mattgibbs.net

Best get a move on, if you want to become a ten year overnight success as a screenwriter.

Along with Lauren Anne Sharpe and Alex Willmore, I’ve joined the team at Insomnia Publications as an Editor. Lauren and Alex will be handling the art side of production, while I’ll be applying myself to the writing.

It’s a great opportunity to work with a host of talented people and push myself forwards at the same time. Writing is a craft you have to work at, with a degree of life experience and natural talent mixed in for good measure. You’re always learning. Through helping others make the most of their stories hopefully we’ll all benefit.

Right now I’m getting up to speed with everything, but can’t wait to get going.

For the latest from Insomnia, please visit The Red Eye.

Have been somewhat sidetracked from working on my feature script by Big Finish’s writing opportunity. Who would not want the chance to develop a 25 minute audio adventure for Doctor Who, and the 5th Doctor and Nyssa at that? Well, if twitter is any yardstick, nearly every Who fan and writer is working up an idea.

Peter Davison was my Doctor. I have strong childhood memories of Kinda – well, the snake at least; Enlightenment – sailing ships racing through space; and Resurrection of the Daleks – recorded off the telebox on Betamax tape, which I almost wore out.

So over the last week I’ve been jotting down any ideas and watching old Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton episodes for inspiration and insight into their characters. Today I settled on a rough storyline, which developed from some of the ideas – a coin toss, an observatory and schrödinger’s cat. Most of the bare bones are there, so – fingers crossed – I’ll have something I’m happy to submit before the deadline passes.

Joined in #scriptchat on twitter for the first time. Character development and how it relates to plotting was the topic up for discussion, sparked by @filmutopia’s blogpost on the subject – Character Development and Plotting.

Twitter is an interesting and lively forum for #scriptchat, with several streams of discussion running at once. Although a little chaotic at times to follow, it certainly has its merits – a source of writing tips, book recommendations and links to further resources and discussions. If I’m free next Sunday at 8pm will definitely join the debate again.

With a list of projects and goals for the year, what’s the next step?

Well, hopefully not paralysis. The answer is really about focus, identifying what you want to do and what you need to do, prioritising these and coming up with a plan.

One thing that’s helped me is Adrian Mead’s Making It as a Screenwriter. It describes the steps you need to take, a plan of attack, to become a professional screenwriter. Packed with honest truths, it’s a great tool to focus your ideas and ambitions. Geared towards British screenwriting, many of the ideas it puts forward apply equally to any writing endeavour.

Adrian did a great series of podcasts for the Scottish Book Trust, which give a taste of what Making It as a Screenwriter entails, including the mantra:

If I keep on doing what I’m doing, I’ll keep on getting what I’m getting.

On top of this you get the warm feeling of knowing that all proceeds from the book will go to ChildLine, to support children in danger and distress.

Not a bad way to start your year.

I’m late to or maybe from the party, but Happy New Year all.

Last year, as the cliché goes, was a real rollercoaster for all aspects of my life but overall the ride was a great one. Hindsight can be both a blessing and a curse, especially for a Cancerian who clings to the past, and I’m not sure weighing up the year as good or bad is positively constructive. As long as I learn from my mistakes and keep pushing the things I did right, I’ll be happy.

This year has been tough for me emotionally, coming to terms with the death of my grandparents, who raised me. I just didn’t have the capacity to deal with it all and my full time job was the area that I choose to cut out. It has given me the space and time to come to terms with their deaths and brought me closer to my parents.

Insomnia Publications signed up two sci-fi graphic novels, first was The Ionmonger’s Daughter, the second Sun Moon. Script work on both is very advanced. Ionmonger’s Daughter is finished. Well, as finished as a script can ever be, as it is bound to change, will be tweaked to work with the final art. Sun Moon is well underway.

Sadly, Larry Watts has had to drop out of working on The Ionmonger’s Daughter. Financial commitments have meant he has had to, and quite rightly, put his family first before the project. So the year begins with the hunt to find not one but two artists.

A short film, Not Yet, I wrote with the director, Tito Sacchi, made it into a number of film festivals through the year. More importantly, Tito and I have continued to work together on our feature idea. Our aim this year is to produce a trailer/short film, with which we can attract funding for the film.

Not yet – 30sec Teaser from Tito Sacchi on Vimeo.

Outside of writing, the big news is that Vicky and I are now homeowners together. It is the main reason for the tardiness of blog updates of late. Who would have thought house hunting, buying and moving would be so utterly time consuming and stressful? We’re settled in now, if not unpacked, and have begun decorating. For someone who has lived in the beige world of rental accommodation for years, I’ve finally been released with any colour paint I can imagine. Vicky though, isn’t keen on orange.

As for the year ahead? I’ve spent the last week or so fleshing out the personal projects I would like to work on and the goals I’d like to achieve. There is the continued development of the two graphic novels with Insomnia and the feature with Tito. Additionally, there are two more graphic novels, a second feature film, radio drama and a novel, all of which I would like to explore. All of these projects sit happily in the sci-fi and horror genres, covering areas from archaeology to werewolves and genesis to nuclear war. Not sure yet why werewolves are at the other end of my scale to archaeology, but who knows hey?

Alongside my personal projects, attending conventions and festivals, both comic and film, is one of my main goals this year. I follow a great network of artists, directors, writers and other creators on twitter, but 140 chars. is no substitute for meeting face to face. So, less of being the recluse buried in my work and more of… well, of… not being the recluse buried in my work.

Finding an agent is another. Not sure if that should be a goal itself? It’s something I can’t technically make happen, but I can expand and refine my portfolio, research where and to whom to present it, and do so. If it is good enough and the works catch someone’s interest, who knows. My goal is to try and keep trying.

There are other minor goals, ones which I have direct control over, such as taking a film script editing course, revamping mattgibbs.net, keeping my CV up to date, and, last but not least, posting more blog entries.

There is a lot to do there. Prioritising, scheduling and keeping focus on projects will be important, but hopefully I won’t be too blinkered to miss opportunities while trying to make them.

Anyway, I’ve well and truly rambled on now.

Hope you all have a great year.