Do It!
The sixth Ö÷²¥´óÐã Drama Writers Academy is now accepting submissions.
Kim Revill was part of the 2009 Drama Writers Academy, and here tells us what the course is like...
Was it really just a year ago that the adverts for the 2009 Writers Academy first appeared? It can't be. It's hard to believe how much my life has changed since then. I've just written an episode of EastEnders and am about to start on Casualty - pinching myself at regular intervals, naturally. Me? Writing for shows like this? British institutions? My name after the doof-doofs? All this was the stuff of idle dreams just 365 days ago.
Now, I'm like the Jehovah's Witness on every writer's doorstep; encouraging all the ones I know to apply. The Writers Academy is simply the most amazing and wonderful opportunity any writer could wish for. Anyone who wants to write continuing drama and doesn't apply needs to have a really, really good reason.
The first thing I tell anyone who asks, is if they really want to know what it's like, they should tune into Masterchef. How fortuitous that this current series coincides with the Academy application process? Seriously. I'm not kidding. The parallels are obvious. It's led by two charismatic hosts, who know their stuff. They select talented wannabes and teach them the basics, then set them loose in the professional environment. Sink or swim stuff. Like Greg Wallace says (or, rather, barks), "Cooking doesn't get tougher than this!" Neither does writing. "Whoever wins, it'll change their lives..." Oh, Mr Torode, you took the words right out of my mouth.
The Writers Academy felt a little like the X Factor boot camp, The Apprentice, just about every reality show you've pretended never to watch rolled into one and then some. And despite my enthusiasm for it now, there were times when I would rather have sung Whitney Houston in front of Simon Cowell or chomp kangaroo testicles in the Outback than write another Holby City guest story. In my dreams I have stared into the faces of Ant 'n'Dec and screeched ... I Don't Wanna Be a Writer Any More, Please Get Me Out of Here!!
But, as I keep telling anyone who'll listen - don't let that put you off. I am not quite the same person I was a year ago. I thought I was a writer before I went on the Academy. I wasn't. Not really. I was playing at it. Winging it with a knack for dialogue. Now I understand what stories are, why they work. Like a chef, you can't make a spectacular dish without at least understanding how the ingredients work together. Now I do. And we all start with the basic recipes, to which we all add our own individual touch. Okay, okay ... enough with the food analogies already ... here's my list of things to bear in mind, before, during and after the Academy experience.
1. Do it.
Apply I mean. Yes, I know you say you will. I know you intend to. But for those who count procrastination as their bestest friend in the whole wide world - and I include myself in that group - don't let anything stop you. As the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Recruitment database will testify, my application went in on the closing date last year; at the eleventh hour.
Of course, procrastinators always have a ready excuse. Many writers have told me that they haven't got a script to send. So write one! You're a writer, aren't you? If you want a career in continuing drama you need to get your head around working to a deadline and producing work within weeks rather than months. Get on with it.
2. Tell the Truth
It's one of the things that I learned on the Academy - that writing, that stories....they only work if they're true. True to the characters you write about and true to who you are. Never write what you think people expect or want you to write. It's creatively dishonest and, more importantly, you're selling yourself short. Contrary to what many who dismiss continuing drama as somehow 'inferior' to 'real' drama believe, this is not writing by numbers. When you're working on a continuing drama series, where much of the storyline has been designed before you start, you have to find the truth in that story and in the characters to make it work. So give yourself a headstart. Write from the heart NOW. Write the truth of what you see around you.
The script I sent in with my application was flawed. Structurally all over the place, but what I had done - and what I believe got me through the first sift and on to the long list - was that I had told the truth. I decided to tell the story I wanted to tell, about a world I knew, and I had something to say about. It wasn't a 'pretty' read. It certainly wasn't politically correct. But it was true.
3. Hard Graft
There's no magic bullet. No short cut. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Talent, welcome though it may be, can only get you so far. Hard work is what will transform your writing and move it forward. And there is no alternative. I have never worked so hard as I did during the Academy. Imagine condensing a degree course into three months, and you might get the idea. I know that some have suggested that a longer, part time course would be a better proposition. Despite the long dark nights sat in front of a blank screen, hurtling towards deadlines like a Tardis on full throttle, I disagree. I think the success of the Academy is in part due to the intensity of the experience. It forces you to focus. Not only on the task or assignment at hand, but on your relationship with your writing. Yes, you will be blinkered for those three months. Everything in your life will be seen through the prism of the Academy. I didn't think about anything but writing for those three months. That is a unique and delicious opportunity. Self-indulgent and unremittingly tough at the same time, but essential. I learned two things - that writing it is the only thing I want to do with my life. And that I needed to work hard. Harder than ever. I realised I'd been hamstrung before by my failure to grasp structure or pay enough attention to the mechanics of story. The Academy gave me the tools to understand story structure and thus to be able to tell the stories I want to tell. Thinking structurally has really transformed my approach to stories. I used to always get stuck... stories that began as promising ideas all too often fizzled out, ran out of steam, lurched to a grinding halt. Now I know how stories work, I can get out of those dead ends. Hard work and focus made that possible.
4. Persistence
Boring but true. As one seriously deficient in confidence, I often questioned my ability during the Academy. I was that close to walking away when the structural principles got the better of me. Nobody wants to be told where they've gone wrong, I know. But you will learn more from your failures than your successes. We had to learn to allow ourselves to mess up sometimes and not be paralysed by the fear of not getting it right. This was a liberation, and has proved an invaluable lesson when it came to working on the shows. Working in continuing drama is a collaborative process; it's not just about the writer. And you won't always get it perfect the first time, so don't tie yourself in knots trying to. It's a team effort. A script, however flawed, can be fixed. A blank page cannot.
5. Passion.
You have to love these shows. You can't fake it, however good an actor you think you are. You have to know and love the characters in Walford, Holby, and Letherbridge like you would your own family. The writers I've admired - and got to meet thanks to the Academy - Tony Jordan, Jimmy McGovern, Peter Bowker, Russell T Davies - they all write with incredible passion and love for their characters. That's what lifts their scripts above the average; makes them memorable, makes them entertaining, moving, heart-stopping episodes of television drama that live on. If you don't care about the series, or the characters, why do you think the audience will?
Ah, the audience. Yes. Them. You should be passionate about them too. Passionate and respectful. If you think the audience is some grey amorphous lump sat in front of the telly, brain disengaged, then you'll write grey, lumpy, undramatic scripts. The audience is intelligent, televisually-literate. It's a privilege to be allowed into millions of homes; to get the opportunity to entertain people.
6. Age
I know some of you are thinking that you may be too old for the Academy. It sounds like it should be filled with bright young things, doesn't it? I was the oldest on last year's Academy. I won't see forty again, but who cares? I definitely didn't have the stamina the twentysomethings did, but I never felt too old. I upped sticks from the Midlands and moved down south without a second thought. Just because you're middle-aged doesn't mean you aren't up for the challenge. In fact, I think being older makes you even more keen and focused. You don't have time to waste.
And, look at it this way, being on the planet an extra couple of decades has meant I've got twenty years more television watching under my belt! I would advise you to look after yourself though. Get plenty of sleep before you start. You'll need it.
I know I sound like a convert to the cult of the Academy, but that's because of the profound effect it's had on me and my writing. Of course, applying is no guarantee you'll be successful. It's a longshot. John and Ceri could fill the Academy several times over and still have writers knocking on the door. And not getting on, doesn't mean you're not a good writer. Remember that. Still, you should apply. If you love the shows, if you want to be a better writer, if you want to entertain millions of people - DO IT. DO IT NOW! Whatever happens, you won't regret it. That's one guarantee I can give.
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