My self-publishing experiment - Endeavour: The Complete Inspector Morse - hits a wee landmark

My eBook ENDEAVOUR: The Complete Inspector Morse has just passed 750 sales. Not much in publishing terms, but it's a wee landmark for a £4.99 eBook with no marketing, no print version to enhance visibility, and a niche audience.

ENDEAVOUR: The Complete Inspector Morse is an unoffical non-fiction guide to the TV series Endeavour and Inspector Morse, to Colin Dexter's original novels and short stories, plus Morse on radio and stage.

All the non-Endeavour material in the eBook had previously been published as The Complete Inspector Morse [TCIM] by Reynolds & Hearn across four editions, and then by Titan Books in a new 2011 edition. Those were all print only, a mix of paperback and hardback.

Titan later issued an eBook of TCIM but numerous reviews berated the low quality of its formatting. A reference text should enable readers to dip in and out of an eBook, not force them to scroll through hundreds of unchaptered pages to find what they seek.

In 2016 Titan confirmed it would not commission a new edition, but the company declined to revert rights in the book until the physical print run had sold out. That was estimated for 2017, and under the terms of my contract, Titan could wait another two years before reverting my rights.

I signed my original contract with Reynolds & Hearn in 2001, long before eBooks. R&H did obtain the electronic rights, but only on a non-exclusive basis. After some prodding Titan confirmed I could publish my own eBook, if I wished.

For the cover image, a fellow Endeavour enthusiast provided a photo taken during filming in Oxford - instead of paying a fee, they suggested I make a donation to charity. I happily paid Caroline Goldsmith to prep the eBook for upload [I recommend her!]. 

I made the eBook an Amazon exclusive priced at £4.99 - not cheap for a non-fiction eBook. I published ENDEAVOUR: The Complete Inspector Morse on December 23rd 2016, just ahead of the 30th anniversary of Morse first appearing on British TV.

After Amazon took its cut, I estimated the eBook needed to sell 100 copies to break even. Happily it passed that a year ago, thanks to Endeavour Series 4 being broadcast.

To my surprise, ENDEAVOUR: The Complete Inspector Morse has continued selling, even when new episodes of Endeavour aren't on screen [which is most of the year]. It's a steady wee earner, as the  sales chart above demonstrates.

Despite being only an eBook, I've made far more royalties from this edition over the past year than I did from the traditionally published print versions of TCIM. New episodes of Endeavour makes a big difference, but so does 70% royalties instead of 7-10%!

After some gentle prodding Titan have now reverted all rights in the book, meaning I can publish the next edition in print and eBook if I choose. There's plenty of new material to add, with 10 new episodes of Endeavour and an Inspector Morse radio play.

But for now I'm happy to enjoy a wee landmark, and look forward to watching another new episode of Endeavour on ITV tonight. Onwards!

Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour gets full series

Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour has - unsurprisingly - been commissioned for a series of four feature-length episodes. The one-off special broadcast back in January to mark 25 years of Morse on British TV was a big fat hit, drawing eight million viewers all told. A poll on the Radio Times site asking if viewers wanted a series got more than 2000 responses, with only 31 (1.5%) people voting no.

The challenge will be evolving Endeavour from a drama born in the shadow of  Morse into something that succeeds on its own merits. The one-off had the halo effect of residual affection for the TV incarnation of Colin Dexter's creation on its side. A full series of Endeavour needs to find its own reason for existing, above and beyond continuing the legacy created by McBain, Childs, Thaw & co.

Of course, this has already been tried once before. In 2006 ITV broadcast Lewis, a one-off drama featuring Kevin Whately as Morse's former sidekick, promoted at last to chief inspector. The special was a huge hit, drawing more than 11 million views [which shows you how much terrestrial ratings have fractured over the past six years], leading to a series commission for the Oxford detective.

A sixth series of Lewis is due to air soon, bringing the show's total number of eps to 24. A seventh series is on the cards for 2013, but is likely to be last with Whately saying in interviews he's ready to retire the character. As a show Lewis has never won the critical acclaim heaped on Morse, but has always earned good ratings and has sold well around the world, makings its creators lots of money.

I thoroughly enjoy Lewis as a show, especially the dynamic of Whately and Laurence Fox as his sidekick, DS Hathaway. But the series has, arguably, never quite found it own reason to exist beyond the obvious. That is the challenge that faces the makers of Endeavour. Fortunately, the new show has an extra weapon in its arsenal besides Morse's legacy and the dreaming spires of Oxford: history.

Endeavour is set bang in the middle of the 1960s. That offers a rich and turbulent backdrop in which to tell gripping crime narratives. It will create no end of production challenges and drove up the cost of making Endeavour, but the period setting should provide all kinds of fresh opportunities for writers. Student uprisings, the swinging 60s, racial and sexual politics - all good grist for the story mills.

I also have my own, selfish reason for welcoming the news about Endeavour going to series. I'm the author of The Complete Inspector Morse, a book detailing and analysis every Morse narrative across all media - Dexter's original prose stories, the TV incarnations, the radio plays, the 2010 stage play. A new edition [pictured above] came out late last year, and included a preview of Endeavour.

I could well find myself writing a new edition in the summer of 2013 to cover the first series of Endeavour. Strange to think a non-fiction book I started in September 2001 continues to evolve. It got turned down by one published back then because Morse was seen as a dead series. More than a decade later, the book is still going strong [ha!]. Morse may be dead, but he lives on in Endeavour...

Endeavour: Barrington Pheloung's new Morse score

Here's a clip of composer Barrington Pheloung and orchestra at Abbey Road Studios recording the opening scene score for Endeavour, the Inspector Morse prequel that aired earlier this week. Pheloung has been a constant on the various TV incarnations of Morse and Lewis for 25 years, making his music an intrinsic part of the shows.

Review - Endeavour: The Origins of Inspector Morse

John Thaw would have celebrated his 70th birthday today, if cancer hadn't claimed him ten years ago. He played many great roles during his career, but it was his portrayal of grumpy Oxford detective Inspector Morse that earned Thaw two BAFTA awards. Last night Morse lived again on TV, with a new actor in the iconic role.

Endeavour told the story of Morse's first case as a policeman in Oxford during 1965. [I won't spoil any plot details, the show's out on DVD next Monday if you missed it.] Creating a prequel to such a beloved TV series was a big ask. Many Morse enthusiasts were vocal in their online protests before the one-off special aired.

So, did Endeavour do justice to Morse? My snap judgement is a resounding yes. Shaun Evans was a revelation as the young DC Morse, capturing the essence of Thaw's portrayal without attempting to mimic it. It's a terrible cliche, but he really did make the part his own, an utterly convincing performance at every level.

The supporting cast was just as strong, with Roger Allam gruff yet warm as Morse's new boss. DI Fred Thursday was an intriguing character, rooting out corruption and graft while ready to administer rough justice and break the law to get a result. You could imagine how his unorthodox methods would influence Morse's future attitudes.

The Russell Lewis script was a winner for me, full of red herrings and misdirection. Having enjoyed the Morse spin-off Lewis, I felt the writing on Endeavour was better. Perhaps it was the halo effect of rediscovering Morse afresh, with the added novelty of a period setting, but the result was more compelling than recent eps of Lewis.

Production values were lush, as you'd expect from the Morse stable, with Barrington Pheloung's achingly poignant score providing one of many threads from the original TV incarnation to this new upstart. The period detail was exquisite throughout, and Colm McCarthy's direction brought the best out of both places and performers.

I've no idea what John Thaw would make of Endeavour, either as an idea or in its execution. The moment when DC Morse looked in the rear view mirror and caught a glimpse of Thaw looking back at him was risky. It could have been mawkish and crass, but didn't feel that way - at least, not to me. A worthy salute.

UPDATE: Overnight ratings for Endeavour are out. According to Digital Spy, ITV1's Endeavour guided the channel to primetime victory, averaging 6.51 million viewers (26.9% of the viewing audience) from 9pm (including more than quarter of a million views watching it on the time-delay channel ITV+1. That's not a huge number, but it trounced perennial favourite David Jason in part 2 of The Royal Bodyguard on BBC1, which lost more than 2.5 million viewers thanks to competition from Endeavour. I've little doubt the final, consolidated ratings for Endeavour will be much higher when they're released in a fortnight. I'd be utterly amazed if the show does not get commissioned for a series of three or four new stories to be shot this year for broadcast early in 2013. On the strength of this one-off special, Endeavour thoroughly deserves a longer run on our TV screens.

David Bishop, author of The Complete Inspector Morse
New edition [including Endeavour preview] on sale now in the UK and in the US.

Endeavour: The origins of Inspector Morse

In a couple of weeks ITV will screen Endeavour, a new Inspector Morse spin-off commissiioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Morse's first TV appearance. Endeavour stars Shaun Evans as Detective Constable Morse, helping the search for a missing school girl in 1965 Oxford. In essence, this is Inspector Morse - The Early Years.

Sadly, many of those who first brought Morse to life on TV are no longer with us - producer Kenny McBain, screenwriter Anthony Minghella, actor John Thaw. But the new, one-off drama will feature composer Barrington Pheloung's irreplacable music, and the script's by Russell Lewis, who wrote for Morse and storylined the Lewis spin-off.

It'll be fascinating to see how Endeavour rises to challenge of emulating Morse in a period setting. Neither Colin Dexter's original novels nor the TV incarnation were hardcore police procedurals, so the absence of forensics, mobile phones or the web in 1965 won't radically alter how Morse and colleagues solve the central mystery.

I imagine ITV is crossing fingers for a big, fat hit in terms of ratings. The Lewis spin-off is approaching the end of its natural lifespan, with the sixth series due to transmit in Spring 2012 bringing the number of episodes made up to 23 - not far short of the 33 Morse TV tales. Endeavour would be a natural successor for Lewis.

Why do I care about all of this? I've been an enthusiast of Colin Dexter's original novels and the TV adaptation of his characters for decades. So much so, I've even written a book about them, The Complete Inspector Morse. The newly published fifth edition even manages to sneak in a preview of the forthcoming Endeavour special.

So when ITV broadcasts Endeavour on January 2nd at 9pm, I'll be watching. Hoping it does justice to Dexter's characters, and to the rich legacy left behind by the likes of McBain, Minghella and Thaw. Hoping they used Pheloung's Morse-coded theme music. It's more than a decade since we had a new Morse on TV. Here's hoping for a cracker.

My new book about Inspector Endeavour Morse

Titan Books have just published a new edition to The Complete Inspector Morse, my guide to every incarnation of Oxford's famous fictional detective. The UK paperback came out last month, the US and Kindle versions officially went on sale yesterday.

The new edition is far more timely than I expected, with Morse returning for a new case on British television in two months. January 2012 is the 25th anniversary of Morse's first TV tale, The Dead of Jericho starring John Thaw and Kevin Whately.

ITV has commissioned Endeavour, a feature-length story about Morse as a young detective constable in Oxford during 1965. Many of those involved with Morse [and the Lewis spin-off] have worked on Endeavour, a pilot for a potential new series.

Happily, details of the new TV drama special broke in time for me to slip them into this, the fifth edition of The Complete Inspector Morse. The new book includes fresh info about the first dramatisation of Colin Dexter's creation [John Thaw was not the first man to play Morse!] and the 2010 Morse stage play starring Colin Baker.

An Inspector calls: Morse returning to TV in 2012

It's official: Oxford's most beloved fictional detective is returning to TV next year in a brand new drama. Endeavour will be set in 1965, near the start of Morse's long career as a policeman. The one-off special is being filmed this summer for broadcast early in 2012, to celebrate Morse's 25th anniversary on screen.

Russell Lewis has written this prequel to the BAFTA-winning crime series, which was based on Colin Dexter's novels. Shaun Evans [pictured above] has been cast in the lead role, given the job of emulating the late, great John Thaw. But instead of a legendary chief inspector, Endeavour will see him as a lowly detective constable.

Many of the team behind the Morse series are involved with the prequel. Indeed, Russell Lewis wrote for Morse and scripted the Lewis spin-off's pilot episode. Only time will tell whether they can re-create some of that Morse magic, this time in a period setting. Should certainly make for interesting viewing.

For me, it means some hasty last-minute revisions to a new edition of The Complete Inspector Morse, published this autumn by Titan Books [see cover at right]. I thought this fifth incarnation might be the final, definitive version. I even included a section on last year's stage incarnation of Morse, starring former Doctor Who Colin Baker as the most irascible of inspectors. But ITV have other plans. I guess it means there could well be a sixth edition of The Complete Inspector Morse at some point in the future. Onwards!

Writers' Academy, Inspector Morse, other stuff

The good news is I'm on the longlist for this year's BBC Writers' Academy. From the 495 applicants, 156 made the longlist. These are selected after reading the first ten pages of every single applicants' writing samples. The bad news? There's a long way and many flaming hoops to get through before eight are chosen for this year's intake.

I wasn't expected an email about this yesterday. Without wishing to sound too cocky, I was pretty sure my first ten pages were good enough to get past the first hurdle. I knew those who didn't make the cut could expect a 'Welcome to Dumpsville, Population: You' email by the end of this week. I didn't know the longlist got a good news email.

So when the message turned up in my inbox, it created a few moments of oh shit angst. With a templated email getting fired off to so many people simultaneously, there's nowt to indicate whether the contents are good news or ill. I clicked through, heart in my mouth a little bit, and got the good news - I was on the longlist. Huzzah.

Several other people I know also made the cut - my fellow Doctors writers Denise Watson and Martin Day, along with a classmate from Screen Academy Scotland, Ronnie Macintosh. At this stage, I'd expect all of us to sail through, unless someone had a bad day or submitted a sample that didn't prove its worth in the first ten pages.

Now the hard work really begins for those selecting this year's applicants, as all 156 scripts get complete reads. You can write a brilliant first ten pages, but that's no guarantee the rest of your script will deliver on the promises made by that opening. The first ten pages need to set up the world, and pose the big dramatic question.

You expect them to introduce all the main characters, establish the tone and suggest the script's narrative position. If it's the pilot for a series, those first ten pages should also get the format locked down. The reader won't know everything yet, far from it, but they should have a sense the writer knows where this is all headed.

The rest of the script determines whether or not you can chew what you've bitten off in those first ten pages. Does the dialogue continue to spark and zing? Are the characters consistent and well observed? Does the ending pay off the inciting incident? Is it moral, or ironic? Central characters - do they change or learn?

Are the stakes big enough? Does the structure work? Does the writer have something to say? Is their script purposeful? Are they able to create a thematic structure that resonates through the whole narrative? Why should a reader care about anything that happens in the story? Do you want to know what happens next? Is it worth reading?

The Academy team now ploughs through all 156 writing samples from the longlist. From that somewhere between 20 and 30 people usually get invited to one-day workshops in London. After lots of collaborative and writing exercises, the shortlist is cut to between 12 and 16 people for the final interviews. From them, eight are chosen.

I last applied for the Academy in 2008. I made the longlist and was later told my writing sample was liked, but too soapy and not bold enough. [It was the pilot for a continuing drama about two families on a single street in Glasgow during the Second World War. Definitely soapy, and over-stuffed with characters. Live and learn.]

I'd love to go one better and be invited to the workshop day. Having written three eps of Doctors, I've learned an awful lot since 2008 and would like to believe that's reflected in my writing sample this time round. It's not perfect - there are some structural issues that need sorting - but still an improvement on my last sample.

Now the longlist of 156 has been announced, all goes quiet. We won't hear until late June at the earliest about workshop invites. So the best thing to do is forget about the Academy and press on with other writing projects. The next step is in the hands of others, nothing more I can do to influence its outcome. Shrug and move on.

Today's target is finishing my text for the fifth edition of The Complete Inspector Morse. The new version is with a new publisher, Titan Books, who took over the list of previous publisher Reynolds and Hearn. Happily, this edition offers me the chance to pull a lot of gaps I'd spotted in past volumes and bring it right up to date.

I wasn't very happy with the fourth edition, which sort of stumbled out after some miscommunications with the publisher. It included some new text, but only a fraction of all the material I had intended to add, amend or update. Happily, this new edition offers a chance to correct that and create was planned as the definitive Morse guide.

Well, it would have been. But the news that Colin Dexter and ITV are in discussions about a one-off, young Morse drama set during the character's time as an undergraduate at Oxford has opened the door for further updates. It remains to be seen if the proposed project happens. For a dead character, Morse does keep making comebacks.

One thing this new edition of The Complete Inspector Morse won't cover is the Lewis spin-off TV series, aside from the 2006 pilot. The adventures of Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway have now filled twenty episodes. There will soon be enough material for a standalone volume - The Complete Inspector Lewis, perhaps? Time will tell.

So today is about finishing off Morse. Then I need to be looking forwards. I've been neglecting several projects to concentrate on my Academy script and the Morse tome. After today I'll be able to shift focus to new areas. Plus I've got a holiday coming up, assuming volcanic ash clouds let me leave the country. Onwards!

Write Foot Forward, Nina & things - but not in that order

Spent the weekend in That Fancy London, doing some research and networking [or, as it's also known, seeing some old friends]. Took along the scene by scene for a new calling card script project I'm developing. Wasn't sure if I'd have a chance to look at it, but happily found time to give it some proper attention - with pleasing results.

I spent several weeks on this project last summer, but had to set it aside in favour of paying jobs with pressing deadlines. The combination of writing my third Doctors ep [on BBC1 this Friday], five scripts for Nina and the Neurons [now all officially signed off] and the computer game Fate of the World consumed the last six months.

Now, finally, I'm getting back to my long-gestating calling card script project. Being away from it for six months was frustrating, but useful, giving me fresh perspective on what wasn't working. Took me several hours, lots of coffee and contemplation, but I now possess a functioning scene by scene from which to start a first draft script.

This is, of course, terrifying. An unwritten script is perfect in your head, but the moment it touches paper or forms pixels the flaws emerge. That's first drafts for you. But without a first draft - no matter how imperfect - you can't rewrite. And that's where the shine emerges, turning your rough diamond into something more polished.

So I expect that will be consuming a lot of my writing time for the next six weeks. In an ideal world, the polished version proves good enough to submit as my writing sample for the BBC Writers' Academy. I didn't apply the last two years, but am committed to giving it a go this year. I've certainly progressed since 2008, when I last applied.

Three years ago I had one radio play, a short film screenplay prize and a successful trial script for Doctors to recommend me, along with two dodgy calling card scripts. Now I've got three eps of Doctors, five eps of Nina and the Neurons for CBeebies, another radio play, an agent representing me and an awful lot more experience.

But all the credits in the world won't get you considered for the Writers' Academy unless your original script wows the readers. Then all the other factors come into play. So that's why I need a crackerjack calling card script. Get that right and my chances of all least reaching the selection workshops improve. We shall see.

In the meantime, I'm one of ten writers selected for Write Foot Forward. This is a six-week course run by noted TV drama development executive Jo Calam, designed to help professional writers achieve a more satisfying career. No idea how many applied, but I'm very happy to make the cut. It starts with a conference call tomorrow night.

Not much else to report, aside from that most delightful of arrivals - an unexpected royalties cheque which turns up while I was in London. Titan Books has taken over the list of Reynolds & Hearn, meaning they're now my publishers for The Complete Inspector Morse. The royalties were for the 2009 edition. Expect a 2011 this autumn. Onwards!

My PLR Top Ten, July 2009 - June 2010

Every year the Public Lending Right sends registered authors a statement estimating how many times their books were borrowed from UK libraries lately. To compensate for lost sales, the PLR pays 6.25 pence per loan. There's a maximum payment threshold [£6600] to prevent immensely popular authors from draining the PLR's coffers.

More than 23,000 authors will get payments for the most recent PLR period [July 2009-June 2010], with around 360 on the maximum amount. I’m a minnow in such matters, but can look forward to a nice three-figure payment next month. By some quirk of sampling my latest payment is a fraction up from last year - which is nice.

That's despite the fact I've been concentrating on screenwriting rather than novels and non-fiction books. Shifting my focus elsewhere means my top ten tomes bear a startling resemblance to what they were this time last year. But the running order moves around, as the most borrowed books battle for supremacy on the list.

My four Fiends novels and the omnibus edition of the Eastern Front trilogy continue to dominate this list. Indeed, the Pacific setting in Fiends of the Rising Sun proved especially popular, doubling the number of borrowings from the previous year and reclaiming top spot on my list after a year down in the silver medal position.

That bumped my most recent novel - A Massacre in Marienburg - down to second. I say recent, but it's more than two years since it was published and nearly three years since I finished writing it. Fiends books of various stripes occupy places 3-5, and number 8. The others are either Nikolai Dante novels or A Nightmare on Elm Street omnibus.

There is one exception. Nearly eight years ago I wrote a book detailing eighty films starring British acting legend Michael Caine. It sold very badly at the time and has been all but forgotten, or I'd thought. But last year's list saw it jump into the bubbling under section and now it's up to number 9. Whatever next?

Anyway, here's my top ten tomes for July 2009 - June 2010 (with previous year's placing in brackets):-

1. (2) Fiends of the Rising Sun (Jul 07)
2. (1) A Massacre in Marienburg (published Dec 08)
3. (6) Fiends of the Eastern Front: Operation Vampyr (Oct 05)
4. (5) Fiends of the Eastern Front: Omnibus edition (Feb 07)
5. (3) Fiends of the Eastern Front: The Blood Red Army (Apr 06)
6. (8) From Russia With Lust: Nikolai Dante omnibus (Apr 07)
7. (7) Ripped From a Dream: Nightmare on Elm St omnibus (Oct 06)
8. (4) Fiends of the Eastern Front: Twilight of the Dead (Jul 06)
9. (13) Starring Michael Caine (Aug 03)
10. (7) Nikolai Dante: Imperial Black (Sep 05)

Bubbling under - The Complete Inspector Morse (the original 2002 paperback, long since superceded by three subsequent editions, up from 16th to 11th most borrowed of my books); Nikolai Dante: Honour Be Damned (12th for the second year running); and Doctor Who: Empire of Death (down from 11th to 13th this year).

My report card for 2010 - part 2

There's a lot of things I didn't do, or choose not to do this year. I stopped writing prose fiction after getting mucked about royally for much of 2008 on two proposed novels. To be honest, I haven't missed it. Teaching has filled that space, perhaps. I still have novels I want to write, but for now I'm enjoying other media too much.

I've also gotten out of the comics writing habit. Must be nearly two years since I scripted a new adventure for the Phantom. It got lost in the shuffle, thanks to teaching and TV drama commissions. But I'm working on a couple of story pitches this week, so it's likely I'll be squeezing some comics writing into 2011.

Didn't do a lot of non-fiction during 2010. The publisher of The Complete Inspector Morse sold its list to another company and I've been in discussions with them about an updated edition. There's been a lot of Morse activity, with eight new eps of Lewis [plus four more next spring], and a Morse stage. So that's another project for 2011.

I started a new TV drama calling card script, but it got sidelined by pressing deadlines for paying gigs. That has to change next year. My present calling card isn't bad, but needs rewriting. Plus it's a period piece. Downton Abbey may have taken the curse off period drama, but only if you've got big name talent attached to it.

My new spec is a contemporary piece, a project I'm really passionate about. Being away from it for several months has given me a clearer perspective [as is often the case]. Suspect that when I revisit it, I'll find it's over-stuffed with storylines and needs paring back to give the characters some room to breath, to establish themselves.

I marked a lot of student work in recent weeks. Nothing like seeing the flaws in somebody else's story to make you think on the niggling issues of your own. When in doubt, I've a tendency to add extra plotlines and story threads, rather than digging deeper into the characters I've got, their attitudes, their needs, wants and flaws.

So I have to keep that at the forefront of my mind when I return to my spec. Happily, it's got no further than the scene by scene. I can take it back to treatment stage, strip away the extraneous crapola and get to the heart of my characters. That's where I need to make the writing shine for the calling card to work on my behalf.

What else didn't I do in 2010? Didn't apply for the BBC Writers' Academy. Agonised long and hard about that decision. I knew I needed a new writing sample and didn't have one that felt good enough to submit, for a start. My knowledge of Holby, Casualty and EastEnders was a bit rusty, so that was another factor against going for it.

Getting in the academy is one in 100 odds. In the unlikely event I ever did get in, it would mean three months living hundreds of miles away from home with no chance of commuting. It would mean giving up family, friends and teaching. It would mean writing Doctors, Holby, Casualty and EastEnders - and nothing else. Total commitment.

The academy route isn't the only way forward. I got on to Doctors without it, and am making progress with my career goals, my ambitions. But I'm taking the long, slow route. Getting in the academy effectively turbo-charges parts of your writing career, offers shortcuts that circumvent the long, slow route. It's an alluring option.

In the next month or two I need to make my decision again - go for the academy in 2011, or stick with my own path. Guess that's a watch this space not. In the meantime, I need to set myself some goals for the coming year. Can't guarantee they'll all be specific, measurable and the rest of the SMART acronym, but I'll do my best.

So, what are my key objectives for 2011?

1. Write a new calling card TV drama script.

2. Get at least one new commission for Doctors.

3. Secure a commission for children's TV.

4. Write a feature screenplay.

The calling card TV drama script and screenplay are done to me. The commissioned-based goals do rely on other people for the vital yes, but will only happen if I devote time, wit and creative energy to preparation and securing opportunities. All these are achievable, but require hard work and discipline. Twas always thus. Onwards!