It's a Goal!

October, the clocks change it gets dark and Halloween plods around the corner to trick, or treat the unsuspecting writer. It's one of those times when, frankly, hibernation looks good and the idea of buckling down to get anything done is something you laugh at as you curl up on the sofa with the bumper size goodies you bought for the kids, a good book and if all else fails, the remote control and a laptop.

Well, it is remote working, sort of.

No! Stop! Not good enough!

Where is that LSF energy? Your Wonder Woman pants may be in the wash but that's not a good excuse to not do anything. It is cold. It is dark but it is the perfect time to start not only writing but setting goals for 2019.

There's no point waiting until the bells toll on January 1st. It's six weeks on from the high that is the Screenwriters Festival and a great time to assess where you are at and what you would like to achieve at the same time.

Many of us have 'Twisted 50 - Volume 2' ,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twisted-50-serving-contemporary-shockers-ebook/dp/B07HY97B2Z

'The Singularity' ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Singularity-collection-provoking-literature-technology-ebook/dp/B07HY7Q4Y1)

...or 'The Impact' entries out there to give us a boost but what if you weren't brave enough to enter and think 'I could have been a contender'?

It's not too late to buckle down and get writing!

I was too timid to enter 'The Impact' and have two shorts ready to submit should the window re-open. It's all about attitude and having the confidence to put yourself out there.

London helped me see where others were in their writing journeys and although you can't compare yourself to others it made me think; (a) What have I done? (b) What would I like to do ? and (c) Where would I like to be by 2020 and the tenth anniversary of the festival?

The answer for me was to push to get a short film made. So, tentatively, my goal for the end of 2018 to 2019 is to put out feelers and see if that can be achieved. This has led me to enter a couple of competitions where I can get log-lines up on sites to make them visible. I've had a live read recorded at LAFFF (and hope to have a copy to post here by the end of the month) and have also spoken to several producers off the back of my micro-short winning it's category for August '18 at Berlin Flash Film Festival. The feedback has really boosted my ego and encouraged me to not only have a bash and enter other script competitions but to take criticism on the chin, good, or bad, either way it's a learning curve.

Where it would normally be me hiding like a shrinking violet at the back of the crowd, I've reminded myself that we are all human and it doesn't hurt to ask. This has led to three, or four conversations with producers, e-mails back and forth and even a Skype call due to happen. None of that would be possible without girding the old loins and putting myself out there which I put down to encouragement instilled from LSF and the network of peers that it provides to writers.

Like Bob Hoskins said 'It's good to talk', ask... and ape Robert the Bruce 'to try, try and try again'. That's the difference between the people who dream of doing something and those who actually do.

Will I get somewhere? Who knows?

At the end of the day, it's all down to mindset, tenacity and having a goal. Okay, it may often go in the back of your own net but on the days it doesn't, it feels like that banana kick from 'Escape to Victory' and who wouldn't want to feel that victory!

Happy Writing! Off for a banana!