Page 1 of What`s left to do with you life?

This is mainly aimed at us oldies (30 onwards).

After reading Rik`s I`m back message, where he talks about the film he`s made and that it`s going to be screened etc. So I was wondering, are you happy and content with your life? Or do you still have an ambition you have yet to fulfill?

As I am quickly approaching my thirtieth birthday, mine is that l want to get a book published. The idea has been stewing in my head for five years now, and yet I haven`t wrote a single word yet.

I just seize up, get writers block, and also my grammar and writing skills, isn`t up to scratch, which I think could work to my advantage, if I want to reflect on the society we live in, I mean Irvin Welsh got away with it, when he wrote Trainspotting.

I get put of though when I see people like Will Self, Stephen Fry, Dave Goreman, and I think, `God I could never be as good as them`. And that`s where I lose confidence in myself.

Anyway enough of me rambling what about you lot?

floyd


DVD collection & WANTED list

I`ve got more or less the same burning ambition (well, a burning sensation at any rate, but I don`t think it`s anything to do with my writing). I`ve been writing for most of my life (nearly thirty out of forty-one years), but in recent years I`ve had other things to do and the writing`s gone on the back burner. Unfortunately, I once showed some of my work to an (ex) friend who torpedoed my self confidence and I never tried submitting any work to publishers after that. Since I`ve been contributing here, I`ve been taking my writing more seriously and I`m toying with a project to do a "Duffer`s Guide" to DVD, then I might have a go at getting some of my fiction work written.

Don`t let yourself fall into the same trap. If you`ve got a dream to write, then go for it. The worst that can happen is getting a rejection slip and there are published writers who can paper a room with past rejection slips.

Writer`s block is nothing. Get yourself a biro and a notebook and just jot ideas and thoughts down in it. Wherever and whenever you think of them. Try freewriting (I think that`s the term) - just write down whatever pops into your head and keep going for a set amount of time (say a minute). You might write crap, you might write something that`ll earn you the Booker prize (especially if you fancy emulating Irvin Welsh). Then key it into your wordprocessor where you can George Lucas around with the words to your heart`s content (but regularly backup under different file names so you can go back to something you deleted last week).

Figure out your writing style and genre - what you want to write and how you want to write it. Don`t worry about grammar, that`s what editors are for. Don`t let anybody cramp your style. Write to feel comfortable. Read it out aloud to yourself and if you don`t cringe, you`ve nailed it. Most of all have fun. You`ll have days when you refer to it as "that f*cking book", but I suspect that may have been the working title of most of the Harry Potter books at one time or another.

J Mark Oates

If you let people that "bash" your work affect you, you`ll get nowhere. You should listen to their criticism and value it, even if you think they`re being malicious.

I`m currently in the same boat as Rik, filmmaking, so I know what he has gone through (well, I`ve done lots of short films, but not a 90 minute feature! :o ). I`m killing time at College learning all the technical details that will help me get a job in the Television or Film industry. But I`m also writing and developing independent projects, all of which would, at the very least, need a budget of a quarter million pound to shoot. So `external funds` is a new concept I`ll need to try and grasp, and I`ll also need 100 lucky horse shoes :/

Heck, loads - just can`t get off my behind to do anything.

I`m secretly hoping I get made redundant from the Civil Service, although it`s unlikely to happen in my department (despite the 100,000+ job cuts announced). I`ve got my 12 years in, so would qualify for (at the very least) a lump sum payment representing a year`s salary. It really would give me the kick up the jacksie that I need.

This would enable me to do a couple of years at University (I have a year and a half`s worth of credits) to get a psychology degree, and then move into practicing or teaching it (or better still, both).

In terms of writing a book, I too have dreams of getting the time to nail something down.

Erm, and meeting a beautiful woman is still in there somewhere, but I`m not holding my breath on that one :D

===========================

Clayts, Moderator, DVD Reviewer
UK webmaster for Area 450 the independent Sampo/Maxent DVD site

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and also my grammar and writing skills, isn`t up to scratch

Ye can say that again mate ! :/ :p ;)

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What`s left to do with you life?

I had to do something?....why didnt anyone tell me...oh well it can wait a day or 4.

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If you let people that "bash" your work affect you, you`ll get nowhere. You should listen to their criticism and value it, even if you think they`re being malicious.

Bashing is one thing. Getting spurious advice from somebody whose judgement and opinion you respect, then realising ten years on they were mindf*cking you. That`s another.

J Mark Oates

I`ve written short stories and screenplays in the past - I enjoyed writing them, and the more you do, the better you get. I have only ever finished one screenplay, because I felt the others weren`t up to scratch: the thing is, by the time I nailed that one, I realised the others acted as great experience. I filmed it a month later and now it`s awaiting release. :)

Don`t let others put you down - some people, close to me, knocked the screenplay but now really like it as a film. Sure, that`s specific to filmmaking, but remember that one person`s opinion can be the complete opposite to someone else`s. Try and write what you know and in your own style. I have plans to write a novel myself in a few years after I`ve completed some more films.

And, when you do complete your opus, send it out to as many people as possible. You will get rejected from some/most, but then again I wouldn`t be surprised if one or more ran with your book. Good luck!


My DVD Collection ¦ My Top 20 Films

Im in the process of writing a sit-com. Ive got hundreds of great situations and gags (if i do say so myself) that can be related to so many situations. Ive writen the first episode about six times, but the situation always sounds (to me anyway) a bit cliched. Once i find a good way to deliver the material, im gold baby!

And, on a slightly more personal note, my mates and i were having a good old booze up the other day when my mate jon got out his guitar. We had a good old rockin kareoke sesh. SAbbath, Maiden, GnR, the lot. Hes a brilliant guitairist and i asked him how long he took to be that good. He said it took him about 5 years to be able to play anything he wanted to or came into his head so I thought `Well im 25, its summatt to do before 30`. As people in their late 20`s tend to.

So in summary (for those who skim the posts):

I want to get a sit-com aired

I want to learn to play the guitar before im 30.

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What`s left to do with you life?
I wish I knew! Midlife crisis going on here. :/