Charlottesville Area Real Estate: Another Local Builder Faces Mass Foreclosures

Weather Hill Development is facing mass foreclosure on 27 properties on January 15, 2009, when an auction takes place on the steps of the County Courthouse. But the company says Hauser Homes is to blame. The property is part of Poplar Glen, off Rte. 250 just west of Charlottesville in Albemarle County.Recently, Church Hill Homes faced mass foreclosure on 37 properties, and still owes

2008. End of.

HIGHLIGHTS

January: wrote the pilot for a new kids' show for an Asian animation studio and script edited the remaining 25 half-hour eps (which would spread out over the year).

February: shortlisted for the inaugural Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Award with a children's book I co-wrote with Sam. Didn't win but got down to last 5 out of 2,000 manuscripts so we were well chuffed.

March: Sofia's Diary makes its UK debut on Bebo and becomes an instant hit. I wrote four weeks' worth of webisodes (including the launch) but a lot of credit has to go to Melanie Martinez, creator Nuno Bernardo and the rest of the team for moulding its success. Way to go!

March/April: pitched ideas for Badly Drawn Roy, a new CBBC show (an Irish co-production, too, with JAM Media) and got a commission to write an episode.

May: got EastEnders after writing a trial episode in March!

July: relaunched the Red Planet Prize with Tony Jordan at the Screenwriters' Festival.

September/October: visited the set of Badly Drawn Roy to see my ep being filmed. Also start to develop another new kids' series for the Asian studio as well as script editing a feature film script that's been given some cash by the Irish Film Board.

December: EastEnders commission is confirmed and I begin writing my ep.

A good year, no, a great year, with the two stand out higlights being Badly Drawn Roy and EastEnders. But this is just the beginning, really, so time to knuckle down and keep improving. It's also been a year where I deliberately focused on TV to ensure consistent pay cheques after a few years of exciting but ultimately frustrating experiences with the world of film. That's okay. I'm patient, and getting better all the time. 2009? Bring it, baby.

End of Year Report: 26 Months of Inventory in the Charlottesville Area

26 months of inventory. And the 26 months inventory figure does not include "shadow inventory," properties that owners or banks want to sell, but which are not in the MLS because they are:*Houses that have been pulled off the market for the winter or until the market "turns;"*Foreclosures not yet put up for sale again;*Houses that have been offered for sale but are now rentals due to lack of

UK TV Specs

In the US, it is common practice to write spec episodes of existing television shows in order to convince producers that you should be let in to a writers' room. The system works like this: if you want to write for, say, House, then you write a spec episode of Battlestar Galactica, or Desperate Housewives or anything else that ISN'T House. The producers of that show want to see that you can write but they don't want to read your take on Hugh Laurie mainly because of legal reasons. If they don't like your script but then use a storyline that was similar to your episode, then you'll get all huffy and want to sue. Writing spec episodes is a big deal for new writers in the US, and a lot of time and care goes into the process as it may lead to a big break.

Over here, writing a spec episode doesn't hold the same currency at all. If you write a spec Dr Who script and send it to Casualty, they won't care how good the writing is because the script isn't applicable to them, and, more crucially, you're an 'unknown quantity' as a writer. If you write a spec Dr Who script and send it to Russell T Davies, well, he won't read it, because you might sue if he uses something similar to your episode. Of course, you could charm and hustle Russell to read your Dr Who script and convince him to take you on. It has been known to happen (a writer being hired based on the spec ep they wrote for the producer's show), there's always an exception, but generally, in the UK, if you want to get ahead, you have to write an original spec script. Your own idea, characters and story.

Producers and execs in this country want to know what your 'original voice' is like. But even if they're impressed by your work, a commission may still elude you because the next thing they want to know is if you're been through the system, and if you're able to cope. In other words, they prefer it if a writer has experience and has been through the mill, i.e. the process of going through 1st draft, notes, 2nd draft, all the way to production. That's why they'll be more inclined to go with someone who's had a credit or two on Doctors, or has done a notable radio play, or theatre piece.

This might sound like it's pretty pointless to write a spec episode of your favourite show. Well, it's not. It all depends on what you want to get out of it. Regardless of what a producer may think in terms of actually hiring you, a spec script will always be a writing sample, and if it's fairly decent, then that's always going to leave a good impression. And, on some occasions, you may be asked directly to write a spec episode of the show that you're trying out for, like EastEnders, or Not Going Out.

When I was fresh off working on the set of Black Books (1st series, god, almost 9 years ago!), I decided to write a spec episode, naively thinking it would be snapped up by the producer for the second series. The producer liked it, complimenting me on getting the tone and characters right (when she had seen many spec scripts that hadn't, apparently) but they were going to use two experienced writers for the 2nd series, and my episode wasn't going to get a look in. Still, the script has served me well as a general sample, especially if a producer, agent or exec wants to read a good batch of scripts from your portfolio. I've put the script up on my site (in the blog download section), in case you want to have a peek. Looking back, it's a bit on the short side and patchy in places but it's not bad, all things considered.

So, if you're just starting out, it may be helpful, and indeed fun, to write a spec episode of your favourite show. Let your excitement and imagination run free, and get your portfolio underway before moving on to your own personal stuff, where your 'original voice' can shine.

To end on a more festive note: if you're not really bovvered by the Hallelujah hoopla that's been going on, here are a few other tracks that might spice up your Christmas playlist: James Brown - "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto", Stevie Wonder - "One Little Christmas Tree", The Beach Boys - "Little Saint Nick".

HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Don't eat too much, now.

Charlottesville Albemarle Economic Downturn, December 2008

"Insulated" economy? Sadly, no.Like the rest of the United States, the Charlottesville / Albemarle area is suffering from the Recession, the housing downturn, and the world-wide credit crisis.*Local bankruptcies have skyrocketed, according to the DP. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 19, there were 175 families who filed for bankruptcy protection. During the same period in 2006, there were 22

"Housing Prices Always go UP!" - "Insulated/steady/different"

The RealCentralVA blog has a satirical video posted: "Housing prices always go 'UP'!" The featured "homeowner" can't believe his property has lost value.Realtor blogger Jim Duncan knows the bubble is over, and crunches the numbers in a way no other blogger or agent seems to be willing or able to.And there's perspective over there: From the RealCentralVA Twitter feed this morning: "Talked to

935 Belmont Avenue - "Free" Rent

We first looked at 935 Belmont last May, when the price was $375K without the yard.Now, after more than a year on the market, the price is $275K without the yard, which goes for an additional $125K.The house needs extensive renovations. So now it's available for "free" rent--if you're a drywaller. In all seriousness. Q: Why hasn't the price dropped further?A: Seller doesn't need to sell. And

Tales From The Trenches

This time last year, I got a commission to write an episode for a new series. It came out of the blue, I didn't know the producer or the production company, so it was a very welcome offer, especially in the run-up to Christmas. There was more episodes potentially available, too, providing all went well with my first script. Naturally, I was determined to make my first episode a success.

To start, pitch a few ideas. This is the norm. The producer commissioned one idea quite quickly, and wanted an outline/script done before Christmas, if at all possible. I was visiting relatives in Ireland BEFORE the holiday break but I thought I could accommodate the producer's pressing deadlines. I did an outline, she approved it without much fuss, and I happily went to 1st draft script. Within a couple of days, I had it done, and I was keen to send it on. However, my agent told me to hold on for a second while she had a closer look at the contract, just to be sure that everything was ay-ok. All very standard and above board.

I sat by my computer but didn't want the producer to think that I was missing a deadline or falling behind, so I dropped her an email, telling her that I had the script ready but was just waiting for my agent to give me the nod after she read the contract. I then travelled to Dublin, thinking all was well but when I next checked my email, my face fell to the floor.

The producer took great offence at my previous message and claimed never to have been so insulted in all her working years. Plus, she was really irritated that my agent was 'holding things up' and asking for more money (standard negotiation request, and all very politely dealt with). Furthermore, she blasted my script as one of the worst she'd seen, and clearly I hadn't grasped the show or the characters from the couple of scripts I had been given as a guide. Ouch! I felt sick. It seemed just as soon as the opportunity came out of the blue, it was going to be taken away over a stupid misunderstanding.

I replied to the producer, trying to assure her that no offence was intended. Perhaps my email had been naive. I apologised. And if my script was rubbish, then please let me have another go to get it right. My agent also sent an apology, both she and I quite flabbergasted at the turn of events. However, the producer replied in an aggressive tone, still offended by the whole affair, but this time insulting me and my agent, accusing us of playing silly games. Now I was annoyed. Still, I was still determined to fix the script, if not the situation.

So, after some notes from the irked producer, I rewrote the script. She conceded that the 2nd draft was better but she did a rewrite of her own, and sent me back the finished result. Fine, not a problem but that was it, opportunity over. OK, it didn't work out, and it won't pop up on my CV but I least I got paid. What did I learn? Even if you apply what you think are the highest professional standards to an assignment, it can still go pear shaped over unforeseen, and often trivial, developments. Or sensitive egos. Who knows.

This year, on completely the other end of the scale, I had a dream commission with Badly Drawn Roy, which was a joy from start to finish. Just goes to show you can never tell how things are going to go, even when you think you're doing the right thing.

Mortgage Modifications: HUD Head Calls "Hope for Homeowners" a Failure

From WaPo:Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Steve Preston said the centerpiece of the federal government's effort to help struggling homeowners has been a failure and he's blaming Congress.The three-year program was supposed to help 400,000 borrowers avoid foreclosure. But it has attracted only 312 applications since its October launch because it is too expensive and onerous for lenders

$2 Trillion in House Values Lost in 2008

Zillow's latest projection for 2008 is that US home values lost more than $2 Trillion due to the collapse of the housing bubble.One in seven of all homeowners, or 14.3 percent, were "underwater" by the end of the third quarter, the reports showed, meaning that they owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth. That's 11.7 million homeowners. More will be reported during the fourth quarter."

Professional Screenwriter, Step 10: Doing the Do

Now that you’ve accumulated all these steps, what do you do now?

You keep going. You put yourself out there. You hustle, work, write, stay focused and keep determined. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Stuff gets in the way. Life. Kids. Relationship. Illness. Pesky distractions. The rejections pile up. Confidence takes a knock. Maybe screenwriting isn’t for you? Well, now at least you know for sure.

If you’re still determined to keep going, then you need to constantly assess and revise what you're doing. It’s easy to slip into a routine where you might send out your stuff but essentially, you're sitting around waiting for people to make it happen. Waiting for the call. Waiting for a reply. Waiting.

So, ‘doing the do’. What does this mean? It means that you’re not going to wait for someone else’s permission to do what you want to do. You know that any rejection or disappointment doesn’t mean you’re rubbish. You know that it’s part of the process, and that you’ll get there eventually. You know you have what it takes, that you’re not deluding yourself and it’s just going to take a bit more time to convince the industry to let you in.

But it’s not just a positive attitude that will see you through. You’ll develop this inner-confidence by staying proactive and raising your profile through quality endeavour rather than relying on wishy washy sentiments, like 'you’re following your dream’.

Write a short film. Find a director. Or a producer. (Don't know how? Try Shooting People, Talent Circle or UK Screen.) Get it made. Better still, write & direct a short. Make it yourself. Get it out there. If you have the funds and the ambition: make a low-budget feature. What’s stopping you?

Start a blog. Maintain it well. Promote yourself. Get to know the community. At the very least, have a website. Put up your essential details. Everyone turns to Google the minute they want to know something about someone. Do you really want your web reference to be ‘zero’, or worse, an ill-informed comment on someone else’s blog, or an embarrassing family photo that your cousin has uploaded? By having your own website or blog, you can better determine what information appears in the Google searches.

Don’t forget to write. New ideas, new scripts. Pages per day. Per week. Whatever discipline and routine works for you. Keep writing. Hard work, talent and a bit of luck, that’s what you need to succeed. And a lot of luck will emerge from hard work alone, so it really is in your hands.

Finally, have a plan. 'It takes ten years to make it', or so the saying goes, but positive developments should be occurring along the way, so mark down things you want to achieve and set a realistic timeline. For example, if you're just starting out, you could plan by 2012 to have a couple of short films made, perhaps a TV commission or two (on Doctors, or similar) and have an agent by this time. That would be a good four years' work, especially for a newbie. But we're nearly in 2009 already so it's time to get moving. What are you waiting for? Seize-um the day-um.

Fannie Mae to Let Renters Remain in Foreclosed Houses

At issue in the recent C-Ville story "A Tale of Two Foreclosures" was that the owner of a house hadn't yet notified his tenant of the a foreclosure auction just weeks away. In recent months, foreclosure rates have exposed as many as 70,000 renters to evictions, through no fault of their own, according to analysts.Giant mortgage entity Fannie Mae is taking action and will sign leases with the

Mortgage Rates & Availability December 2008 Charlottesville / Albemarle and Beyond

Part II - Q&A - The Mortgage BuzzWe're fortunate to have Jason Crigler from Crown Mortgage Services contributing. Jason is a loan officer who, along with Michael Martin, writes The Mortgage Buzz, a blog about--you guessed it--all things mortgage.Don't miss Part I, which ran on Tuesday, December 9. We're discussing recent actions by the Fed, buying $500B of mortgage-backed securities and

Friday December 12 Econ Links

These links appeared in our sidebar on Friday, December 12, 2008.White House may use TARP funds for auto bailout. 8 really, really scary predictions.The 7th grader's guide to why housing values may take decades to recover.Jumbo Prime Loans: Uh-Oh.Economists: worst is still to come.Retail sales cliff dive in November.A failure of business leadership.This is completely disconnected from housing,

Professional Screenwriter, Step 9: In the Know

Ever heard of Broadcast? How about Screen International? The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook? I’m sure most of you have but there’s an alarming amount of wannabes and graduates who have yet to clue themselves in to these essential publications.

If you want to know what’s happening on the UK scene, and swot up on the media’s movers and shakers, then it’s time to research the industry and raise your overall knowledge and awareness of how the system really works. Time to feel part of the community, find out what’s going on and discover who people are. Who’s the Head of the Film Council? Who’s Head of Drama at Channel 4? Who are the development executives at Working Title? Don’t know? Why not? The truth is out there, and it’s not difficult to find.

First of all, start with Broadcast, the UK’s weekly media magazine which gives a comprehensive rundown on the TV & radio industry. It’s full of news, opinion and gossip, and is a must read. You can subscribe to their RSS feed and get news updates for free.

Next up is Screen International, the UK’s film newspaper. It’s not as vast or detailed as Broadcast but it still covers a lot of ground and is always worth a peek, even if it’s five minutes in WH Smith before you grab your train home.

You simply cannot be without The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. There’s probably no need to buy it every year (as a lot of the info stays the same) but it’s chock full of producers, production companies, agents, and just about everything else you need to know about the UK media arena. One of the most common questions asked is ‘where do I get a list of UK production companies/agents/producers…?’ Well, the Writers’ and Artists’ yearbook is your answer.

Other places worthy of a bookmark: The Guardian’s Media Section (the newspaper publishes this every Monday but the website is updated daily). Similarly, The Guardian’s Film Section (news, reviews, comment). What else? The Irish film & TV scene is covered by the IFTN, and there’s a good Irish filmmaking network here. In the UK, Twelve Point continues to find its stride, both with its website and forum. The Writers’ Guild, The Script Factory and the BBC’s writersroom are also good places of reference (links in the sidebar).

Stay in the know. Find out what's actually going on and who's doing what. Knowledge, as they say, is power. At the very least, it's always interesting and sometimes even fun.

"A Tale of Two Foreclosures" - What Will Foreclosure of 1216 Augusta Street Do to "Value" of Nearby Properties For Sale?

C-ville Weekly has an article by Will Goldsmith entitled "A Tale of Two Foreclosures" with the subtitle, And a look at their place in the scheme of things.

1216 Augusta Street in Charlottesville is scheduled to be sold at foreclosure auction on January 6, and 332 Minor Ridge Road, in Albemarle County, is scheduled for foreclosure auction December 11.

The owner of both properties is Doug McGowan

Mortgage Rates at 5.5 % (Possibly Lower By the Time You Finish Reading This....)

Q&A: The Mortgage Buzz blog - Answers to questions about mortgages in December, 2oo8.Is it a good time to buy a house right now? In the Charlottesville/Albemarle area? Or anywhere else? Who knows. But mortgage rates are on the buyer's side.Just before Thanksgiving, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced that the Bush Administration and the Federal Reserve will do more to aid American

Professional Screenwriter, Step 8: Choosing Work

Or, ‘Don’t be Fussy’.

Ooh, step 8 in the professional screenwriter series. That’s quite a lot. Surely you’re well on your way to screenwriting riches by this stage? Um, not yet. While each of the steps is important in the overall picture, there’s one that’s an absolute must if you’re to earn a crust at this writing lark: you’re going to have to get a paid writing gig.

Now, at this point in your career, you’ve got a few important decisions to make about the kind of work you want to do, and what you won’t get out of bed for. A small fork in the screenwriting road lies ahead. Turn left, and you stick to the area that you’re passionate about, not compromising for a second until you’re clutching your Oscar. Turn right, and you take any writing gig going, from corporate videos to computer games, whilst working your way to higher climbs, possibly clutching that Oscar after your long haul.

There is no bad choice here. Just stick to your guns, and what you want to write, or what you're willing to do to succeed. However, if you’re going to draw a line between the medium of your choice and the other opportunities that are out there, then a word about each of the main areas, and what you might expect.

FILM
Most new writers are lured by the cinema. This is where it’s happening. The bright lights, the silver screen, the big bucks. However, contrary to what you might expect, IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to make any money from film. If you’re a new film writer in the UK, and won’t consider doing anything else, prepare yourself for some financial frustration. Piddly option fees and treatment costs won’t pay the bills, and films take an age to get developed and produced. Sure, some are fast-tracked, and some are even written by new writers, but you’ve got a better chance of standing on a golf course during a thunder storm and waiting for lightning to strike. If you start to rely on even slimmer possibilities or faint enthusiasm: “Working Title are reading my script this weekend”, “the Film Council’s feedback was very positive”, then you know you’re in trouble.

TV
This is where it’s really happening. Lots of drama and comedy. Loads of broadcast hours. Tonnes of programmes actually being made, and vast opportunities for writers to get their break and make some dough. However, as you’ve probably figured out by now, IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to break into TV. But not impossible. And if you’ve been following these steps, then you might have a better chance than others. Don’t be snobby. Swot up on the soaps. Get your spec scripts read by the right people. Bish, bash, bosh, your first commission. Work your way up the pole, and you’ll be surprised what other doors open because of your TV career.

RADIO
BBC Radio 4 have a good site here, where you can check out all the relevant details. Radio 4 is also where a lot of comedians get their break, either through sketches or comedy series, so it's well worth considering. There's also Radio 3's The Wire slot, which is specifically targeted for new writing. Radio is a good place to get a credit, and the writer has a lot of say in the finished product. Research/be aware of when the commissioning rounds come up, and get your proposal in on time. Even better, try to get your script attached to a radio producer first. Have them submit it on your behalf, and that gives it a better chance.

ONLINE MEDIA
All the rage at the moment. Find out what’s going on. Storygas is a neat site that keeps track on what’s out there. But who to approach? Where are the opportunities? Hmm, it’s hard to say exactly. Dedicated multi-media companies would be a good place to start, and most independent TV production companies are developing their own ‘interactive arms’, so get your name in there. I got Sofia’s Diary by going to Cannes, which highlights the benefits of step 3: network.

COMPUTER GAMES
Some good opportunities here, too. If you don’t have an agent, or any contacts whatsoever in this field, you’ll simply have to cold call or query letter the production companies involved in making your favourite games, and convince them what a great writer you are. More and more games are narrative-driven, which means they need a good story, and that’s where you come in. Alternatively, you could get hired to write the dialogue for whatever in-game play is going on. A couple of years ago, I wrote the in-game dialogue for Colin McRae: Dirt, a gig that was sourced by my agent, but I enjoyed every minute.

CORPORATE VIDEO
A lot of people turn their noses up at corporate video, but while it may seem a bit dull and dry (in terms of subject matter), it has a few benefits. One of them is that the more creative or entertaining you can be with the subject matter, the more fun you can have, and the client will love you (depending on the brief, naturally). Most people involved in making corporate videos have aspirations similar to yourself (film, TV, etc), so it can be a good way of making new contacts, and opening up other opportunities further down the line. The main benefit is that there’s good money in writing corporate videos. But where are the opportunities, I hear you cry? Again, it’s about approaching corporate production companies and networking, and letting the chips fall where they may.

"Maybe It's Time to Buy That First House." Or is it?

The New York Times and The Washington Post both have opinion pieces about the current housing market.Ron Leiber, who writes the weekly NYT "Your Money" column, wonders if we are in a "golden age" for first-time homebuyers. He cites declining home prices, mortgage rates at +/- 5.5% nationwide, the possibility that rates will go to 4.5%, and the huge selection of available houses.He also mentions

Professional Screenwriter, Step 7: Attitude

Or ‘Learning to Love Rejection’.

One of the more important aspects of whether you’ll make it or not is your ability to deal with rejection. There’s no denying that it sucks, and it hurts, and it is very personal (just not personal to the person rejecting you), but it’s how you dust yourself off and keep writing that will determine whether you can cut it in the biz. You’ll need a steely resolve, a desire to improve, belief that you can make it, that you really do have talent, and the humility to accept that you might not succeed, despite having all the necessary qualities to do so.

There’s a fine line between determination and delusion, unfortunately. You can tell yourself that ‘I’m gonna make it, no matter what’, and have all the will in the world, and perhaps even some talent, but the chips may not fall your way and the effects can be damaging. ‘Successful writers have one thing in common, they didn’t give up’. True. But it wasn’t JUST their desire to succeed that got them where they are today. They knew, even when they were getting rejected for the 100th time, that they had what it takes, and nobody was going to stop them from writing. For most of us, talent and determination will get you so far, while Lady Luck will have a strong say on which side of the fence you fall.

Making a living as a screenwriter is going to take time. It’s not going to happen overnight, or within a few months. You’ll be extremely lucky if it happens within a few years. Yes, there are those who can jump straight into the professional pool but these success stories are the ones you read in the paper, and are few and far between. The real success stories are the writers who toil away at their craft and their scripts, hoping one day something will break, and that it won’t be their hearts.

If you’re in it for the money, forget it, it’s not going to happen. There is good money to be made but it’s not just handed out willy nilly. You have to earn your place in the system, and work hard for your reward. In the early days of your career, if you’re lucky enough to get a few breaks, the money won’t be regular, and it will be a struggle to survive. That’s when you realise that even when you’re ‘making it’, it’s still just as hard as before, if not harder, as you have to maintain momentum, create more stories and find more work.

It’s exhausting. Physically and mentally. Did you see Eamonn McCabe's "Writers’ Rooms portraits" recently, and there’s one where the writer has a bad back and has to lie on an orthapaedic chair in order to write. She writes facing the ceiling. Now, I’ve got a bad back and have had a couple of operations but – ouch! – at least I can sit upright and focus on the computer. Imagine the will and desire that’s needed to lie down and write. Every day.

There is one positive about rejection. It means you’re doing the right thing. You’re writing, and sending your scripts out into the world. Rejection is the norm but some knock backs are more crushing than others. It will make you question whether you want to continue, and poke you with bothering doubts about your talent. It takes a brave person to know when they’ve been beaten, and to hang up their spurs. It takes a braver one to continue, knowing that they’re going to make it. Some day.

On a personal note, some notable rejections that hit me hard (although the list is endless). The Writers' Academy. Not just the once, which I blogged about, but twice (2nd time not even shortlisted, even after direct encouragement to apply again). Then, I was given a crack at EastEnders. Confident and excited! Did the trial episode. Rejected. Blimey. At least I had ideas at Doctors that were awaiting commission but they were spiked and not used. 2006 was a bad year, and I hit an all time low. I very nearly got a 'proper job'. But no. I stuck at it, and got a few promising breaks along the way. This year, EastEnders gave me another go at a trial episode. I did it, determined not to miss this time, and have just been offered a commission! Get in! I start this Friday. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Take A Look At This Mortgage Modification

Recently, a number of banks and mortgage guarantors announced they will suspend foreclosures for 90 days. Merry Christmas. Similarly, to help stem the tide of foreclosures, Fan and Fred, major banks, and the FDIC have announced plans for mortgage modifications.But mortgage modifications anger many people. "Anger" is an understatement. "Turn apoplectic," "breathe fire," and throw large objects

Treasury Considering Plan to Lower Mortgage Rates to 4.5%

Last week, on news that the Fed Gov would buy up $500 Billion of MBS (mortgage-backed securities), 30 year fixed rates dropped to 5.5%. We sent a Q&A over to The Mortgage Buzz blog, and it will be posted tomorrow.Meanwhile, in the past week, there's been reports that foreclosures will continue to rise. Apparently in response to this, and in an effort to stabilize the housing market, there's

The Most Expensive Small Towns in America

No, actually, Charlottesville is not on this list. Business Week teamed up with the real estate website Zillow.com to find towns with the smallest year-round populations and highest $ real estate. Only towns with 10,000 or fewer residents were considered. Read the story and view the slideshow.

"Why?"

We received an email on Sunday from a reader who signed off as Confused in Charlottesville. In the subject line was "Why?" In the body of the email was simply "MLS# 459636. New listing."The details: 705 Montrose Avenue, a 1296 sq. ft. 2 bed, 2 bath aluminum-sided cottage, ca. 1953. Located in the Belmont area.Asking Price: $197,400.It's very simple, Confused in Charlottesville. The listing

Woolen Mills: 401 Meade Avenue & 119 River Bluff Circle

New landlords:MLS# 455614 - 401 Meade Avenue - Rehabbed farmhouse, ca. 1920, 3 beds, 1.5 baths, $299,000. A larger house among small cottages, at least four of which in a two block radius are for sale, near Meade Park. Corner of Little High Street.Last transfer: 2004, for $206,000. Some upgrades since then.Available immediately for $1250/month "short term rental." Gotta appreciate the

Investor Sues to Block Mortgage Modifications

A lawsuit against Bank of America claims states and banks will short bondholders $8.4 billion and damage the market by cutting home payments. This is big.(Read earlier posts about mortgage mod programs here and here.)

It's Not Even Winter and the News is Bitter Cold

Ugh and ugh.Duh and duh.This is as much eloquence as we can muster at the moment...but fear not. Plenty of properties to see this week.

Professional Screenwriter, Step 6: Discipline

Whether you’re holding down a full-time job, pulling pints in the evening, or going to university, you need to allocate time to write. For a lot of new writers, this can be the hardest part of the process: trying to combine the ideas and inspiration that encourage us to write in the first place with the actual discipline of sitting down and getting a script done regardless of whether you feel up to it or not.

The most common advice is ‘write every day’. Ideas, notes, 5 pages, 10 pages, whatever you can manage. In the morning, during your lunch break, when the kids have been put to bed, or in the midnight hours with a glass of scotch. Still, no matter how accessible and practical you make ‘writing every day’ sound, it’s not always possible or beneficial to fit it into your schedule.

‘Write every day’ is the ideal but it’s not the only answer. The key is to allocate a certain routine so that you’re definitely still writing, and not just saying that you are. Two or three times per week should be possible, even with a heavy workload and other distractions in your life. More than this, you should WANT to write two or three times per week, rather than feel weary or unmotivated to do so. The difference between those who ‘write’ and those who say ‘they want to write’ is fairly obvious but it’s a common trap for most who dip their toes into the screenwriting pool to see how warm the water is.

You either write, or you don’t, that’s the bottom line. One or two scripts won’t see you through a career. You should be burning with ideas and itching with the desire to get more work done. If you’re still finding it difficult, then there are ways to help keep you motivated. Join a writers’ group. Get a friend to impose a deadline. Enter script competitions. Adapt a book or a story that’s out of copyright. Keep reading and watching TV/films. Stay inspired or enthused; keep your energy and ambition going.

I took the ‘all or nothing’ approach when I first started. That is, I gave up the day job and threw everything at becoming a screenwriter. But I had no discipline or routine. I would watch DVDs (videos, back then) and thumb PlayStation, and call it research. My girlfriend would come home from work to find me in my dressing gown. I would hurriedly plonk myself in front of the computer, thinking that I could convince her I was working all day but didn’t have time to dress properly. Shyeah.

After a while, the DVDs and PlayStation were ignored, and I plonked myself in front of the computer all day, surfing and emailing until I got bored, and there was no other option but to write something. Script reading was also helpful in terms of generating the right routine. Read a script, write a report. Repeat. That kind of mindset complimented the attitude required to write, and so, finally, I was churning out scripts on a regular basis.

Find the time. Develop a routine. Teach yourself the discipline. Stick to it.

Sad News

Blogger Doris Dungey, who wrote under the pseudonym "Tanta" at CalculatedRISK, has passed away after a serious illness.CalculatedRISK appears on our "live feed" in the sidebar. The mainstream media and the finance/economics/bubble blogosphere embraced, respected, and relied upon Tanta's genius, analysis, and wit in her writings.Read the memorial post at CalculatedRISK and the article in The New

Professional Screenwriter, Step 5: Get an Agent

A lot of new writers consider ‘getting an agent’ to be the Holy Grail of their screenwriting career. Once they nab an agent, then they’re official, and the work will flow. This is not true. Having an agent is indeed a significant and crucial factor of your professional profile but it does not define who you are or what you can achieve. Indeed, a lot of the time, you’ll ‘get your own work’ from personal recommendations and word-of-mouth opportunities, leaving your agent with the cosy job of tidying up your contract and negotiating your fee.

Of course, an agent will champion you and your work around town, and set up meetings with key players and producers but the agent does not ‘get you the work’. YOU always get the work. An agent sets up the meeting, or sings your praises and looks out for suitable gigs. After that, it’s all down to you and your writing. An agent’s reputation will go some way in reassuring a producer or exec that you’re a solid writer, and no doubt your spec script will reflect well on the agent’s tastes, but when it comes down to it, the producers only react to the quality of your writing, nothing else. So, the key question: how do I get an agent?

Well, hopefully you’ve been working feverishly away on step 2 (writing), and you’ve developed a decent portfolio of scripts. Hey, you may have even won an award or been paid tuppence to write a treatment for a producer, so that shows some professional reward. It’s time to approach an agent. Write a query letter. In this day and age, an email could suffice (and most agents’ emails are on the net), but treat it as a query letter, not an ingratiating message that invades their in-box.

In your query letter, tell them who you are, what you’ve done/what your ambitions are (“I don’t do TV, dahling”, “If I don’t write for Holby, I will die”), and why you think the agent/agency is a good match for your ambition and talent. That’s just a basic structural template. Add your own personal touch or flavour to it, but don’t veer away from the point. Be brief. Don’t enclose any scripts. Ask them if they’d like to read a few samples - end your letter with a question as that might prompt them to reply a bit quicker than normal.

Now wait a couple of weeks. If you haven’t had a reply, phone their office and make a polite enquiry with the assistant whether your letter has been received and read. If you did get a reply, and the agent wants to read your scripts, then send them as soon as you can.

Now wait a couple of months. At least. You could get lucky and the agent will get back to you quickly (this depends on how ‘hot’ you are; whether you’ve won an award or already written an episode of Doctors, or whatever) but generally it’s going to take them a few months. Don’t sweat it. Give them time, and then follow it up with a polite email/phone call to give them a nudge.

If an agent is interested in you, they will invite you in to their offices to see the colour of your eyes and get a feel for you as a person. They’ll have pretty much decided that they want to represent you at this stage but if you come across as a flaky psychopath, then that might deter them from offering you a contract. Be nice, charming, funny and friendly. Show that you’re ‘normal’ but don’t be afraid to demonstrate your ‘passion’ either (apostrophes included especially for Mr Arnopp). After a quick chat and a cup of coffee, the agent will offer you representation. Let the commissions begin!

Well, er, not exactly. It’s going to take time to build momentum and shop you around town. Scripts need to be sent out to producers. They need to read them, and like your writing, in order to invite you in for a meeting. These could be typical ‘meet and greet’ affairs or specific ‘would you like to write for EastEnders’ get-togethers, depending on what you and your agent are gunning for, but the bottom line is that this, like everything else in the business, is going to take some time.

One final word: don’t approach an agent ‘flat’. There’s nothing worse than: “Hi, I’m a new writer. Here are a few of my scripts. Would you like to represent me?” While it’s a common approach, it doesn’t do a lot to prickle an agent’s interest. They get a lot of query letters every week. Make yours stand out from the crowd. Not by being bolshy, but by showing that you’ve already achieved something, and you’re on your way, and now you need an agent. It’s easy to spot the writers who simply ‘want an agent’. They’re everywhere. But if you’ve got some decent chops about you, and you’re already hustling opportunities, then an agent will be more inclined to check you out because of your dynamic or proactive qualities.

Links 11-26-2008 Thanksgiving Weekend

HOUSING PRICES AND SALES October National Existing Home Sales DropOctober National New Home Sales Lowest Since 1982The Case-Shiller Index, the widely-watched aggregator of prices 20 housing markets, has fallen 17% over the Third Quarter from 2007. This report comes from the period before the stock market crash in October.LOCAL NEWSThe City of Charlottesville will have to cut Capital Improvement

Fed Announces It Will Buy $600 Billion of Debt; Mortgage Rates Drop

The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday that it will buy $600 Billion in mortgage assets from banks (total Bailouts now stand at $7 Trillion, btw.) By the end of the day, mortgage rates dropped significantly to 5.5% for a 30 year fixed.The move is aimed at helping to lower housing inventories and try to stabilize the market in an attempt to finally find a bottom because housing prices keep

Professional Screenwriter, Step 4: Industry Insider

As a lot of ‘getting ahead in the biz’ is about who you know, then getting work within the industry makes a lot of sense, especially if you want to broaden your basic experience (if you’re a recent graduate, say, or a young newcomer to the scene). So, get a job. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it focused on the screenwriting-related areas. Save the application form for Mickey Ds as a last resort…

Script Reader
Often referred to as an ‘entry level’ job, this position is preferable if you want to consume yourself with scripts, and learn a whole lot in the process (see step 1). However, script reader jobs are rarely, if never, advertised, so it’s a case of sending query letters, emails and polite phone calls to see if you can get your foot in the door. Beware, it pays a low part-time wage, even when you’re working flat out, so it might not suit everyone. It’s got a shelf-life of one-two years but can go on for much longer, and forever, if you want it to. Check out this post for further details if you think it really might be your bag.

Researcher
More of a TV job but still useful for all sorts of reasons; it’s fun, you get to meet some cool and interesting people (most of the time), and you can make great contacts. Researchers usually exist on a freelance basis but the contacts they make normally keep them regularly employed. Previous TV experience is necessary, as a runner for example, but a bit of guile and intelligence can bypass this lowly rung of the ladder. The TV evolution chart goes: runner, researcher, assistant producer, producer, commissioning editor. Film food chain: runner (reader), assistant, junior development exec/development co-ordinator, development executive, producer, head of department/studio.

Assistant/PA
Despite being a ‘media secretary’, this one’s a really good job to get. You’ll deal with the day-to-day issues of your boss, who will probably be a reputable producer/development exec, and so you get the inside track on how things are done, and why. Also great for making contacts. The job’s got a shelf-life of about two years before you should advance to the next stage of your career, whether that be a researcher/script reader or whatever it is that really excites you.

Production Crew
Become a locations assistant. Or a best boy. Or an assistant cameraman. Or offer to work on short film shoots. To get a break in this field, you’re going to have to work for free, and you should be more than willing to do so. If you can’t get lucky, don’t feel too snooty to be a runner. Despite the menial tasks, a runner meets and mingles with EVERYONE, and it’s really a cool position if you use it wisely enough.

These are just a few examples of the kind of work that is out there, and isn’t impossible to get, despite what you might think. I started out in Channel 4’s Duty Office (complains/enquiries), and that was thanks to a media temp agency. I worked my way into C4’s comedy department when stuff like Spaced and Ali G were being made. And then, I was a researcher (Ali G) and a production assistant (Black Books) before becoming a full-time script reader (to pay the bills as I focused on my quest to be a full-time freelance writer).

Don’t be on the outside looking in, thinking ‘the industry is against me’. Get a job in the biz, and amass some proper knowledge, experience and contacts.

Daily Progress Article - "Our Economy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" - And Some Perspective

Sunday's DP has a feature about the local economy. We offer some perspective on the numbers relating to housing.The bolding is ours, as are the comments in parentheses and the color red. Otherwise, the material is from the article, which categorizes the local economy as a "mixed bag" and then subdivides issues into the good, the bad, and the ugly.*11:30 a.m. There's an update at the bottom of

Citi Bad & Needs Rescue; Regulators Naughty; Obama Stimulus Plan

These links appeared on our sidebar on Sunday, November 23.Federal Gov't Plans On Some Kind of Citigroup Rescue (We're shocked, shocked!)Citigroup Saw No Red Flags Even As It Made Riskier Moves. (Blinded by $$$.)Obama, Dems Plan $700B Stimulus Over Next Two Years. (Much larger than any discussed during campaign.)Bush Admin Bank Regulator Played Advocate Instead of Enforcer. (No! Really?!)

Econ Links 11/24 - 26

These links appeared on our sidebar.National Existing Home Sales Drop. Median Home Prices Now back to 2004. Median price fell 11.3% (MP is now $183,300) from a year earlier. This is the largest year-over-year existing home price decrease since records began in 1968.Months of Inventory stand at 10.02. This makes it the highest year-end inventory since 1982. And the C'ville area has 18+?!Comrade

Stocks Up Looking Forward to Obama Announcement of Treasury Secretary & Econ Team

Whew! No Black Friday. After two disastrous days (and many weeks now), stocks ended up 500 points in a late afternoon surge to close at 8046.42. The drop was 5.3% for the week due to renewed concerns about the global economic slowdown and the fate of major firms saddled with bad credit bets, such as Citigroup, which lost another 20% of its value.Many are attributing the optimistic rise to the "

Updates on Giant Mortgage Losers Fannie & Freddie

These entities, which own or back a huge number of American mortgages, announced they will suspend all Foreclosures for single-family properties from Nov. 26 to Jan. 9.Can the FDIC and big banks be far behind?The cynics and responsible homeowners among us are of course disgusted about mortgage mods already.Additionally, we wonder if this is just a device to get more consumers to spend their money

List of Banks Receiving TARP Funds; Jobless Claims Reach 16 Year High

These links appeared in our sidebar on Friday, 11/21.What Banks and "banks" have received Bailout Funds? Check out the TARP list. Includes some in our region: SunTrust - $3.5 Billion and BBT - $3.1 Billion."Extraordinary Popular Delusion."New jobless claims reach 16-year high.

Professional Screenwriter, Step 3: Networking

As a writer, most of your life will be spent indoors, whether it be at home or a hired office, beach hut, log cabin overlooking the lake, whatever. For the sake of your sanity, and for your career, you’re going to have to get out once in a while. If you’re following these steps, then you’ve read a lot of scripts, and you’re developing a decent portfolio of your own screenplays. Now, it’s time to network. But what does this mean, exactly? And how do you start? Where?

The easiest and most common place to network is at an ‘industry event’, where influential, and not-so influential, industry insiders gather for a specific media shindig. These events typically break down as film screenings, film festivals, script readings, writing festivals, and so on. If you’ve never heard of the Bafta Rocliffe Forum, Brief Encounters or the Screenwriters’ Festival (to name but a few), then you’re missing out on some golden opportunities to rub shoulders with people who may be able to help your career.

One of the key things about networking is not to expect anything from it. Just get out there and meet people. Say hello. Exchange business cards (most of your new contacts will be fellow writers). Follow it up with an email saying it was nice to meet you, and keep in touch, if reasonably possible, or beneficial. Soon, a large stack of business cards will emerge on your desk but after a while, you may forget who these people are. Here’s a tip I got from Cannes two years ago, possibly from Tim: when you exchange business cards, write something on the back of the card to remind yourself who the person is, and what you spoke about, or anything that will help you months down the line when you’re staring at the card, thinking: who is that?? You could even make a joke about it in front of the person: “handsome, clever, witty” or simply scribble something down once they’ve moved on.

If you’ve developed a key contact, like a producer or script editor, be careful not to bombard them with constant emails, especially if they’re just pointless: hi, how are yous? The minimum amount of time for keeping in touch with a useful contact is 3 months. That’s my ballpark, and that’s the minimum. Anything between 3-6 months is good, and the emails should be news about what you’re doing, or something specific about keeping in touch. If it’s longer than 6 months, then a little recap of who you are and where you met is helpful, and what you’re up to now. You may get replies, you may not. Keep going but use your contacts wisely. Don’t exhaust their goodwill or time with needy emails or over-friendly notions of communication.

I went to Cannes in the summer of 2006 and met a variety of producers. Six months later, near Christmas, I dropped one of the producers an email, saying that it was nice to have met her (she had read one of my scripts at this point, and had liked it) and perhaps we could get to work together if a suitable project emerged. She replied, saying she was in London in the New Year, developing an internet drama, and would I be interested in that? Yes, please! And that’s how I got the gig for Sofia’s Diary.

And I’m pretty sure I’ve bored you to death with the story of how I got to write for The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers: I went to a short film screening where I didn’t know anyone else but the director. I said hello to a guy who was also by himself, thinking ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ We got talking and exchanged contact details. A few weeks later, a casual comment on email reveals that he’s working on a new CiTV series, and did I know any good animation writers? Bingo!

These are the shorthand anecdotes. I still had to attend meetings, have exec producers read and approve my spec scripts, and pitch ideas in order to get the gigs. But none of it would have happened without the simple ‘Hi, I’m Danny’ that started it all. (And I’ve got work out of the blog, too. The script editor of Badly Drawn Roy was a fan of the blog, and we met a few times, kept in touch, and he thought of me when they were looking for writers.)

If you find yourself at an industry event but are not sure who to approach, and feel a bit shy, make it your mission to speak to ONE person. Just one. If you come away that night with one business card, you’ll have succeeded. But by approaching that one person, you’ll quickly realise that it’s not that bad, and saying hello can lead to an introduction to someone else, and before you know it, you’ve had a great time meeting new friends and contacts.

Network, hustle and flow, but don’t be pushy, needy or desperate. Enjoy yourself.

A? Black? Friday?

What's on tap for today? Citigroup gets a bailout or goes bankrupt? Citigroup has lost half its value in four days. Shares of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase are down 30%.Dow below 7,000? S&P sheds %s?Read this brief article about how bad it is--and what could be done to help.

Worst Crash Since Great Depression

Sadly, this isn't even Our Humble Opinion. It's numerical fact.The Dow industrials fell 445 points, or 5.6%, to 7552.29 amid another selloff in financial stocks. Citi shares lost 26% and J.P. Morgan Chase dropped 19%. - WSJSee David Leonhardt's "Stocks and Earnings Racing to the Bottom" - NYT(And UVIMCO is really thinking of selling off public equity or shares in hedges? What? Probably not any

UVa's Endowment Fiasco Detailed in The Hook

At last, some local reporting on UVa's endowment fiasco by somebody who knows what she's talking about and explains it very clearly for the unschooled reader.It's the cover story, Missing Billion, by Lisa Provence in this week's Hook.Provence very carefully explains the history of the endowment's investing, defines hedge funds and private equity, and explains how UVa lost $1B.No Wahoos are

Haircuts Continue - 702 Belmont Avenue

702 Belmont Avenue came on the market in May of 2008 for $519,000. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2000 sq. ft., tiny lot, neighbors an armspan away.Of course IOHO we thought the Asking Price was bubbly, given the neighborhood, the economy, the previous selling price (pre-"flip" renovations), and nearby "comps." We went on about these issues in this post.In August, the price had dropped to $479,900 and

Wednesday Econ News: Deflation, Home Prices Declining

The following links appeared in our sidebar 11/19.Wednesday: Stocks plunge. Again. Below 8,000. Where's the Bottom? More losses feared.Stocks hurt by latest fear: declining prices. Here's a primer on Deflation.Home prices decline 9%. Foreclosures & Short Sales account for nearly 40% of transactions nationwide. Sales in the South are down.

New Construction Housing Starts in October: Lowest Level Since 1959

Nationwide housing starts fell to their lowest since the US Census Bureau began tracking the numbers in 1959.There's a nationwide overhang of inventory. In the Charlottesville area, the number of new and existing unsold houses is at a 15 month inventory level (or higher)--meaning it would take this long to sell off all of the properties.This doesn't include unfinished new houses and condominiums

Mid-Nov. Econ News: UVa Endowment, Landmark Hotel, Whole Foods Market, John Casteen, City Budget Woes

These links appeared on our sidebar from 11/16-18UVa has lost about $900 Million in Endowment investments since August. The school has over $1 Billion of further exposure due to private equity investments. President Casteen wants to reassure folks that everything is fine.At least Everything is Fine with Casteen, who pulls down $800,000 per year. There's only one other public U prez who makes as

Treasury Secretary Comrade Henry Paulson Thinks He's Doing A Good Job With the Bailout...

...And lets us all know this in an OP-ED in the New York Times.The entire piece is reproduced below. Don't miss reading/skimming the hundreds of comments that follow at the original site, including this one: "Translation (and Readers Digest version): We don't have the faintest idea of what to do." -- John G., NYCFighting the Financial Crisis, One Challenge at a TimeOP-ED CONTRIBUTORHENRY M.

What Should Happen to "Underwater" Mortgages?

Barry Ritholtz offers a plan at The Big Picture:My...suggestion is to develop a plan that recognizes this simple truism: People paid too much for houses, and banks lent too much against value that simply isn’t there. The LTV needs to be adjusted to reflect this simple reality.That’s why carving out a new realistic mortgage relative to home values, plus a 10 year balloon payment for some of the

2400 Pine Garth Run. "New Listing," New MLS #, New Price, New Agent. Again.

Back in August we had a post about 2400 Pine Garth Run. It was part of the "Accidental Landlord" series: owners who could't sell their houses were listing them as rentals.2400 Pine Garth Run was available for $799,900 to "own," or $3,000 a month to rent. It was a FSBO (For Sale By Owner). You can read the post linked above, but of course the Craigslist rental and "for sale" ads have long

Finance/Econ News 11/16-17

There's so much finance/econ news in the past 48 hours that we took it off our sidebar for the sake of streamlining.Stocks fall on concern that US Recession will deepen.Kansas Fed Reserve Bank Prez says the Fed has "done as much as it can do" to revive the economy....Bush admin will not seek remaining $350B in Bailout funds; it's left for the Obama admin.OUCH. The Securities and Exchange

When Did myCAAR.com Become a Rental Site?

We're not the brightest blog on the block, and what with the election and upcoming holidays and worldwide financial meltdown, we've been distracted like crows to the shiny.So we must have missed the announcement that the property search website of CAAR, the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors, is now listing rentals.We first saw the pictured property in this ad from Craigslist, which

Professional Screenwriter, Step 2: Writing

You can probably bypass a bit of step 1 by doing a general overview of what’s needed to prepare and write a screenplay. This will usually mean attending a script course of some sort (McKee etc), and reading a few screenwriting books, perhaps even downloading a couple of your favourite scripts from Drew’s Script-O-Rama. But if you really want to get ahead, don’t skimp on step 1. For book writing, it’s widely accepted and encouraged that aspiring writers should have a passion for reading, and so the same should be for film & TV. We all love to WATCH, and this is an important part of the process, too, (to watch & consume a lot of film & TV) but we learn more by READING. After all, this is how your work will be judged, so it makes sense to swot up as much as you can. You quickly discover that your Shane Black-style and killer premise isn’t as clever as you once imagined.

Now, step 2. Writing. Start developing your ‘portfolio’. Shorts, TV episodes, feature specs, whatever floats your boat. The important thing is to write, and keep writing. Finished one script? Great, congratulations! But you need more. Rewrite the script. Start a new one. Improve your work, especially with what you’ve learned from the ongoing process of step 1.

I met a few students the other day to talk about what it’s like being a freelance screenwriter and one of their more pertinent questions was: “do you have a social life or how has that been affected by pursuing a writing career?” It may sound like a trivial matter but it’s not. The thing is, once you decide to give writing a go, a decent and proper go, your social life takes a big hit. You don’t really go out anymore. Friends and family are reduced to emails and phone calls. Not because you’re being rude but because you’re busy writing (and don't have any money, naturally). And here’s the crucial factor, YOU ENJOY IT. You don't mind. You don't really feel it because you're compelled to write or you're determined to succeed.

Janel Maloney, the actress who plays Donna in The West Wing, once asked Aaron Sorkin what he did at the weekend. He just looked at her and gestured ‘typing’ with his hands. To her, it was inconceivable to work so hard, especially at the weekend, but in truth, writers, and busy working writers, work all the time. Morning, noon and night. Seven days a week. Yes, it's difficult to fit in sometimes, and life can get in the way, but there's no avoiding the fact that if you want to be a writer, then you have to write something. Otherwise it’s just talk and bullshit and procrastination. Keep at it. Find the time in your schedule or tell your family/friends that they may not see you for a while. It's not easy, especially at the beginning, but it simply cannot be overlooked. That said, there's more, much more, to building your career than just writing.

Next up, step 3: networking.

Econ News, 11/10-15

These links appeared in our sidebar this past week.LOCAL NEWS:Charlottesville loses 500 Jobs in one year. And then there's Luck Stone, Lexis/Nexis, and Circuit City which are shedding jobs. And let's not forget the REALTORS who aren't going to make any money in the coming months, either. (That is said with 0% snark, fwiw.) Retail sales, and thus sales tax revenues, are down in the City and the

ANOTHER BAILOUT for Mortgageholders: The FDIC's Version

As we posted the other day, the Federal Housing Finance Administration has a mortgage modification program for troubled borrowers from the extremely troubled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (each posted gigantic losses this week. Again.). In that post, we also mentioned that Citi, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase also have programs in place.But the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the

Professional Screenwriter, Step 1: Reading

Here’s the first of a quick guide on how to become a professional screenwriter, starting with the absolute basics: reading scripts. I am always surprised when I meet new or aspiring screenwriters and they proudly declare that they don’t read scripts, either because they can’t be bothered (‘it takes up too much time’) or, shock, they’re just not interested. And yet, they expect others to be interested in THEIR screenplays; their finely honed works of art that shows off their ingenious style and devastating use of craft. Not.

It’s easy to tell the difference between writers who don’t read many scripts to the writers that are pretty much obsessed by screenwriting. Those who ‘DON’T’ usually employ a standard style and format where all your basics are covered but there’s nothing particularly distinctive or original in the way they dramatise their work.

Those who ‘DO’ usually demonstrate a solid understanding of style and drama that sets it apart from others in the slush pile. Quite often, there will be a palpable sense of immediacy to the writing that says: ‘something’s going on here, check it out’. Lean description, crisp imagery, a funny or dramatic turn of phrase, and a story that draws your eye to the page. In his recent interview on the BBC writersroom, Russell T said about Paul Abbott's scripts that you could tell how the scenes were going to play by how they appeared on the page. This is 100% true, but difficult to explain. We all know about ‘vertical writing’ and having ‘white space’ on the page (less is more etc) but it’s not just about cutting down on your description. It’s about understanding the balance between the pace, characters and dialogue of each scene, and the story as a whole.

A well-written scene, or script, will LOOK promising by simply how it appears on the page. But more than that, each line of action or dialogue will lead you on to the next with an easy flourish, using either a comic touch, an intriguing line or plain good old fashioned compelling drama. It’s a highly advanced level of screenwriting, and only one that can be achieved by READING LOTS OF SCRIPTS. It doesn’t matter if they're amateur or professional screenplays. If you read a hundred scripts over the course of two months, you probably wouldn’t need to buy or read a book about screenwriting ever again. Reading scripts sharpens your instincts and awareness of the whole process, and hopefully inspires you to raise your game to a whole new level.

Next up, step 2: Writing.

National Existing Home Sales Drop 19% From September to October 2008

Housingwire reports:"Stress in the real estate market caused U.S. home sales to fall sharply between September and October, according to a national survey of more than 2,500 real estate agents conducted by survey firm Campbell Communications Inc. in early November."Nationwide, sales were down 19% from September to October. In areas with higher foreclosures, sales were down even more: Florida 22%

Treasury Has Turned Itself Into the 4th Branch of Government

We have the Executive, the Judicial, and the Legislative branches of the United States Government, a "checks and balances" system that does everything we need it to. Or so we thought.Who knew that Treasury, under the guidance of Comrade Secretary Henry Paulson, could become its own branch of Government? Which seems to be what's happening right before our eyes.Remember the hullabulloo about

Albemarle County: Building Permits, Taxes

The Daily Progress reports that building permits are down in Albemarle County. No surprise. But this is good news. The necessity for new unsold houses is pretty much zero when there are already-built, never-lived in houses that are unsold, as well as the gigantic inventory of existing houses.The bad news is that, partially due to real estate values plummeting, Albemarle County is facing a

The Federal Housing Finance Admin Has a New Plan For Fannie & Freddie Troubled Mortgageholders

The Federal Housing Finance Administration, which was created with the Bailout of Giant Mortgage Losers Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, has announced a "streamlined mortgage modification program."From the FHFA Press Release:"As housing prices have fallen, delinquencies on mortgages have tripled, not just for subprime and Alt-A, but also for prime mortgages. Foreclosures have increased almost 150% from

Bloggy blog blog

About a month ago, you may remember that Hilary Wright guest blogged about 'Time Travelling Writers' (an event with Ashley Pharoah, Steven Moffat and Marks & Gran to discuss time travelling on TV), and that Hilary promised us a blog of her very own. Those of you with a sharp eye for detail (or perhaps a bit anally retentive) will have noticed that Hilary LIED! There was no blog. I could provide no link. The blogosphere was bereft. But lo, is that a blogger I see before me? Why yes, it's none other than Hilary Wright's blog, in full daylight, for all to see and enjoy. Balance to the universe is restored.

Hilary was a finalist of last year's Red Planet Prize with an amusing and engaging story about the invention of the very first vibrator. The logline went something like this: "London, 1888. A repressed gynaecologist overloaded with hysterical patients, invents the world’s first electromechanical vibrator." So, the premise was certainly catchy and Hilary followed it up with a clear and sharp style, making the script an easy and enjoyable read, hence her getting through to the shortlist. I'm currently in the middle of this year's batch of Red Planet submissions, and have writing stuff of my own to get on with, so it's all fairly bleary-eyed and busy at the moment, which is just the way I like it. Also, I have a shiny new iMac to help me with my workload. It's so sleek and efficient, I feel uber-professional and indestructible. Goodbye PC and your stupid annoying fan-whirring, and your slow and frozen responses! Behold the dawn of a new desktop:



My life is now complete.

Well, almost...

That Was the Week That Was

A historic week. We collected a few links. Politics:Barack Obama's Victory Speech. John McCain's Concession Speech. Mark Warner takes the Senate Seat.Tom Perriello Claims Victory for the 5th District, though Virgil Goode has not yet conceded the Congressional seat (Nov. 7), and may call for a recount after the current vote count is certified on November 24.Local News:*The UVa Endowment

OBAMA - BIDEN - VICTORY

Not Going Out

Last December, the producers of Not Going Out, the BBC sitcom starring Lee Mack, had an open call for writers. The offer was simple: write a spec script (for the show) and if they liked it, you, or your jokes, then you'd find yourself as part of the writing team for the next series. Recognising it as a good opportunity and not one to shirk away from a challenge like this, I threw myself into the task of writing a spec episode.

I wasn't wholly familiar with the show but I swotted up on what I could, and Avalon, the production company, kindly sent a few episodes on DVD. There was a two-week deadline. I was in the middle of a whole host of other things at the time (and reading Red Planet stuff) but I thought: "what the hell, give it a go, see what you can do."

First, develop an appreciation and interest in the show. That wasn't hard. Likeable lead character. Ditto female lead. A basic but effective 'will they/won't they' situation plus scope for secondary characters and subplots to create lively comedy. Oh. And gags. Loads and loads of gags. Everywhere and at every opportunity. Some hit, some miss, but always keeping the comic pace bouncing along at a rapid level. Puns, witty asides, quick put-downs, visual humour, verbal jokes and broad comedy slapstick were all fair game. Shit. This was going to be HARD.

Next, figure out a plot. I scour Andrew Collins's blog about writing for the show and how he plotted the first series with Lee Mack. I try to come up with an idea that focuses on the lead characters' 'will they/won't they' vibe, but also giving the secondary characters room to shine without stealing the limelight (as per the brief). I bash out a quick beat structure of what needs to happen. The development exec at Avalon has offered to be at hand for any questions, so I decide to give her a call. I break down my story and tell her what I have in mind. She seems to like the idea, and I feel positive going to script.

Now, write the script. Get those gags in. Whenever possible. Don't think. Write. Ah! Is it funny? I have no idea. Keep going. Finish. Phew. Read back. Not bad? Yeah, not bad. Polish some gags. I like to think I can do comedy but the level of jokes needed for this show is huge, and I'm not sure I'm a 'gag kinda guy'. I show it to my agent and she thinks it lacks depth but otherwise has some merit. A thumbs up! I think. The deadline arrives so I send the script. A couple of months later, I get a friendly email which tells me why they didn't go for my idea (reproduced here with permission):

"We didn’t think you had the characters quite nailed and although the idea itself was promising, we’re trying to focus on the characters already in place so we want to get away from introducing even more characters.

The main premise was that due to Lee’s carelessness and forgetfulness, he and Lucy have an argument and fall out. As a result of this, Lee and Tim also fall out. The trouble with this happening at the beginning, the stakes aren’t very high because we didn’t see him getting on with either party terribly well to begin with, therefore why should we care if they’re now not speaking? More importantly, now he’s fallen out with two of his closest friends, there’s nobody left for him to banter with, apart from a new friend with whom he only plays the playstation."

It's a fair assessment and the crucial factor, in my opinion, is that the characters aren't quite nailed (due to me cramming for the show). No, no gripes from me. Actually, I very much enjoyed the opportunity. A lot of writing gigs are borne out of this type of spec request, so I consider it time well spent. If you'd like to read my script, visit my website and click 'blog downloads', and you'll find it there.

Charlottesville - Albemarle Area Real Estate: Beware of "Comps" in a Market Where Prices Are Still Declining

Home prices are dropping nationwide.

Locally, home values have already declined 15-30%, depending on neighborhood. Because this area has been slower than many to deflate, and because the run-up has been so high, especially in the past five years, the area still has a ways to go down, ioho.

According to a survey by real estate site Zillow.com about three-quarters of U.S. homes lost value in

Affordable Housing in the Charlottesville Albemarle Area

The local Realtors' trade org, the Charlottesville Albemarle Association of Realtors (CAAR), had a series of Open Houses this past summer and a promo entitled "Affordable Again." "Affordable Again" referred to a price tag below $250,000. We laughed at this, because the term "Affordable Housing" obviously means something much different to Realtors than it does to activists interested in

Fed Gov't Wants To Reduce Principal or Interest for 3M HOMEDEBTORS Facing Foreclosure

From WaPo:Treasury, FDIC Crafting Plan to Rework Millions of MortgagesOfficials with the Treasury and the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.) are crafting a plan under which the government would guarantee the mortgages of as many as 3 million homeowners now struggling to avoid foreclosure, according to three sources familiar with the discussions.Under the program being discussed, the lender

Blogerific

Now that blogging, and in particularly, scriboblogging, has been officially endorsed as a positive way to promote yourself, it’s interesting to see more and more people willing to tip their toes in the blogging waters to see what it’s all about. Is it geeky? Needy? Pointless? Who reads them? Who writes them? How? Why? What should I write about? How do I get people to read? Will I get any work from it?

Over on TwelvePoint, Jason recently did the definitive guide to all things blog, and the subject has been mentioned in several other articles and sites, too, all reiterating the same thing really: blogging is good. So, yep, come on in, the water’s warm. If you’re a non-blogger, it would be easy to have a casual glance around and think that it is geeky, needy and pointless. But it depends what blogs you read. If you’re tempted to blog but your main motivation is “Will I get any work from it?” then your blog lifespan is likely to be short.

Blogging - good blogging - is about regularity. Intelligence. Wit. Honesty. Triviality. Community. Sounds a bit highfalutin, but it’s true, all the best blogs give generously with their time and text, building their audience with their regular posts and useful comments. If you’re just starting out a blog and feel a bit daunted by the task, then here are a few tips to see you through:-

1. You
What’s your blog about? If you just want to share the highs and lows of your writing experiences, then great. Most scriboblogs take this approach. It gives us that sense of community and support but, if you want to be a bit different, think of a particular new tack or tone for your blog, and stick to that.

2. Getting to Know You
Nobody reading your blog? Well, they don’t know you’re out there yet. The most basic way of raising your profile is to make comments on the blogs that you read the most. Don’t just hit and run, either. Make an appreciative comment, or add something to the debate. And then do the same on a few other blogs. People will recognise your name, like/dislike your comments, check out your profile, which will lead them conveniently to your blog.

The best way to get noticed is to get a link or a mention on someone else’s blog - hello Jonny Quest! - but this is usually an unexpected bonus. It’s blog etiquette to return someone’s link if they have you on their blogroll (their list of links) but it’s not so cool if you specifically request a shout out just for a quick hit on your site.

3. Slow Build
Once they’ve seen you have a blog, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll come back. To ensure repeat hits, you have to blog. Which means you have to write new posts. Fairly regularly, especially at the beginning. The internet hoovers up content. You have to keep providing it. 3 posts per week would be a good place to start. More if you can manage it. Anything between 1-3 per week is fair game once you’re up and running. You’ll soon discover if blogging is for you; whether it’s an inconvenience and irritation to write something or if it’s a natural impulse to post an update on what’s happening in your little corner of the internet.

4. Quality
Anybody can whack up a YouTube video or share a joke, or the details of a course, and it counts as a post. This is all fair enough but if you really want a blog that stands out from the crowd, you’ve got to try to make each of your posts useful. Or witty. Or intelligent. Or different in some way. If you’re going to review a film or something you’ve seen on TV (another way to easily generate a post), don’t be lazy about it. You’re a writer. Have something insightful to say. Don’t just slag things off or be sloppy with your prose. Check out Dan’s Media Digest to see how it’s done.

5. Work
It’s important to remember that your blog is on the internet, and can be read by anyone, anywhere at anytime. If you’re a writer, and you haven’t set up an anonymous blog (which have their merits but nameless rants can be wearisome), then it’s likely that an exec will Google you at some stage, and check out your blog. And if that coincides with your latest post where you have a flaky meltdown about the way your career is going, then that’s not going to be good, is it? (I heard that someone slagged off an exec they had met, and the exec read the post, heavily offended.)

The blog is your shop window. Your professional face to the world. While it’s great to be honest and truthful about what’s going on, there’s no need to show that it’s turning you into an emotional wreck. Everybody gets rejected and has frustrating experiences. Blog about it, absolutely, but don’t become a raving loon.

Will I get work from it? Possibly. It all depends on you, and what you write about, and how you present yourself. It’s all a knock-on effect, really. Having a positive web presence will help build your reputation, and could be the final clincher in someone thinking of you for a writing gig. Personally, I’ve got three paid gigs from having the blog. But it’s not a straightforward process of someone seeing your blog, liking it, and offering you a job. In my experience, they’re read the blog, got in touch, kept in contact, and then thought of me when the time was right.

There you have it. Some tips to get you started, or back on track.

Local Property Auctions Scheduled for October 29, 2008

October 29 at 1:20pm at the Charlottesville Circuit CourthouseProperty: 1053 Grady AvenueDebtor: Michelle B. AllenAmount owing: $140,000Bidder brings: $11,000 or 10 percent sale priceInfo: Draper & Goldberg PLLC 703-777-2448October 29 at 1pm at the Albemarle CourthouseProperty: 2841 King Solomons Lane, EsmontDebtor: Becky Sue McCauleyAmount owing: $55,000Bidder brings: $6,000 or 10 percent sale

Alan Greenspan 'Fesses Up.

Better late than never? Former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan comes clean.Turns out that not regulating the free market was insane, he admitted at a Congressional hearing. He's "in a state of shocked disbelief." We're in a state of (--Oh, wait--those words are unprintable here. This is a family blog.)

Memed Squared

To meme or not to meme, um, what is the question?

I think I was tagged for the one that asked 'what song neatly sums up writing for you'? That had me flummoxed, to be honest. I didn't have an answer, not a good one anyway, but reading that particular meme around the blogs was interesting, and then James blew it right out of the water with his inspiring response.

In truth, I'm a bit of a sad git when it comes to taking inspiration from music, however slim. It could be a snippet of a lyric, or a rousing instrumental swell (steady on girls), or a naff emotional beat. Anything with a decent tempo gives me much fuel for thought when I'm on the treadmill. My body will synchronise with the music and give me more drive/determination, especially if I'm pre-occupied with work.

So, alas, no particular song perfectly encapsulates what it means to me to be a writer. All kinds of music are welcome, and used to inspire. Currently enjoying Glasvegas's debut album, which is oddly endearing as the singer proudly croons in his Glaswegian accent, making the lyrics and music that bit sweeter. Here's the opening lines from Daddy's Gone, which bring a lump to my throat: "How you are my hero. How you're never here though. Remember times when you put me on your shoulders. How I wish it was forever you would hold us. Right now I'm too young to know. How in the future it will affect me when you go. You could have had it all. You, me, and mum y`know, anything was possible".

Sniff, cough, ahem, right. The current meme is 'list the top five things you do to procrastinate'. Only five? How about five hundred? Well, I guess email, blogging, surfing net (FaceSpace etc), reading, TV will be standard across the board, so here are some other ways I like to avoid the call to write:-

1. Exercise. A light jog. A quick swim. Even a quick knock up of tennis with t'other half. Nothing too hectic. Gets me out of the house, away from the computer for at least half an hour.

2. Eating. This can be dangerous, especially if I'm rewarding myself with huge slices of dessert after my exercise: "Hey, I did 5k today, I need that cake". And if I haven't done any exercise but am stuffing me gob with sweet: "It's OK, I'll do an extra lap in the pool tomorrow". (shyeah, right)

3. Skype. The free phone call service on the web. Handy when you have relatives overseas, and, surprisingly, for producers who are abroad (and even some in the UK). Not so good when they ask for a video call. Always say 'no'. Or that your webcam is broken.

4. iTunes. This kind of falls into the category of the internet but it's an easy way to browse the latest stuff, find desired tracks and fiddle about with the Genius thingy.

5. Sky Plus. Pause and rewind live TV. Record a whole load of programmes with a touch of a button, then watch at your leisure, practically ensuring that you create your own TV schedule. Oh, how did I survive without it? When you're bored or can't quite summon the energy to work, Sky + is the perfect place to plonk yourself and catch up on three episodes of Dexter. Hey, that counts as 'research and awareness'. That's my story anyway. And I. Am. Sticking. To. It.

BBC Structure?

When writing one off spec BBC TV dramas, is it expected that you structure your scripts around regular act breaks like in a US TV drama? I'm wondering how important this structure is for a broadcaster that doesn't air commercials during drama.

We’ve spoken about TV structure on the blog before, here and here (some good comment discussion on these posts, particularly the latter) but to answer this question about writing spec scripts to impress the Beeb: structure your scripts so that they tell the best story.

If that coincides with a hook every 15 mins, then so be it, but if it doesn't, no biggie. What goes for BBC is the same for ITV: a cracking script/story. ITV script editors & execs may encourage dramatic hooks right before an ad break (which is certainly an effective technique) but in general, these hooks should be natural turning points in a story anyway, and having that in a BBC script is just as applicable and useful as it is with a commercial channel.

It goes back to the basics. A story should ‘turn’ in order to maintain the audience’s interest. It should keep moving; the stakes getting raised, the protagonist facing increasing obstacles, the plot advancing forward all the time. For a commercial channel, having key moments ‘turn’ around an ad break makes good structural sense. For the BBC, they need just as strong turning points in order to stop the audience from flipping the channel. It’s become a natural shorthand for both storyteller and the audience. Make something happen. Keep it interesting. Structure the script accordingly.

It can be a fine balance sometimes between ‘join-the-dot’ storytelling and effective technique. Join-the-dot storytelling occurs when it’s easy for the audience to see what the key turning points, or ad break moments, are going to be. The writer is being lazy. The story is predictable because it’s following a reliable and easy path. Think of the bigger picture. Think of the whole story.

In HBO’s Entourage, look at how much they pack in to each short half hour episode (20-25 mins), and then watch how they subvert audience expectation on how each story thread plays out. The set-up makes you think of one outcome (the predictable one), then the story twists it another way (the next obvious choice) before settling with the final pay-off (or perhaps even getting one more twist in there). Six Feet Under and The Sopranos are good examples of this type of smart storytelling. In the UK, Shameless and The Street also shine with this kind of approach while another hit American series, The Gilmore Girls (currently being shown on E4), is known for having unconventional 'ad break' moments (i.e. they just follow the characters & story, and never to try grab the audience with contrived hooks).

Good storytelling will ensure that an audience keeps watching, regardless of whether there’s ad breaks or not. But don’t get sucked into the trap of designing your story around ad break moments that are predictable and convenient. The audience is always one step ahead. Gotta keep them hooked by setting up certain expectations, then sucker punching them with a different twist. Make them want to find out more.

Charlottesville - Albemarle Real Estate, October, 2008 - A Buyer's Market? Prices Dropping?

Is Now a Good Time to Buy a House?The good news: We recently learned, thanks to The Mortgage Buzz, that mortgages are available. And 85% of them are now backed by the Federal Government.Right now in our area, there's nearly 15 months inventory of unsold houses, which is much more than the national number of about 11 months. More properties come on the market every day.Here's the bad news: The

Charlottesville - Albemarle Area Real Estate Market - Q: Are Mortgages Available? A: Yes!

We're pleased to have a guest today: Jason Crigler from Crown Mortgage Services in Charlottesville. The blog this loan officer writes, along with another officer, Michael, is The Mortgage Buzz. It covers Central Virginia's mortgage landscape, but also has a regional take on the economy, in addition to noting and commenting upon global financial events.As we've said before, the Bubble Blog isn't

Time Travelling Writers

Last week, BAFTA Cymru staged at talk about writing time travel for television. What with Dr Who and Torchwood being filmed in Cardiff, where else could you talk about time travel and television, right? And what a line-up of writers, too, tempting me to come along but luckily, Hilary Wright (a Red Planet Prize finalist from last year) was there and she kindly agreed to write a report on the event. Take it away, Hilary.

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On Monday night I joined a capacity crowd at the Cardiff Atrium to hear Steven Moffat, showrunner-elect of Doctor Who; Ashley Pharoah, co-creator of Life on Mars; and Maurice Gran, co-creator of Goodnight Sweetheart discuss how they approach manipulating the boundaries of time and space.

Goodnight Sweetheart began for Marks and Gran on location in the east end for Birds of a Feather. Marks remarked that some of the streets off Whitechapel High Street hadn’t changed since the 1940s. Gran immediately thought: “there’s a series in that.”

But how do you wring a series out of time travel? You can take your character to the 1940s once, but why on earth would he want to keep going back there from the prosperous 1990s? Love, of course. And why, having fallen in love, would he then want to leave WW2? To return to another relationship in the 1990s. Thus the setup of Goodnight Sweetheart gave the writers a safe(r) forum to explore the tricky theme of adultery; being torn between two time periods gave viewers more chance (excuse?) to empathise with the hero’s dilemma. And of course casting Nicholas Lyndhurst helps.

Gran also noted that time travel lent a framework for structuring the series by consistently setting the A story in the 1940s and the B story in the present. He and writing partner Marks, who moderated the evening’s discussion, also used time to provide an arc for the entire show, deciding to move on one year in each series: a six-year war thus gave them, BBC permitting, six series.

All three writers made it clear that time travel is not the same as sci-fi; you don’t have to show how the travel is done. In the first episode of Goodnight Sweetheart, Gary simply walks into a lane in the 1990s and out the other end into the 1940s. Sam Tyler wakes from the crash to those hideous lapels. Much easier not to have to figure out the how.

It all comes down to the rules you create for the world of your series. Freeing yourself from the constraints of social realism opens up a slew of possibilities, some of which have unexpected side benefits. Take the regeneration of the Doctor. It’s not just useful when replacing an actor who wants to leave. As Moffat noted, it gives the writer a certain power too: “He just falls to the floor and turns into a less argumentative actor.”

Not having to adhere to rules of social realism means you can really put your characters through the mangle, explained Gran, citing the episode where, in the 1990s, a man walks into Gary’s WW2 memorabilia shop to sell an old dress – the very dress Gary has just given his lover in the 1940s. Gary realises that the man in front of him, though 15 years older than he is, must be his son. You just can’t screw with your characters’ heads like that in social realism.

One questioner from the audience noted that Steven Moffat often used a sixth sense at the end of his episodes. That sounded intriguing but after establishing that the questioner was actually using The Sixth Sense to mean “a final twist”, Moffatt responded that no writer in their right mind would pass up a twist if they could think of one – the hard part was coming up with it. Moffat also discussed the importance of making sure the monsters were scary enough for the children in the audience, which he called “the mattress-wetting element”.

Much of Moffatt’s razor wit was sadly blunted by poor sound. It was impossible to hear some of his throwaway lines, and indeed much of what Ashley Pharaoh said as well. I look forward to Bafta posting footage of the event on their website to give me a chance to hear what I missed the first time.

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Hilary Hadley Wright spent several years writing non-fiction before realizing that screenwriting was much harder and therefore much more interesting. She has just moved from Hawai’i, where nobody she knew blogged, to London, where everyone she knows blogs, so she’s accepting Jason Arnopp’s challenge and finally getting with the programme.

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Thanks Hilary! Er, but where's the blog?

Fully Booked

Two new screenwriting books are on the market. You may have seen them mentioned here and there. But they deserve another plug for a number of reasons, namely if you’ve forgotten to buy a copy or if you’re on the fence about whether to stump up the cash for yet another screenwriting book.

The good news is that neither fall into the ‘yet another screenwriting book’ category. One is a ‘how to get ahead’ manual and the other details ‘what the process is actually like’. They don’t tell you how to write or what to write. They simply inform you of the basic practicalities and the absolute essentials of what being a writer is all about.

First up is Adrian Mead’s Making It As A Screenwriter. A book chock-full of brilliant advice and common sense thinking on how to strategise your career from zero to hero. There’s no false hope or wishy washy sentiment, it’s just the basic nuts and bolts of applying yourself in a dedicated and professional capacity, and getting desired results through this hard work and focus rather than moaning about the system or railing against the world. ALL proceeds of the book go to Childline so you’ve no excuse not to buy.

Next is Russell T Davies’s The Writer's Tale, a devastatingly honest exposé on what it's like writing Dr Who. This is an absolute ‘must have’ book for any writer. (The website has six full scripts from series 4 of Dr Who, a neat bonus.)

In his book, Davies regales you with his writing process and all the stress, fun and anxiety that comes with showrunning the country’s most popular TV programme. For those who think they can do better, and could put up with the strain and pressure of this type of workload, read this book and think again. It reminds me of Diablo Cody’s already immortal quote about whether or not you can cut it as a professional writer, despite plenty of envious and bitter eyes on the industry. “If you were me for one day you'd crumble like fucking stilton. I am better at this than you. You're not strong enough, Film_Fan78. Trust me.”

It's time to toughen up, people. Raise your game. If these two books don't inspire you and put you on the right track, then nothing ever will. Now go write.

Church Hill Homes: Regional Builder Faces Mass Foreclosures

The Daily Progress reports that Church Hill Homes has failed to unload their properties and that they are "facing foreclosure on more than 20 properties worth a total of at least $3.5 million."Just one month ago, The DP reported that 11 of the Builder's properties at the "green" Belvedere development were sold to Eagle Construction of Richmond, and that the two principals, Josh Goldschmidt and

Badly Drawn Roy

Well, the deadline for the Red Planet Prize came and went, so I hope you got your submission in on time. Great to see so much blog reaction and people getting motivated to write, which, regardless of winning the competition, has to got to be worth something. It’s all by post this year so any late entries by email or fax or carrier pigeon won’t get a look in, I’m afraid. I’ll post updates on how things are going as soon as there’s any relevant info, so stay tuned.

I haven’t been giving the RPP much thought up until the deadline, to be honest, as I’ve been busy working on a few kids’ shows. One of them is a series called Badly Drawn Roy for CBBC. It’s about a cartoon boy growing up with a working class Dublin family in the real world, kind of like Who Frames Roger Rabbit meets The Commitments (but without the swearing). It’s shooting right now in Dublin and I went over recently to watch some of my episode being filmed.

This was actually the very first time I’d ever been on location to watch stuff wot I wrote being filmed, and it was typically exciting and illuminating. I’m really proud of my episode and can’t wait to see how it all turns out (should be ready for broadcast next autumn). The show is based on an hilarious short film, produced by Jam Media, which you can check out below (it’s about 20 mins long, divided into two parts for You Tube). The kids’ version for CBBC sees Roy as a ten year-old animated kid rather than a thirtysomething cartoon. It’s gonna be a hoot.





Now that my script has been signed off and they’re nearly finished filming, I can focus on the RPP submissions with the rest of the RP team. I think we’ve received about 1,000 entries, roughly half of what we received last year, but that’s understandable given that we were much more specific about what we wanted for this year’s set-up. But with that amount of entries, I'd say we're the most popular (and best!) screenwriting competition in the UK. Not sure when the call for 2nd round scripts will be (at least a couple of months I reckon) but good luck to everyone who’s entered and I’ll keep you posted on any breaking developments.