“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” - Jurgen Klopp on Arsene Wenger.
It might seem strange that I'm using a quote about football to begin this. My intention is not to annoy Arsenal fans - although that's fine if I do - but to begin this blog in the way that makes most sense to me.
After a successful application in this year's Drama Window I asked the Writersroom if I could write something about my experience in the hope of encouraging people who are considering applying to the next one. Having been unsuccessful in my first application (2016) I thought it could be helpful to know what I changed.
The 2017 Drama Room writers
I've spent the last ten years working as a musician. I'm used to writing song lyrics. I've always had a fairly monomaniacal obsession with telling stories and always tried to tell them in the songs I wrote. There was always something of a conflict with what I wanted to say and the strict form of the music. I had to find words that fit. The melody always came first. In 2016 I decided to try a new form of writing, and given how much television I watched it seemed the obvious choice. It was a natural transition. I had the room to say what I really wanted.
I looked online for opportunities and came across the Writersroom. I read every single script I could find. I learnt about acts and scenes and structure. I wrote my first script with the 主播大秀 in mind. I could imagine my parents watching it on a Sunday night. I could see the opening credits in my head. I perfected the dialogue for the audience. I put it all together in a very neat and tidy way, like a conductor precisely waving my hands for the orchestra. It got rejected at the very first stage.
I told myself that the whole process was a con. It was about who you know, and as I didn't know anyone at the 主播大秀 I didn't stand a chance. I was very dejected and consoled myself by dramatically declaring I had been shanghaied. I couldn't understand why my script, which seemed so perfect for the 主播大秀, had been rejected. I didn't write another script for a year.
Then, after some time of quietly simmering, I came across the quotation I began with. For some reason it seemed to make perfect sense to me. I had been so concerned with doing everything right, with giving them exactly what they were looking for, that I had written a silent song.
The trouble with that, of course, is the one thing they're really looking for - my voice - had disappeared.
I put that quote above my desk and began again. I resolved to write Heavy Metal Television. They might not like my voice, but they would at least listen to it this time. I resolved to make it louder, to scream at them.
The script I came up with was very dark. I had a scene with pseudonecrophilia. I had a scene with suicide. I had more "f*cks" than beats. I basically wrote something I thought was wildly inappropriate to submit to the 主播大秀. In truth, I very nearly didn't even bother. This script was for me and no one else.
If you've read this far you'll not be surprised to know this was the script that got me a place on the Drama Room. I'm not suggesting you scream instead of sing. I'm not saying you need to be gratuitously shocking to get noticed. I'm simply saying you should not be concerned with writing what you think they're looking for. I believe what matters the most is finding the music which best suits your own voice. You need the key that lets you sing the loudest.
I wanted to put this down to encourage you. You do not need to know anyone at the 主播大秀 to get a place. You should not write the story you think they want, only the story you want to tell.
Enjoy.