Touching distance

Dear reader,

I know that I whet your appetite from time to time by claiming that I'm working on the most amazing script ever or that I have a film in the works or lately it's been that I'm writing a book. All of that is always true but tonight I'm closer than ever and all other projects have been put to one side until at least Monday.

It all began at the end of September when I, out of boredom was thinking about filming a short and found my way to www.rte.ie (I live in Ireland and they are the biggest broadcaster on the Emerald Isle) where I found a page about a show, not just any show though. This show had a prime time slot that it has held for 23 years now, that's about all I can say apart from the fact that on this webpage I discovered that they like hearing from writers who are interested in working on the show... I was interested!

I submitted my best script and waited, obviously when I say I waited I don't mean that I folded my arms and concentrated on the phone. No I got about my work, wrote a script or two and quickly gave up on the idea of shooting another short. It was a couple of weeks later when I was invited to a meeting in RTE  at the beginning of October, I was to say the least ecstatic to just be able to say that I had a meeting as a writer. While I'm bound by confidentiality agreements I think it's okay to say that they said that in January they'd be sending out scenes to hopefuls and from then we'd go through a sort of audition process and anyone who made it through would become a writer on the show.

Again, I can't say too much about what was said, or what show it is, or who anyone on the show is or how the scenes work or how many scenes there are in a show or anything at all really. This is just one big fucking tease in fairness. But what I can say is that I have a deadline at 6pm GMT tomorrow (that's 9am sunday for my LA residing buddies) and by that deadline I have to submit 4 scenes for the show from the information I've been sent (apologies but I cannot tell you any of those details so stop asking!) which makes tomorrow a very important day in my screenwriting career.

It's strange, I really, really, really want to work on this show. I've been interviewing myself all week as I drove to my crumby job about what it's like to be a writer on this show, I've imagined myself talking to a group of screenwriters (for some reason this talking is taking place in Universal Studios LA!). I'm ready for this opportunity and to be honest, last year I probably wasn't. I would have flown in to "Dave The Screenwriter" mode (TM) and written the scenes in my voice, my style, hell they'd probably get a final draft written version sent as a pdf ...(all I can say is that that is not what they want!) But now, right now at this moment in time I'm ready to write the scenes in the style of the show. I'm ready to be the writer that they need me to be.

I may be ready but I am scared. Tomorrow I write scenes that could lead to a job as a writer on a show that regularly gains 25% of the television watching population of this little country of ours, and while I'm grateful and happy I'm also nervous. As I sit here at 1.39am, listening to "Walk" by Foo Fighters and typing this blog entry I know that the next thing I type after it will be scenes for a television show. My show.

The time is nigh, I can feel it. It's been a long road to get an opportunity like this and I don't intend to let it slip. I'm ready, I'm good enough, I'm confident and friendly. I have what it takes but more importantly I believe in myself.

I'll do my best to keep you up to date on the process despite the confidentiality which prevents me from spilling all of the beans but until then just know this: Tomorrow I take my first step into writing a tv show for real, as a job and that first step is 4 scenes.

Write on and Wish Me Luck!

Dave The Screenwriter