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Post by timegirl on May 25, 2021 0:16:02 GMT
Just finished my first draft😊 I have a very good feeling about this🤞
Even just thinking about this story made me a bit misty eyed.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2021 8:36:04 GMT
Oops! Keep forgetting to share this from Harry Draper himself!
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2021 9:48:49 GMT
Best of luck to everyone who is entering! At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I'd like to share a few tips that I personally found helped me a lot last year. Feel free to disregard if they don't resonate with you - every writer's process is different. 4. Keep your idea simple (as thirty minutes is relatively short run time), and consider whether there are any characters you can cut or combine. For example, a very early draft of my synopsis had Martha accompanying the Tenth Doctor, until I realised there was effectively nothing for her to do. So she was cut. Sorry Martha! Thank you so much, Eugenie! They'll definitely come in handy for my entry. And I'd no idea that you initially featured Martha Jones in Free Speech! |
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2021 10:06:52 GMT
Just finished my first draft😊 I have a very good feeling about this🤞 Even just thinking about this story made me a bit misty eyed. What a coincidence! I managed finished a draft synopsis, earlier this morning. If you're interested, I'm more than happy to exchange entries for feedback. Feel free to DM me!  |
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Post by butler on May 26, 2021 7:34:02 GMT
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
My goal this year is not to over-edit. Last year I re-worked my entry so many times that the words stopped meaning anything, and I ended up not noticing some rather clunky phrasing in the opening paragraph.
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Post by butler on May 26, 2021 10:05:58 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? No inside knowledge here, but it's probably a legal thing. Some writers/actors have signed off on this particular use of their characters and some haven't (you'll notice those are all RTD companions, for one thing). I think that's why K9 is excluded as well - someone else owns the rights to his depictions. |
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Post by eugeniep on May 26, 2021 11:59:05 GMT
Oops! Keep forgetting to share this from Harry Draper himself! All of this is excellent advice. I'm not sure if Harry frequents these boards, but if you do Harry, you're a wise man! I'd also like to echo the message on the last page - even if you don't fall into the general demographic of past winners, don't let that put you off entering! And remember too, it's a world wide contest, not just for people in the UK (I'm an Aussie myself), so anyone can enter. |
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2021 21:58:04 GMT
All of this is excellent advice. I'm not sure if Harry frequents these boards, but if you do Harry, you're a wise man! I'd also like to echo the message on the last page - even if you don't fall into the general demographic of past winners, don't let that put you off entering! And remember too, it's a world wide contest, not just for people in the UK (I'm an Aussie myself), so anyone can enter. He's not a member of the forum, I'm afraid, but I've managed to recommend him the Paul Spragg ReCollections anthology. And I always look forward to hearing whoever entries get picked in the end, just like with all previous winners. |
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Post by J.A. Prentice on May 27, 2021 7:43:18 GMT
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.My goal this year is not to over-edit. Last year I re-worked my entry so many times that the words stopped meaning anything, and I ended up not noticing some rather clunky phrasing in the opening paragraph. I end up at this point on every project that gets to that stage. The trick I use is to step away from the work and come back to it in a little while with fresh eyes, so I'm seeing the story, not just words and punctuation. Sometimes even just a couple days or a week will do it. I don't know if this will work for you or anyone else, but hopefully someone finds it helpful. (The other trick, of course, is to learn to let the story go and not sweat the imperfections. Still haven't mastered that one.) |
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2021 8:55:52 GMT
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.My goal this year is not to over-edit. Last year I re-worked my entry so many times that the words stopped meaning anything, and I ended up not noticing some rather clunky phrasing in the opening paragraph. I end up at this point on every project that gets to that stage. The trick I use is to step away from the work and come back to it in a little while with fresh eyes, so I'm seeing the story, not just words and punctuation. Sometimes even just a couple days or a week will do it. I don't know if this will work for you or anyone else, but hopefully someone finds it helpful. (The other trick, of course, is to learn to let the story go and not sweat the imperfections. Still haven't mastered that one.) I'll echo this. It's the problem of seeing too many solitary trees and missing the wider forest. Best advice I can give as an editor (given to me by another editor): When in doubt, after finishing a first draft -- sleep on it. There are things that the brain catches following a good night's rest that it won't from a full day's labour. |
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Post by butler on May 28, 2021 7:41:25 GMT
Oops, just meant to jot down a couple of lines and accidentally wrote my whole opening page. On the one hand, yay! On the other hand, there goes three hours and any hope of getting much done with the thing I was SUPPOSED to be working on today.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2021 0:41:26 GMT
This reminded me of a fairly common dynamic in Creative Writing that can cause a bit of anxiety if you're not aware of it:  The first are known colloquially as Plotters (remember, remember, the 5th of November--oh, god, the deadline's here already), the second as Pantsers (as in, "by the electric-blue flaming seat of") and the third doesn't really have a name, but is probably a state of being you've encountered before if you're a longtime writer. It looks like this:  But whether you're a Plotter, a Pantser or dealing with a Fizzgig of a tale, don't worry. There is no One True Way to develop a story. Some respond better to structure, others to a complete lack of it. There is no objectively "better" or "worse" option. Don't feel as though you have to restrict yourself to one camp, either. It's not unusual to migrate between the two approaches. If you get stuck, try reversing the polarity and writing it with the other method. |
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Post by butler on Jun 2, 2021 5:21:51 GMT
I think I'm about done with mine. If anyone else has finished their entry, would you interested in doing a swap for proofreading?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2021 7:00:32 GMT
I think I'm about done with mine. If anyone else has finished their entry, would you interested in doing a swap for proofreading? I've finished my synopsis and made a start on the opening excerpt. Would you mind if I show you an early draft? |
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Post by butler on Jun 2, 2021 9:38:56 GMT
Absolutely! I'm heading home from work now (it's dark out and I'm alone in the building!  ) but I'll read through it and send you mine after dinner. |
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Post by theillusiveman on Jun 2, 2021 9:57:07 GMT
A quick refresher on preferred guidelines from ex-producer Ian (a lot of these have shown to still be applicable, and they're just good story pointers too): 1) Story must be emotionally moving. Preferably with some type of extra 'kick' at the end to really hit it home i.e. the daughter in Forever Fallen. 2) Intimate over epic, and character driven. A chance to really get inside someone's head, and it doesn't have to be the Doctor or companion. 3) Optimistic. Not necessarily sappy or a happy happy ending, but something to do with overcoming or perservering. 4) Ideally, not a comedy or too 'jokey'. The implication being it's not appropriate for a memorial competition, and the writer comes off as not taking the opportunity seriously. 5) Proof read/read aloud so nothing is unintelligible or clumsy. 6) Death and bereavement, while effective, were a really common theme in submissions, and made reading them more emotionally taxing, given the contest's tragic origins. 7) Smaller to larger amounts of submissions per writer. Try to restrain down to 1, 2 max, and save the others that don't fit the above for a future Temporal Logbook or other Who opportunity. You know i have an idea for a Short Trip but these "guidelines' make it extremely confusing, frustrating and limiting that i am thinking why bother considering entering
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Jun 2, 2021 10:39:11 GMT
A quick refresher on preferred guidelines from ex-producer Ian (a lot of these have shown to still be applicable, and they're just good story pointers too): 1) Story must be emotionally moving. Preferably with some type of extra 'kick' at the end to really hit it home i.e. the daughter in Forever Fallen. 2) Intimate over epic, and character driven. A chance to really get inside someone's head, and it doesn't have to be the Doctor or companion. 3) Optimistic. Not necessarily sappy or a happy happy ending, but something to do with overcoming or perservering. 4) Ideally, not a comedy or too 'jokey'. The implication being it's not appropriate for a memorial competition, and the writer comes off as not taking the opportunity seriously. 5) Proof read/read aloud so nothing is unintelligible or clumsy. 6) Death and bereavement, while effective, were a really common theme in submissions, and made reading them more emotionally taxing, given the contest's tragic origins. 7) Smaller to larger amounts of submissions per writer. Try to restrain down to 1, 2 max, and save the others that don't fit the above for a future Temporal Logbook or other Who opportunity. You know i have an idea for a Short Trip but these "guidelines' make it extremely confusing, frustrating and limiting that i am thinking why bother considering entering
If you explained which are confusing, members could help you out?
(Though it should be stated these are just preferred, rather than absolute or binding - if you have an idea you believe in and you're not breaking copyright, you can still try it). |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2021 12:01:28 GMT
You know i have an idea for a Short Trip but these "guidelines' make it extremely confusing, frustrating and limiting that i am thinking why bother considering entering
If you explained which are confusing, members could help you out? (Though it should be stated these are just preferred, rather than absolute or binding - if you have an idea you believe in and you're not breaking copyright, you can still try it). 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.
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Post by theillusiveman on Jun 2, 2021 12:46:08 GMT
If you explained which are confusing, members could help you out? (Though it should be stated these are just preferred, rather than absolute or binding - if you have an idea you believe in and you're not breaking copyright, you can still try it). 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
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2021 13:38:32 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
Sometimes a Short Trip can have shocking plot twists with highly emotional moments, such as rage or grief. But they should only be applied when it's really necessary, and not forced. Same goes for humour, always make sure that it relates to the situation. |
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) but I'll read through it and send you mine after dinner.