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Me2 did the Park Run this morning and finished in the best time of 2020 and the second best of his Park Run career with 26 minutes 09 seconds (a clear 90 seconds faster than Me1’s last effort). Surely one of these runners will soon break the world record and get a sub 25 minute 5k? People say that if that kind of speed is achieved then the runner’s eyes will come out of their sockets, but we are prepared to risk it for the glory.
All the bonus exercise has definitely paid off. I don’t think I will be able to keep it up once work gets busy again, but it’s nice to pretend. But I’ve started feeling pretty good after intense exercise, rather than knackered and spent. I was hungry though and ate too much, but I think I can balance this up over time.
I finished reading “Just the Funny Parts†by Nell Scovell today. It’s a hilarious and honest look at the life of a comedy writer which I’d recommend to anyone getting started as it’s full of wisdom, but it’s also hugely inspiring for people 30 years into their career. Nell has had a great deal of success in her career, but what’s notable from this book is how many projects bit the dust, went wrong or ended up with her being sacked. She manages to brush herself off and carry on, but it’s reassuring to see how much we’re all in the same boat.
It’s also a must read for anyone who wants to understand how sexism has impacted on comedy over the last few decades, but Nell is not sensationalist and discusses the choices she made very candidly.
Ultimately it left me full of hope and happiness though. Persistence is the quality you really need to get ahead in this business. Luck plays its part too and you know, talent helps. But I don’t think you can get that far without a good smattering of the first two. It made me really look forward to starting work on my self-produced audio version of “Everything Happens For No Reason†the sitcom that Channel 4 incorrectly turned down and which I will be making for the internet with the money that we’re accruing from the ads on RHLSTP.
Just getting this made will be an achievement enough for me. But I think I can make it good and maybe with luck it might lead somewhere. But it might not. It’s a project that I love though and ultimately I am extraordinarily fortunate to be in the position to do this.
I think it was a lot easier to get into writing comedy in the 80s and 90s. Nell was a witty sports journalist who decided to give TV writing a crack. Her way in was to write a spec script for the Garry Shandling show. It didn’t get made but it led to her getting a meeting with Garry and the producer of the show. I am not sure that could happen now. My advice to new writers is always to start small, but maybe I am wrong. You can tell pretty quickly if someone has the chops to write scripts and so I suppose if you happen to get a script to the right person they might call you in for a meeting and give you some work still today.
I did my time on Weekending, but my ascendancy was also faster than I’d expect anyone to achieve now. There’s a lot more competition.
I suppose more importantly that writing a script for your favourite show is a good way to learn how to write a script and the beauty of being a writer is that you can always write, even if people aren’t paying you, and get better at it. Warming Up, if nothing else, is a testament to the fact that no one can stop you writing.
And if the powers that be won’t make your scripts then you can maybe go ahead and make them yourself. The good thing about being my own boss is that as executive of this project I can’t fuck things up with loads of useless and patronising notes (like the people at Channel 4 gave me). The bad side is that sometimes the notes from above do actually help things.
Anyway you should definitely read this book. You will like it.
Thanks to my wife for having the excellent taste to buy me this book, if the dubious taste of thinking I was husband material.
