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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2021 3:23:36 GMT
It can look intimidating, but there are only really a few hard rules (to do with licencing and things of that nature), as follows: - You can use the First through Twelfth Doctors (barring the War Doctor) set within the timeline of the show;
- You can use all existing Classic Series companions (barring K9), including those developed for Big Finish;
- You can only use Rose, Martha and Donna from the New Series;
- You cannot create your own companion (i.e. they can't hop aboard the TARDIS at the end), and;
- You cannot use preexisting monsters (Daleks, Cybermen, etc.) or established characters (e.g. Counter-Measures, Jago and Litefoot, et al.).
Other than that, the universe is your oyster. The rest of the guidelines, as listed by Nucleus from Ian Atkins (the guy who kickstarted the Spragg), are more recommendations on what tended to resonate most with the judges. With a lot of competitions, authors submit blind without knowing what their audience's preferences are, this is a bit of insight into that. Distilled down, a story for the competition will tend to catch their eye if it: - Has emotional resonance and makes the listener feel;
- Uses a small cast;
- Steers clear of relentless extremes in tone (e.g. a story can be dark, but preferably not bleak);
- Is submitted with a layer of polish (solid grammar, spelling and coherency), and;
- Is preferably your best submission because you can only pitch that story once.
I Guess thats my issue what i wanted to write was quite a heartbreaking drama featuring The 8th Doctor and i guess i thought that the rules above were that they couldnt
have darker toned stories
Yeah, as Drama Man says, it's all about striking a balance. Forever Fallen, for instance, has quite a heartwrenching conclusion to it. It's very logical and very real, but there's a sense of emotional release to it. It's not a happy ending, but a good ending, if that makes sense. Things have the potential to get better and we get to see that to some extent, too. The reality leans more towards optimism than pessimism.
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Post by eugeniep on Jun 3, 2021 12:41:53 GMT
FWIW, my take on it is that there needs to be - at the very least - some speck of hope at the end of the story. Forever Fallen is a great example, as Wolfie said. Even though the ending is heart-wrenching, there is a note of positivity with regards to how the main character's daughter turns out.
I'd also recommend treading extremely carefully if you want to use subject matter that some listeners may find disturbing - for example, suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, rape, murder, etc. My experience has been that Big Finish prefer stories which are more family friendly. Case in point: my first draft of 'Free Speech' had Aymius attend a cocktail party at Helena's house. Following feedback from from Big Finish, I changed it to a soiree instead, to avoid overtly referring to people drinking alcohol in a Doctor Who story.
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Post by timegirl on Jun 3, 2021 13:08:44 GMT
I have my script excerpt just about ready but I keep going back and forth on weather I should put the entire plot synopsis on the summary or just a just a general short plot overview?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2021 17:28:00 GMT
I have my script excerpt just about ready but I keep going back and forth on weather I should put the entire plot synopsis on the summary or just a just a general short plot overview? There's no need. The full synopsis is the summary/overview of your entry.
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Post by timegirl on Jun 3, 2021 17:46:49 GMT
I have my script excerpt just about ready but I keep going back and forth on weather I should put the entire plot synopsis on the summary or just a just a general short plot overview? There's no need. The full synopsis is the summary/overview of your entry. Good point 😊
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2021 18:10:45 GMT
Yeah, as Drama Man says, it's all about striking a balance. Forever Fallen, for instance, has quite a heartwrenching conclusion to it. It's very logical and very real, but there's a sense of emotional release to it. It's not a happy ending, but a good ending, if that makes sense. Things have the potential to get better and we get to see that to some extent, too. The reality leans more towards optimism than pessimism. FWIW, my take on it is that there needs to be - at the very least - some speck of hope at the end of the story. Forever Fallen is a great example, as Wolfie said. Even though the ending is heart-wrenching, there is a note of positivity with regards to how the main character's daughter turns out. I'd also recommend treading extremely carefully if you want to use subject matter that some listeners may find disturbing - for example, suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, rape, murder, etc. My experience has been that Big Finish prefer stories which are more family friendly. Case in point: my first draft of 'Free Speech' had Aymius attend a cocktail party at Helena's house. Following feedback from from Big Finish, I changed it to a soiree instead, to avoid overtly referring to people drinking alcohol in a Doctor Who story. Very helpful advice from both Eugenie and Wolfie. What I love about the winning Short Trips is that they don't have happy endings, which I consider to be cliched. Not really appropriate for an entry that emphasises more on drama and character-driven elements. And Eugenie makes an excellent point on stories having to be more family friendly, since that's what DW should always be intended; even with the occasional shift towards a darker tone, only when it's really necessary.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2021 18:14:53 GMT
Basically, don’t make it the Caves of Androzani of Short trips. Theres a time and place for that but this isn’t that basically.
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Post by timegirl on Jun 5, 2021 0:52:58 GMT
Just submitted my entry 😊
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jun 5, 2021 11:30:49 GMT
So new who companions with the exception of Rose, Donna and Martha are excluded? Why what’s wrong with say using Captain Jack or Jackson Lake or any of the Moffatt era companions? I know, I wish I could use Clara as a featured character 😔 You're not alone
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Jun 9, 2021 8:52:38 GMT
BF Twitter reminder: There is 3 weeks left.
Best of luck to all,I have great respect for those who enter.
:-)
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Post by horatiowatson on Jun 14, 2021 13:32:32 GMT
Sixteen days to go, kids. I thought my entry was just about done but gave it to some others (some of whom are also entering) to get feedback. Their comments were really helpful so I reworked my synopsis, streamlined the plot and strengthened the themes. It's now a thousand times better.
I'm back at the point where I'm ready to submit it but terrified that some last second feedback or new idea will pop up after I've sent it off. But it's also distracting me from other work so need to get it gone really.
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Post by timegirl on Jun 17, 2021 17:53:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2021 21:29:04 GMT
That's quite a nice spread of creative talent this year. Looks as though the winner of the competition will see their story debut sometime over Christmas. Funny how this year started with concerns about whether or not the competition would be happening at all. It looks as though Big Finish have been using those extra few weeks to their best advantage. It's only a fortnight to go, folks, best of luck to all involved!
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jun 17, 2021 21:53:19 GMT
As a reminder, this and prior Paul Spragg threads are loaded with writing tips and advice if you need them (links to everything back on page 1 of this thread). If you're stuck in rewrites; here's a video from Reedsy where veteran authors give you their ways through: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x2Q5WWSH3U
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Jun 18, 2021 9:23:10 GMT
I wonder how many people on this forum are entering? If so- massive "Best of luck", represent the forum !
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2021 9:40:58 GMT
That's quite a nice spread of creative talent this year. Looks as though the winner of the competition will see their story debut sometime over Christmas. Funny how this year started with concerns about whether or not the competition would be happening at all. It looks as though Big Finish have been using those extra few weeks to their best advantage. It's only a fortnight to go, folks, best of luck to all involved! So proud that Emily Cook and Rob Shearman are among the judges once again, as a fan of their works. Creativity is always important when you present your own pitches and writing samples with unique and distinctive ideas. But in the end, non-winning entries are still achievements.
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jun 18, 2021 19:43:04 GMT
So apologies to theotherjosh, but way back in 2017, he said this when he offered advice on STs, and I think it's worth resharing here for those who are still unsure:
Remember the format
This gets down to somewhat subjective territory, but I'm of the opinion that the format of the Short Trips range lends itself to a different kind of story. I don't think Forever Fallen would have worked as a full-length story, but I'm happy with how it came out as a shorter, character-driven piece. Listen to earlier Short Trips to get an idea for how they differ from Monthly Range stories, and look at the summaries for the upcoming stories, to make sure you're not duplicating something already in the pipeline.
Refine it
I tend to be a plan your work and work your plan kind of guy, and because of that, when I finally did submit the pitch. I had a good portion of the final script ready. I wanted to understand the story inside and out when putting together the initial summary. I figured the better I understood my story, the better I would be able to explain it to someone else. I was very lucky to have two very smart friends with whom I correspond daily. The general outline of the story remained essentially unchanged from its conception, but these two friends were great sounding boards for scenes and dialogue. By getting their perspective (one is a long time fan of the original series, the other a casual fan of the new series), I was able to refine what worked and what didn't.
Guy Adams gave a great interview on the TVCU podcast, where he talks about the challenges related to writing existing characters. You don't want to reduce them to catch-phrase spouting caricatures of themselves.
Tell the story that you want to hear
This is the biggie. I don't think "discouraged" is the best word to describe how I felt when I saw how much talent and enthusiasm was going into the other entries in the competition, but rather "intimidated", but even that has a more negative connotation than I want. What it came down to was that I didn't think I had a chance, and that was liberating in its own way. I didn't worry as much about trying to write the story I thought that Big Finish would want. I looked at the rules of the competition, and decided to write the story I wanted to tell in the way that I write, within the structure of those rules. I knew that I would regret it if I submitted something that was anything other than the story I wanted to tell. Doctor Who means different things to different people, so write about what it means to you, because you're the only one who can tell that story.
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Post by butler on Jun 19, 2021 11:16:05 GMT
Submitted! Props to Drama Man for proofreading, he picked up a few details I'd missed.
I managed to end my excerpt with the Doctor saying "My brain is under attack and I'm going to die!" If nothing else I hope that gets a laugh out of the judges. (I promise it sounds slightly less naff in context.)
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jun 19, 2021 12:12:14 GMT
11 days to go! Hope everyone's knuckling down. If you find yourself struggling with your character, thinking that something's 'just not clicking', here's a suggestion from C. Robert Cargill:
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2021 12:54:30 GMT
11 days to go! Hope everyone's knuckling down. If you find yourself struggling with your character, thinking that something's 'just not clicking', here's a suggestion from C. Robert Cargill: And a bit of advice from J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame for the flip side (the man who brought us Psi Corps and the Shadows):
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