Practically had a full first draft (of the 90 minute version) of "You Can Choose Your Friends" by close of play today. Still some work to do on act 4 and probably too late to be sent out to any of the actors who we are auditioning on Thursday, but am still pleased with the progress.
There's still loads I want to change though and lots of stuff I've got to get in that's not there yet and lots of stuff that I've got to take out that is in there but is embarrassing rubbish. And whilst the characters get more defined with every day I still need to work on some of them. But for the first time with this particular script I am excited about doing so, rather than feeling uninspired and depressed about it.
This script really has been a long time in the coming together. I know that I finished the first draft of the sit-com version
almost exactly a year ago, but was at least six months late on delivering it, so might have been commissioned as much as a year before. To be honest with you I was hating writing it and not getting anywhere and in the end just wrote anything in order to finish it off so that I would a) get paid and b) not have to struggle with it any more.
It was really, really bad.
For some reason the people who commissioned it wanted me to perservere and so I was asked to do a second draft.
Again I found it incredibly difficult to apply myself on this, but eventually the prospect of a read through forced me to do some work and I was a lot more pleased with what I came up with.
But I was wrong to be pleased as this second draft was also poor, suffering I think mainly from trying to get too much into half an hour.
So I am amazed that from that script I got the commission to turn it into a comedy drama rather than a sit-com, though to be honest this is what I always wanted it to be. I have to thank that rare thing, an insightful television executive, for seeing what was good in the idea and also coming up with a way to make it better.
So anyway, the point is that it's only now, after well over a year of stress and stultification I am only just getting to a point where it's all clicking into place. And even now some of it is way off. By Christmas we might have a script. Which would be good as we're filming in February! One day I will put all the drafts up on line for you to see the evolution of this project (which is hard for me to do - I feel uncomfortable about the actors having to read some of the mawkish and dull scenes that are in the present script and my natural urge would be to burn all copies of that first sit-com draft, but I will endure humiliation for your mild entertainment). It won't be for a good while though, so don't hold your breath.
So though I am late on my deadlines as per usual (surely everyone knows what I am like by now and puts in false deadlines for me anyway) I at last feel that I might be on to something good now. It's probably worth the effort - this will be the first major bit of terrestrial TV that I will have been involved with this millennium.
Sorry to write about work, but when I am working all day there is nothing else to say. This should give you an idea of how little I have worked over the last four years of Warming Up! I've even had to forgo my visits to the gym and pool, which has really made a difference. Mainly because try as I might I never get to the Health Club before about midday and by the time I am home it hardly seems worth getting down to anything.
It's not all work, work, work and in my breaks I have been continuing to plough through the work of my new favourite writer,
Jonathan Ames. I bought up all his books on
Amazon once I got back from my holiday. I am currently reading "I Love You More Than You Know", which is more essays. I find him very inspirational and he seems to struggle with his writing and his destructive impulses just like me. If you like me you will love him. What he does is quite like Warming Up, except he has a much more interesting life and writes about a thousand times better than me. Once you've read him you will think, "What was I doing wasting my time with that Herring bozo? This is the real deal!" So stop wasting your time reading this dull rubbish and order up his books right now! I want you to realise that you are setting your sights too low by coming to this blog. You can do better.
But I only have about one and a half of his books to read now, so just as I am delighting in what I am reading I am feeling sad that it will soon be over. So come on Ames, pull your finger out and write some more. You can say what you like about me, though clearly you have to make an effort if you want to be more critical of me than I am of myself, but at least I keep churning the shit out. It's quantity not quality that wins out in the end.
And if you like my stuff you'd better be praying that my script turns out to be a stinker, because if it does well then I will have to spend all my time in my house and Warming Up will be as dull as this every day.
Still, at least it's better than the poker ones, huh?
WIN A PSP
November quiz - Question 14
Re question 13 Simon Cantan has pointed out to me that there are four films with a character called "Harry Block" in them. In the film I am talking about the character of Harry Block is a writer with writer's block. As well you all know. That's the easy bit. The harder bit is reading my mind for the bonus points. I am beginning to regret not just having done a week's worth of questions to be honest, so I am sure things will get more vague and wrong as the month progresses. My decision is final though. So what shall I ask a question about now? That isn't the question. It's harder than it looks.
All right, here's a good one. To whom is the book "I Love You More Than You Know" by Jonathan Ames, dedicated? Ha ha. Try looking that up on the internet! How much do you want that PSP? Looks like you're going to have to buy a book doesn't it? Ha ha ha. I will make Ames the most successful writer in the world. JK Rowling has only sold five books right?
Please wait until the end of the month before sending all 30 answers in together. Anyone sending answers individually will immediately invalidate their entry to the competition. Remember the prize will go to whoever has the most answers right. It is still worth entering even if you can't answer all the questions. There will be no additional clues.
