This article is not for you.
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| Dead Poets' Society (1989) |
I
suspect there’s also many of us who are strongly driven to write, perhaps are
brimming with ideas, or things to say, and even have had some success with
writing before, yet somehow our writing goals keep slipping to the bottom of a
long list of things to do. You’re not finishing that rewrite that needs doing
or starting that project you’ve been thinking about for years. Or perhaps you
have a drawer filled with scripts that you barely send out to anyone. And if
that doesn’t gnaw away at you, so be it. But if there remains an insistent
voice within that won’t lie down and be smothered, maybe it’s time to work on removing
the pillow.
There
are often good reasons we don’t write. There are only so many hours in a week
and if you’re juggling full time work, care responsibilities or other complex
relationships or commitments, time can get squeezed. Writing is hard, and you
may feel that if you can’t give the time to do the job properly, why do it at
all. But then you see other people, maybe even with similar challenges, getting
things done! Lean in to them I say, and take note. Get chatting with writers
who’ve cracked the code and ask them how they do it. What are their routines
and secrets? With insight and inspiration from others we can find our own
answer.
One
of the keys to getting things done as a writer is accountability. If someone is
waiting to read a script or treatment of mine, whether they’re an employer, or
an exciting potential collaborator, I’ll prioritise this work and deliver. It’s
a collaborative medium and deadlines, and potential for momentum, are excellent motivators. I previously managed to get a new feature screenplay written,
and a director and producer interested to board, within less than a year. Driven by the
fact I was pitching, from concept, to a director I wanted to attract, (as well
as by something I was passionate to express). You may have an agent waiting for
your latest piece, or a script editor you’re working with, but if you’re flying
solo how do you create momentum?
There are many ways to seek out accountability and at the beginning of 2020, network member Katy Segrove launched a new option with her company Pick Up Your Pen. Her express purpose is to coach writers to overcome their blocks, develop a writing habit, and start promoting themselves and their work. Ironically, (considering what arrived by March 2020), I began that year determined to get out there, get meetings, raise my profile, and restore momentum. Aware of the benefits of accountability I got in contact with Katy to try out her new offer. What a blessing to have someone to bounce your thoughts and plans off, someone with whom to discuss strategy and agree tasks and deadlines.
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| Katy Segrove, Pick Up Your Pen |
At the time I was diverted by too many different ideas and directions and not sure what to focus on. Katy assigned me a task to help score and rank my options, as well as to work on overall goals and plans. I prioritised the April deadline for the Red Planet Prize and turned a book idea I had into a pitch for a 4-part thriller for ITV. With the previous feature as a sample, this pitch made the final 4% of entries. It was great encouragement to place well in such a competitive contest. Much needed in a year that turned out instead to be one of lockdown and unprecedented retreat. I sent the pitch to a development executive I knew, for his thoughts. He was interested and I got to work expanding the proposal, which he then sent up the line. Exciting momentum again, and though the project didn’t make it past the boss, I now have a strong series proposal to start me on the road to writing the pilot and approaching other companies.
The
pandemic took its toll. Parents like Katy and I were suddenly living alongside
our children 24/7, including home schooling. We were forced to put a pin in the
coaching for a while and only recently have I revisited Katy to talk to her for
this review. She has steadily been building the business and working with
clients, alongside her own screenwriting. Her success stories include a client
who was planning to write a book for 10 years and with Katy she finally got
down to work and got it done. Another client who had a huge block in sending
out work, finally overcame this to secure an agent and was accepted onto a
prestigious development scheme. The talent is there to be unlocked and Katy
says she finds it rewarding to help writers who are struggling, as she once
was. Writing can be a ‘deep need that won’t go away and can cause you so much
angst if you want to write but can’t do it’. Its hugely satisfying to help
clients give themselves permission to write, build their self-belief and
develop positive habits. Ambitious clients most often need accountability to
help get work done and self-market, as well as in tackling their inner critic.
Katy’s
way into writing was in children’s animation, where she has developed series
with teams, pitched across international markets, and written many episodes for
other shows over the last few years. However, for a long time she lacked the
confidence to begin. She learned about positive psychology and productivity and
helped herself over her blocks. She also utilised this knowledge to encourage
positive mental habits for children in her series, as well as for clients
through Pick Up Your Pen.
The issue of what stands in the way of creativity is a complex one. This summer I visited a church at Dartmouth castle where they had a shelf of second-hand books available for a donation. Top of the pile was the well known book The Artists Way, recommended to me years ago. It seemed evident that the time had come for me to take a look. The opening chapters are a revealing insight into this subject and there was a mention of something recognisable, that the author called, ‘shadow artists’. This is people who work alongside creatives in jobs such as publisher, editor, agent, script developer and more, supporting the work of other artists while sometimes side-lining their own creativity. There can be a lot of overlap between the work of developers and writers, and if you know how to wear the right hat at the right time, that can be a highly productive and positive thing. But if you’re neglecting your own voice, that’s a problem. If that applies to you, maybe it’s time to unpick those restraints, stand up, out of the shadows and be heard.
You
can read more about the work of Katy Segrove and Pick up Your Pen on her
website. And if you'd like to kick start your writing this autumn, Katy is offering a 10% discount to network members for October 2022, just quote the code: 'In Development'.
