the long journey home feeling excited, exhausted and exhilarated. I've a lot of work to do getting my idea into shape for the next stage of the process, all manner of story options and openings whirling round in my head. It's a bit like somebody's just dropped a Berocca in my brain soup. Whurgle! Hopefully this will settle down enough I can get some work done today. Need to focus.

Between now and the next Brighton session in early November I've got all manner of stories to tell and deadlines to meet. Can't guarantee to blog every day, but will try to keep y'all abreast of developments. [Stop sniggering at the back, Arnopp! Yes, I did say "a breast", but if you can't behave like a grown-up, you can leave the class.] Anyway, tales to tells, stories to break. Onwards!

A twenty-three hour round trip to Brighton

Just after midnight I'm getting the sleeper train down to London, connecting to another train en route to Brighton for the day. Later I'll be getting a train from Brighton to Gatwick, to catch a plane to Edinburgh, followed by a taxi to the train station where I left my car so I can drive home. Truly, it shall be a day involving planes, trains and automobiles, a 23-hour round trip between Scotland and the south coast of England. I expect frazzlement.

As a consequence, no fresh blog entry on Thursday, October 2nd. I hope to explain where I've been on Friday, so you'll just have to wait until then. Sorry. In the meantime, you all know the rules by now: play nice, don't tease the ocelot and anything you break, you pay for it to be repaired or replaced. Talk amongst yourselves until I get back. If I don't return by Friday - wait longer.

Ladybird Books spoof: warped genius at work

Visited the excellent Unbearable Oddness of Stevyn blog, where he posted an extract from a spoof Ladybird 'Easy-To-Read' Book about being a policeman. Featured here are two extracts from the online tome. See the rest by going here. Mind how you go!