Screenwriting: A kick up the backside

Last Monday I went to another screenwriting networking event run by Industrial Scripts. The talk this month was given by Nisha Parti who discussed her career and discovering Harry Potter and running her own production company and working with Dev Patel.

Afterwards there was networking and having arrived late I didn’t get a chance to talk to anyone before the talk started. Also there wasn’t anybody that attended the previous month, so I had a blank canvas.

There were quite a few people in groups and I find it awkward to begin with standing with a group, and I spotted a guy in a corner of his own and I went over and introduced myself. His name was Fred and was actually a friend of Nisha’s, but had also directed and written short films.

What I’m starting to learn with networking, well screenwriting networking is there are different people you’ll meet who each have a different purpose. The 3 people I met at the first event I went to were supportive, and keen to read my work and knowledge. And Fred’s purpose? To give me a kick up the backside!

With my screenwriting for a long time, since graduation I’ve been saying I want to screen write, but job hunting has also got in the way. But thanks to the 29 challenge it got me writing on a regular basis. Because I’ve been in theory about screenwriting for so long, my goals have been relatively short term. To finish writing a screenplay, to get somebody to read it and so on. Very small term goals.

Fred on the other hand had bigger ideas. I said that my aim was to enter one screenwriting competition. He asked why one? Why not more? He also suggested I’d write and make a short film, and that idea had been on my mind for a short time. And he mentioned the London Screenwriting Festival which I hadn’t heard of before. It’s a place where hundreds of writers, directors and producers are there, and Fred said because I have written several pieces I should go and see if anybody would be interested in them.

I think having people who will give you a kick up the backside is something that we don’t see too often. Or at least I haven’t seen it in a long while personally. I think when you’re job hunting you’re used to hearing either a yes or a no, and no encouragement. And if like me you’re on a contract at work you not really encouraged as you’re there for only a set time and not given the opportunity to develop and grow. I guess above all it’s refreshing to find people that believe in you and your abilities, even if you may never meet them again, that little kick up the backside maybe enough to take things to the next level. Who knows how many levels I’ll go up this year???

Thoughtful presents: Laugh your troubles away

I read that on average a child laughs between 300-500 times a day, and for an adult its only 15 times a day on average. And with doing a laughter journal a couple of months ago, it helped me be aware of what I find funny and what I laugh at on a daily basis.

A little while ago I mentioned on the blog about my friend Charmaine aka Meryl. Her dad was in hospital and she was by his bedside every day. Because of this I got her a hug in a bag which was supplies to keep her going. Unfortunately, her dad passed away, and then sadly on his funeral her mother in law passed away as well.

We met up a few weeks ago and she said that she just wants to start laughing again, because of there being so much sadness. It was a fleeting comment that she forgot about, but I remembered it and it got me thinking of whether there was something I could do.

And this is what I came up with; I created a laughter jar. I got a mason jar and some coloured paper and filled it with suggestions of things that would make Charmaine laugh. Everyone’s sense of humour is completely different and so I asked friends, family, work colleagues and even the local barman the simple question of what made them laugh. So their suggestions were put in the jar as well.

I lent her some comedy DVDs as well in case Charmaine needed to watch something a little longer. She loved the laughter jar and it was so easy to put together. Give it a go if you’ve got a friend going through a tough time, it may put a smile on their face again.