How it all began... 2009

Right. 2009.

Well, after 2007 and 2008, what was 2009 gonna bring?

Well, it all started back in good old Norn Iron. BBC NI, who run the Tony Doyle Bursary, got together with Tinderbox Theatre Company and had the rather fantastic idea of running a new writing festival with 2009's bursary, giving it the rather snazzy title of the 360° New Writing Festival. So I headed back to the Emerald Isle for a whole host of workshops and seminars over the course of four days. Events included an opening talk from Tony Jordan which was as entertaining as it was inspiring, "The Perfect 10" from Kate Rowland of the BBC Writersroom, a session by the creator of Sofia's Diary on online drama, and a session on including music in theatre. As ever, one of the best bits was getting to hook up with other writers and talk writing. Kieran (who I'd met the previous year on the TAPS course - top bloke, but don't tell him I said so. He'll only get all full of himself...) was also on hand for a good old chinwag and some pintage. Great stuff. And that was the end of that.

Except...

There were some great sessions and it seemed a shame not to let other people know about them. And also... You know that thing when you go to a great talk and then someone asks you about it the next day and you're all,

"yeah, it was great cause they said... stuff... and they were cool cause.... cause... other stuff...

Er, actually, I can't remember a thing about it now."

I wanted to fix stuff in my head so I wouldn't forget. Anyway, I wrote up the sessions and stuck them on Sharpshooter (I'll put them up here sometime). And then someone wanted to put them up on another site... so then I had to get in touch with the speakers, and Writersroom, and BBC NI, who then wanted to send them out as well, and ... well, it all got very complicated. But the good thing was, I got friendly with a few people through doing that and was allowed to send in my radio script to a BBC producer! No promises, but they would read it. Hah! In my short little screenwriting life, that was a result.

All excited, I went to hunt out Francesca and Giorgio, my radio script. I had finished it at some stage the year before, during one of my "put-the-learning-into-practice" phases. But I couldn't quite remember much about it... Strange... Why was that..?

Cause it was crap. Oh, God... You know when you're learning? And you get to a year later? And look back on something that you did in your first year? And you still know jack? And even if you dont know why, you just KNOW that what you're looking at is baaaad! Well, it was like that.

But worse.

So, I took a deep breath and took it apart. And then put it back together again. Then it was straight up onto Sharpshooters for some feedback. And then I wrote a nice email. And hit SEND.

Eek!

In the meantime, I'd also sent it to a friend to for feedback, who knew another radio producer and did I want them to pass it on? Hell, yes!

Another nice email, and a reply saying she'd be happy to have a look!

Double result!

All that time coming up with TV ideas and scripts (well, a few) and suddenly radio seemed to have doors that were much easier to open. Who'd have thought? Well, that is, if they liked it...

Now for the waiting game....

That's not all for 2009, but this post is getting far too long, so I'll leave the rest for next time.