Writing

Life’s been a bit quiet round here of late, what with one thing and another.

One of the bits that’s reduced my writing time here has been the Short Script Competition for the London Screenwriter’s Festival , whose deadline was today. (In a couple of hours, in fact)

I’d had an idea for the project, which I wrote in CeltX (again) and wanted to get finished and submitted. And today I got it all done, dusted and submitted.

I don’t know how it’ll do – no idea at all, to be honest – but regardless, I’m happy with having completed it and got it in for the deadline. Even if nothing at all comes of it, it’s another idea completed, written, and submitted.

That makes it the second script (admittedly, short script) completed and submitted to competitions this year. My writing plan for 2010 was to get at least one – and hopefully more – bits written, and I’ve done that. I’m not going to stop there- there’s still a lot to write and a lot of ideas in my head – but at least I’m doing it now. It’s taken far too long to get to this point.


Mongrels, BBC3

One of my favourite shows currently on BBC3 is a very strange and very rude comedy programme called Mongrels. It’s on tonight at 10:30 and is (in my opinion) well worth a watch. Of course, your views may vary.

For me, though, a bizarre puppet show with swearing foxes, offensive (and vain) poodles, randy streetcats and a psychotic pigeon is always going to be worth a punt. The sheer number of ideas – and the abusive nature of most of it – is awesome, and leaves both of us wondering how the hell the entire programme got made in the BBCs current super-correct hyper-non-offensive atmosphere.

Oh – and Christopher Biggins as God.

I’m so getting the DVD when it comes out in August…


One Word

A while back, someone (I can’t now remember who) drew my attention to the “My One Word” screenwriting competition, which really appealed to me.

MY ONE WORD is inspired by the proverb “a picture is worth a thousand words” and we want to inspire you to create fresh, powerful stories using images and just one word.

MY ONE WORD focuses the power of visual storytelling by creating a series of short movies with only one word. If you love to write, this is your chance to show off your talents!

All told, I’ve submitted two pieces to this competition- I don’t know if either one will get anywhere, but it’s worth at least a try.

The first one uses just one word, but used several times. It’s a bit derivative, but the idea’s there and would (I think) work.

The second one uses just one word. That’s it. The rest of the story is visual.

In their own ways I’m pleased with both submissions. They’re very different – which I’m pleased about – and (I hope) different enough to stand out. Of course on that score I could be completely talking out of my backside. We’ll see.

More importantly, it means I’ve completed two short screenplay things. Very short, admittedly – about three mins each – but completed, submitted, and out in the Big Wide World. Should make life interesting.


Mouse Design

Via Yanko Design (which in this case isn’t the best of names) comes this new design of mouse

A mouse that looks like a ... Cameron?

Yes, it does look like that. Intentionally.

Some people really need to get out more.


I’m just a posh boy

Saw this today and loved it. Now if only we could get the Conservatives to use it…

David Cameron as Freddie Mercury

The kind of thing Photoshop was meant to be used for (Click to embiggenify)


Bunnies

Sometimes it’s really quite scary seeing just how disturbing some bunnysuits are.

Bizarrely, I was doing some research on a writing idea to get me to that site.  That’s quite worrying in itself…


Conflict and Surrender

It won’t give up, it wants me dead
Goddamn this noise inside my head

© Nine Inch Nails, “The Becoming”, Downward Spiral album

That’s not quite where I am at the moment – but somehow it still seems to be the best lyric for describing things at the moment.

I’ve written before about my regular issues and history with depression, and the way I normally fight my way through it. Recently though, that’s not been the case. If I’m honest, the last three or four years have involved fighting, but only getting to an impasse, a holding action to keep ground, rather than a victory.

I’ve made lots of plans, and had the intention to do things. It’s just that I never seem to find the time or the final motivation to get them done.  I keep on trying, and I keep on failing – and at the moment there’s no good reason for Why. I just don’t get to it. That final bit, that final push, is missing, AWOL.

So I’m working on getting through it, but I’m also going to go a different route this time. I’ve a doctor’s appointment in a couple of weeks time, and I’m going to aim to get some anti-depressants. Not something I’m overly happy about, but I think it’s time for me to try them again.

I had a very negative experience with them many moons ago, so I have some really serious reservations about them. But if I can give them a go and they work, so be it. If not, it’s another avenue tried and I need to find other options. But at least I’ll be trying the avenues this time.