Scene 20a
You鈥檇 think there would be some logic to the notion that a half hour show would be less intensive to write than a full 60 minute job.
I have just finished my Eastenders script (well almost - I鈥檓 still waiting for it to be signed off) and at one point last week I had to crawl under the duvet and hide. 鈥淣o more! I can鈥檛 write another line!鈥 Instead I listened to a Radio 4 programme about what a wonderful innovative TV drama 鈥楾he Prisoner鈥 was. It was me running across that beach being chased by a bouncy ball, I am not a soap writer I am a free woman鈥
It has been exhausting. My first commission after graduating from the Academy all those months ago was an Eastenders, I have rather fond memories of the process. Rose tinted memories? I went back and looked over all my old notes, totted up the number of drafts it took me - the work load is probably equal to what I鈥檝e just done. The time to do it in must have been condensed surely? Annoyingly I have been getting notes back Friday afternoons and the temptation to work weekends with the notes still fresh, is too huge. As a freelance worker almost all my working life, the weekend as a two day break, is a concept that must be fitted in wherever possible - often mid week.
At this point in blogging - the phone rang. It was my editor. 鈥淗iiiii 鈥︹ with that sing song hate to do this to you, type of greeting鈥 鈥淎bout Scene 20a.鈥
Scene 20a has been following me around for a day or so now. It first pitched up just before I was about to take my niece to Victoria Coach Station after a chocolate filled Easter visit. As she packed her bag I wrote Scene 20a - a little bridging scene that my editor and I agreed was needed to keep my narrative balls up in the air. If you drop a narrative ball, the story stops dead and is forgotten about.
At the coach station, with noisy tannoy for company I was on my mobile discussing the scene I鈥檇 sent an hour earlier, waving my niece off I agreed to a few amendments. After chucking some oven chips on to cook back at the ranch, I amended the scene - sent it off again.
鈥淲e鈥檙e almost there...鈥 my editor told me just now - one more push on Scene 20a. I鈥檒l leave the birthing analogies for you to imagine.
I have just sat in bed, Barbara Cartland like, laptop on my knee re-writing little Scene 20a. It is only a page long and that is a difficult task, especially as I tend to overwrite everything. But with Scene 20a now fully fledged and nestling nicely between Scene 20 and 21, perhaps I can get this script signed off.
I have a Holby Commissioning meeting next week and need to move my head out of Albert Square. I鈥檒l also be working with a new (new to me) script editor, and look forward to forging a new working relationship.
We鈥檒l be shy with other to begin with - how do we sign off our emails? 鈥楤est wishes鈥? 鈥楲ook forward to hearing from you鈥? 鈥楧ahhrling, mmwwahh xx鈥?
I wonder what his pink fuzzy/blue prickly ratio is? My last Holby editor was very supportive and had that canny skill of making me feel I was only the writer he was concerned about at any given time.
I鈥檝e been flying solo writing Continuing Drama shows for a year now - having flown the Academy nest. Each script has been a completely different experience and I鈥檓 still enjoying the process. The workload has been about right - with space to breathe (I got a repro 1940鈥檚 swing dress pattern for Easter.. if I don鈥檛 craft I die) and I鈥檝e enough guaranteed work to know I won鈥檛 starve next Christmas.
Life is good.
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