You. Yes, you! The person reading this. Is any of this information of any interest or help to you at all?
“Yes!” we hear the resounding shout echo around cyberspace. Well do us a favour and share our posts with others. After a teeny bit of fiddling with the site there are now little boxes under posts that, if you click, put a link to the post on your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or WordPress page, and there’s even one for good old fashioned e-mail. Share them so people know what you’re doing. It will encourage them along. Have a go with this post, or perhaps one of the ones below e.g. a competition or meeting or maybe the one about free access to the OED.
We are also on Twitter for those of you that way inclined. Richmnondwriters is the tag. Updates here will appear there. Updates here would appear on Facebook too, only we’ve not heard anything in answer to our Facebook page appeal, see below.
Yes, ‘pages’ plural. We have three. Some more active than others, none up to date or being run by current web bods. Here they are:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000630185727
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=50804393158
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Richmond-Writers-Circle/277977275883
Anyone out there an admin of any of them?
The layout of scripts is a nightmare. For example, the competition in the post immediately below requires ‘UK standard spec script format’ and then gives a link to a guide, which itself has several links to assorted advice. We think we have identified which one it mean, we think.
But don’t blame us if it’s the wrong one – UK film scripts are slightly different to US ones, and TV scripts vary from film scripts, again both different in each country, indeed different between BBC and ITV – not even the gods know what Channel 4 wants, although it is commonly held that Channel 5 takes more or less anything as long as it actually uses paper (or e-equivalent) and no crayon (well, not much). Plays for the Theatre are different again. Anyway, follow the link to the article below and then on to the different pieces of advice, or hope for the best and look at this
UK Standard Spec Script Format (by someone called Bang2write).
One page screenwriting competition, free to enter, lots of goodies for the winner including a very good chance it will be filmed:
http://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/ehome/LSF2011/competitions/screenplay
One page only! You have to be able to do that! Start writing today!
The meeting went well last night. Several people asked about the meeting this evening (Thursday) for just writing and no talking – when, where etc, so, as it doesn’t yet have a proper web site of its own here are the detailsMeeting starts at 7pm (note: an hour earlier than the Writers’ Circle meetings). It is at the ETNA Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, TW1 2AR, on the corner of Riverdale Road.
From Richmond you go over Richmond Bridge, go past shops etc and turn right at the lights (the first set if you ignore crossing lights). If driving there is a car park in what was once the garden accessed via Riverdale Road. If coming by train St Margarets is the closest station.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=13+rosslyn+road+tw1&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&gl=uk&t=m&z=16&vpsrc=0
(No idea why the Streetview works but the map doesn’t. Anyway, click link above for map.)
Tonight there is NO CHARGE, but please try to make it for the whole time (i.e. until 10pm) – this is what really makes the difference. Try it and you will see.
A couple of members of the group have mentioned The Writers’ Workshop and their forthcoming Getting Published Event. Some people thrive on this sort of thing and have met agents that went on to represent them! Then again it is £185 for one day (and that’s the ‘early bird’ price – it may go up) which seems a lot to others. Lots of useful stuff on the web site, and free, so don’t complain!
There’s something else literary you might like to do (unfortunately on the same day – 15th October) which is visit the Diamond Light Synchrotron near Oxford. To answer the question in all your minds, it is literary because they are giving tours (free!) to anyone who is interested in taking part in their short story (3000 words) and flash fiction (300 words) competitions, which have to be inspired by the place, its staff, science or anything related. There is a dedicated web site for the comp: www.light-reading.org. It doesn’t have to have science in it or anything. It can be any genre you like. (Though historical dramas would be hard, unless it was very, very recent history. Then again quarks have been around since the dawn of time itself. Okay, arguably since just after the dawn of time itself, for those with a pedantic geek leaning.)
Then we have our own little competition for Halloween coming up soon. Click around the site for details of past ones, or watch out for a post here (tip: put your e-mail in the box near the top right and you’ll get notified of new posts including the competition.)
So, Parish Rooms tonight for feedback, writing in ETNA just over the bridge tomorrow.
Bee seeing you!
PS ‘Quark’, as a name, is said to have been inspired by a line in Ulysses. Or Finnegan’s Wake. Anyway, something by James Joyce. Or someone like him.
