I have a photo of Garth Marenghi above my scene breakdown cork board. He does my first drafts. “I know writers who use subtext. And they’re all cowards.”
When I taught journos I used to tell them not to agonise over a 1st draft. Using the music recording analogy of a guide vocal I'd tell them to use a guide adjective or verb (or just put 'something')and polish it later. One time a student handed in her work with all the 'somethings' left in.
I love all the preliminary research and the sense of an idea lumbering into motion. I love hacking it all to bits and reshaping till it resembles something worth sharing. The bit in the middle? Ach, not so keen on that. blood/stone
The important bit of the process is coming up with fun ideas, and then editing and editing and editing at the other end to make them as visible as possible. The writing bit of writing is simply awful. Get it over with as quickly as possible. Unbearable and undignified habit, writing. Nasty. Urgh.
Whereas I like the writing bit but editing brings me out in hives. Writing down any old nonsense, fine! Making that nonsense make sense? Horror. Do agree ideas is the best bit tho.
I would also like any prodco to buy my Marenghi drafts and make them. They would be brilliant: somewhere between the National Theatre of Brent, Daisy Ashford’s The Young Visiters and the hugely successful broadcast work of Julian Fellowes.
That’s a great trick. It’s also how people get ChatGPT to write something it doesn’t want to write - you get it to write in character. Yet another thing it’s nicked from writers.
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I want him to write something usable.
Talks have broken down