Need a Kick up the Backside

I really do need a swift kick. Just lately, I've been lax with my writing. I either haven't felt like it, or am too tired, or can't be bothered...you know, the usual suspects.

Anyway, to make it more real, and to motivate myself, I'm ANNOUNCING on here that I will write SOMETHING every day for the next seven days. I will also chart how I'm doing with it...ON HERE! There!

Miss Havisham - My Final Words - AND DID YOU KNOW?

My final words were to Pip, after he saved me from the fire:

"Take the pencil and write under my name, 'I forgive her!'"

But still I died, weeks later, and Estella became my chief beneficiary.

AND DID YOU KNOW? The condition "The Miss Havisham effect" has been coined by scientists to describe a person who suffers a painful longing for lost love, which can become a physically addictive pleasure by activation of reward and pleasure centers in the brain, which have been identified to regulate addictive behavior - regions commonly known to be responsible for craving and drug, alcohol and gambling addiction.

*The above is referenced on Wikipedia*

Adieu....

Miss Havisham - Film Adaptations of Great Expectations - Who Played Me?

+ Martita Hunt (1946)

+ Margaret Leighton (1974)

+ Joan Hickson (1981)

+ Jean Simmons (who had previously played Estella in 1946 opposite Hunt) (1989)

+ Anne Bancroft (1998)

+ Charlotte Rampling (1999)

If I could have, I would have played myself...just because I enjoyed the misery and mayhem that I caused, because of what had been done to me...though secretly, I wished for a happy ending...


'Believe this: when she first came to me, I meant to save her from misery like my own. At first I meant no more. But as she grew, and promised to be very beautiful, I gradually did worse, and with my praises, and with my jewels, and with my teachings, and with this figure of myself always before her a warning to back and point my lessons, I stole her heart away and put ice in its place.'


AND THEN: TO PIP:

"Until you spoke to Estella the other day, and until I saw in you a looking-glass that showed me what I once felt myself, I did not know what I had done. What have I done! What have I done!"

Miss Havisham - What They say about Me!

I've been called some things in my time, and though I wasn't around when the general public spoke so much about me, here is some of what I now know people thought about me. You find out so much after you've left this world you know...

I've been called strange, grotesque, the wicked witch in the fairytale, passionate, proud, beautiful, headstrong, vengeful, a cross between a waxwork and a skeleton.

And do you know? They're all true.

They say I trained and used Estella to avenge society. No, I did not teach Estella to love, and there was, deep within her, something that responded to emotional fury. But was it society I wanted to strike at? No, it was myself.

I had power in the form of wealth. A spinster living in a run-down mansion with my adopted daughter, Estella. Did I use wealth to manipulate others to do as I wished? Why yes, I did. I used as I had been used.

Did being jilted at the altar ruin my life? Why, yes, it did.

Miss Havisham - a bit about what THEY said

Herbert Pocket speaking to Pip:

'The marriage day was fixed, the wedding dresses were bought, the wedding tour was planned out, the wedding guests were invited. The day came, but not the bridegroom. He wrote her a letter —'

`Which she received,' I struck in, `when she was dressing for her marriage? At twenty minutes to nine?'

`At the hour and minute,' said Herbert, nodding, `at which she afterwards stopped all the clocks. What was in it, further than that it most heartlessly broke the marriage off, I can't tell you, because I don't know. When she recovered from a bad illness that she had, she laid the whole place to waste, as you have seen it, and she has never since looked upon the light of day.'

`Is that all the story?' I asked, after considering it.

`All I know of it; and indeed I only know so much, through piecing it out for myself; for my father always avoids it, and, even when Miss Havisham invited me to go there, told me no more of it than it was absolutely requisite I should understand. But I have forgotten one thing. It has been supposed that the man to whom she gave her misplaced confidence, acted throughout in concert with her half-brother; that it was a conspiracy between them; and that they shared the profits.'

`I wonder he didn't marry her and get all the property,' said I.

`He may have been married already, and her cruel mortification may have been a part of her half-brother's scheme,' said Herbert. `Mind! I don't know that.'

`What became of the two men ? ' I asked, after again considering the subject.

`They fell into deeper shame and degradation — if there can be deeper — and ruin.'

`Are they alive now?'

`I don't know.'

Miss Havisham - What I said to Pip

`What do you think that is?' I asked Pip, again pointing with my stick; `that, where those cobwebs are?'

`I can't guess what it is, ma'am.'

`It's a great cake. A bride-cake. Mine!'

Blog Takeover Day - By Miss Havisham

How tragically pathetic I look...though there's a certain beautiful longing there, don't you think?

LINK TO QUILLER'S PLACE - THE INSPIRATION BEHIND BLOG TAKEOVER DAY

My Story is in 15th August Issue of My Weekly

My story is due to be published in the 15th August issue of My Weekly. It's called Sweet Taste of Success - not the original title, which was Two Shining Stars.

I'm chuffed they bought it, and liked it. All my friends and family can scoot off and buy a copy. I've only sent them one more story since they accepted this one, and that's been due to a lack of time, more than anything else. I WILL write more, and my next offering is going to be a pocket novel for My Weekly, so fingers crossed for that!!

I did mean to start it today at lunchtime, but didn't get round to it. Too much Caffe Nero coffee!!

Holidays Here I Come!!

Off for a well-earned holiday tomorrow, back Friday. Yes, you heard it here first...to the coast I travel...oh, the spangled glitter and razzmatazz of Southport.

Be good while I'm away, y'hear...

CBBC Shortlist Names & Script Titles

Just in case anyone is interested, here are the names of those shortlisted for the CBBC comp, and the lovely, interesting titles. A bit about the Masterclass, too:

WRITERSROOM LINK

CBBC - Link to Writersroom Blog About Recent Comp

Paul Ashton says: "We did receive a fair proportion of scripts that showed promising writing and writers - but that just didn't really connect with the brief and the potential audience. In fact, we received a lot of scripts in general that didn't have central characters below the age of 12, that were unsuitable for a 6-12 audience, that weren't particularly imagined and told from the child's point of view. We also received a lot of scripts covering very similar precincts and ideas. For example, school - first day of school, bullying at school, geeks at school, weird conspiracy/sci-fi/alien/monster at school. We had a lot of portals into other dimensions, plenty of time travel, a fair few goblins/monsters/aliens."

MORE HERE:

WRITERSROOM CBBC BLOG LINK

Look Who's Being Commissioned!!

BROADCAST COMMISSIONING LINK

Who is buying WHAT??

Do you Outline or Not?

I was looking over at Scott Myers' BLOG, which always fascinates me. He's discussing outlines, and links to a post he wrote a while back: LINK HERE TO HOW PAUL SCHRADER OUTLINES, THEN RE-OUTLINES

Personally, I tend to write lots of notes about my idea, then write a short story of sorts, and then start the script. Sometimes, I don't need to refer to my notes, because the actual writing of the notes, then the story, has fixed things firmly in my mind, and I then feel free to write it in script form.

HOW ABOUT YOU??

Writing Neuroses ... mine are rare, yours may be legion

Writing Neuroses ... mine are rare, yours may be legion LINK

I loved this post when i read it on Kay Sexton's Blog, which I discovered through a link on my mate Quillers' Blog. LINK TO QUILLERS' BLOG

CBBC - Well done to the Twenty - On to the Next Thing

I didn't hear anything from CBBC, so I'll take it that my script didn't get to a second reading, though I know two people whose scripts DID make it through to a second read, so WELL DONE to: LINK TO BANG2WRITE'S BLOG AND: SOFLUID'S BLOG

ALSO, there's mention of MATT SINCLAIR who DID make it through: LINK TO JEZ FREEDMAN'S BLOG

Well done to the above writers, and onwards and upwards onto the next project. I mean, there were over 700 entries, so that's absolutely brilliant to have made a second reading.

I'm thinking about what to write next, and my idea that I mentioned earlier, is still fermenting, so, that's the objective for today - think some more, start with notes, take it forward.

CCBC - Anyone Heard Anything?

The suspense is killing me!! I feel all jittery and strange. Hope that's a good omen.

I know on one bit of the Writersroom rules it said: Will hear BY Friday, then somewhere else it said bluntly: Will hear ON Friday.

Come on! Get in there!

That's a cheer for ALL OF US!

New Idea

I have an idea for my next project. It's a tv drama, but veering towards comedy/drama, so maybe a black comedy? Heck, I dunno.

Anyhow, I have the idea, though not yet written notes, which is always my first job. But it got me thinking...do I know what i'm going to do with this at the end? I always like to be working towards something, writing to some purpose. So, first off, I'm going to scout around some of the deadlines calendars, and seek out an opportunity. Once I've found something that might be suitable to send the script to, I shall begin my noterly scribbles.

CBBC - Over 700 Entries to the Comp

WRITERSROOM CBBC LINK

Wow! That's a LOT of entries. If we, fellow Bloggers, get through to the shortlist, we deserve a very big pat on the back. That is a large amount of scripts to sift and sort, but hope still reigns supreme.

CBBC Script Finished & Ready To Go!!

All I can say is Phew!

I have to thank Michelle (Sofluid) MICHELLE'S BLOG and Paul PAUL's BLOG for crtiquing my first draft. The critiques were enormously helpful and I then embarked on a re-write. I ditched some of it, added to it and overhauled a lot of it.

I now think the script reads like an action packed, children's tv script, rather than a story that lacked oomph.

Anyway, it's bagged and tagged and ready to go to the BBC tomorrow morning. It's cutting it fine, but it should get there.

Hope one of us is successful.

CBBC Q & A From BBC Writersroom

This is absolutely invaluable!!

BBC WRITERSROOM Q & A LINK