That Time of the Night

Posted By Iain Coleman on October 21, 2009

I’m off to Cheltenham next week for the Screenwriters’ Festival. If it’s anything like last year, it should be great. There’s one big difference, though - at least, for me. This year, as well as all the nattering, drinking and going to talks, I have some scheduled meetings that I need to prepare for. On Wednesday, a nice person from Euroscript is going to help me improve one of my scripts, and on Thursday I have “Speed Dating” sessions - rapid-fire pitches, basically - with a selection of producers and agents.

So, lots to prepare in advance if I want to make the most of the festival. But there’s more.

As if that lot wasn’t enough, I’m also entering the BBC’s “Scotland Writes” competition. The deadline for this is Monday 2nd November - which realistically means I have to post my entry off on the Friday before I head down to Cheltenham, as there won’t be time when I get back. This is a bit annoying, as it means I won’t be able to put into my script anything that I learn at Cheltenham, but it can’t be helped. (I did have a cunning plan involving hand-delivering my entry to BBC Scotland on the 2nd - until I read the small print and realised the competition address is in London.)

And even more pressing than all this, I have to get this year’s Annual Report printed and delivered in time for the UK e-Science All Hands Meeting in December. It’s a big document, and although I’m only credited as “Editor”, in practice I write 90% of it myself. Fortunately the copy is now with the designers, but I’ve got a room in Cheltenham with WiFi so I can deal with corrections while I’m at the festival.

This is why, for the past couple of months, my friends and family have hardly seen me and my wife has had to put up with me being little more than a grumbling presence on the sofa tapping away at a laptop. I look forward to re-entering the world of humanity in November.

Categories: Screenwriting
Tags: Screenwriting