Ok so I have a great idea for a book and then it occurs to me that it would do the story more justice as a drama script. I'm new to that so I find out what format to put things into and I’m happy with how it flows. I write a synopsis and I send that to an agency. The agency like it and ask for the script. After a while they send me a letter saying that they enjoyed a great deal about it, but they don’t want it. Nor do they tell me what they didn't like about it. I decide that maybe I should approach TV companies directly. Only they don’t accept scripts from the general public. Following their advice, I then look up some production companies...only they don’t accept unsolicited work. So I’m back to where I started, and I can't submit to another agency because the one I sent to must have rejected it for a reason and I can't work out what that is, so I can't fix it. Then I figure that to find out its strengths/weaknesses the best thing to do is make up a pilot episode. I get off to a good start as everyone I know is crazy enough to get in front of a camera and my mates good at editing. So there we are all crammed into a tiny bathroom and after about an hour of laughing fits we finally have about 6 minutes of decent filming. Only to later be informed that to do anything proper with it I’d need a new computer to handle the editing software! I don’t even know anyone with the experience to look over the script and advise me how to make it stronger or get it solicited. I don’t know if the agency rejected it because parts of it didn't work or just because it had more risky, underground content and they were looking for something really commercial. But how am I supposed to improve when no one ever tells me where I’m going wrong? Should I just resort to just changing things randomly and crossing my fingers? I've done some sample re-writes and everyone who liked the original script prefers the original script. I know the problem isn't with the idea itself, as the agency liked the synopsis. I know the problems not with the format as it was laid out properly. It's not with the spelling or grammar, but it could be a number of other things. I think I’ve spent too much time on it to be able to see where the problems are lying. Nothing honestly sticks out to me that I should change. I've even taken a break from writing and I still can't figure out what else to do to it. Has anyone else had these problems? Should I just rip all the copies up into tiny little bits, set a light to it and then jump up and down on the ashes before burying them deep underground?
My best advice would be to put this away and forget about it for a while. Try working on something else. Maybe you will come back to it down the road (like a year or two) with some fresh ideas and rework it. Just never stop writing! Who knows, maybe in a year or two they will be looking for a script like yours.
of course yer shouldn't rip it up wot yer should do is get as many people to read it as physically possible....and get as much feedback as yer can! and....really think about starting a creative writing class....even if yer the best writer inna world, a constant group of people who enjoy reading others work is invaluable
