Sometimes you have to take a few steps back to move forward…

Wow, I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but freelancing is a mess right now.
Thanks to high inflation, cost of living and this looming recession, everyone is battening down the hatches. It’s harder to get work now and those who do are battling rock bottom (borderline insulting) prices from clients. It seems people value what we do less than ever!
While I love writing posts for you all, sometimes you’ve got to focus on other things to keep the lights on. That’s why I’ve been gone for a while, as I’ve been focusing on client work, which has meant this project had to take a back seat while I adjusted.
I've also needed some time out to work on some big personal projects. But we’re back and I’m super excited to get more great content out to help you on your writing journey.
In my time off, I’ve been getting on with a lot of things – the good part being I now have lots of insights to share with you! So buckle up, as I have a roster of great content coming your way that will help you put your best foot forward as you pursue this writing malarkey.
What I’ve been working on…
The Fiction Framework
Very recently I published my first episode of The Fiction Framework, which is an audiobook podcast made from my backlog of original content ideas. This is an idea that has been germinating since 2018, which is when I originally launched the podcast.
However, unfortunately, I didn’t feel ready or supported at the time and it ended with a bit of a false start and I shelved the idea until recently. In all honesty, I think it was a good thing that I took a break from it as I wasn’t mentally prepared from the undertaking back then. It wouldn’t have worked.
Now, I feel really good about the endeavour and I hope you will show me support by listening and sharing it with your friends. I have my reasons for going against the traditional route for getting my writing out into the world, which I will elaborate on in a future post.
Webseries
A while ago, a good friend of mine, Rehman Ahmed launched a YouTube channel (In The House – check it out, they’re great!) as a pre-cursor to setting up his own production company.
On the channel they make sketches, short films… and now, Webseries. I’ve been working with Rehman for a while, mostly on small projects or bouncing ideas around, but he was looking for new material and asked if I had any scripts to share.
I’ve had an idea that I’ve been kicking around for while, which began life as a short film (and a very badly done production, which I’ll talk about in future), and I’d forgotten that I’d already started developing it into a webseries. To my delight, Rehman picked this idea as his next project and we’ve been developing it ever since.
I’m really keen to walk you through the process of developing a script from pre–production all the way through post, as I know many writers don’t have a lot of experience in this area. However, understanding the production process really helps inform your writing process and can make the difference between a skilled writing partner and one who’s a little… green.
Stay tuned as I will be coming henceforth with my experiences on this project, as well as an up and coming interview with the Director himself, so you can understand straight from the horse’s mouth what production people are looking for from their writers.
Helping critique partners with their pitch packets
Finally, outside of my freelancing work, I’ve been helping my critique partners prepare scripts for pitching to the industry. A writer in my critique group has written some amazing scripts and all of us are helping him refine them and then create pitching materials so he can start presenting his work to the industry.
People think writing is solitary, but it is very much a team effort. There is nothing greater than having a sounding board and support from fellow writers who want to see you succeed.
People think this is a zero sum game sometimes, but you have to remember, pretty much all successful writers, producers, directors have COLLABORATORS, many of whom they have worked with for years.
Hitch your wagon to the right people, help them succeed as much as they help you, and everyone wins.
I genuinely love my critique group, they are some of the best, most creative people I’ve ever met and my writing life became some much better since I met them.
So, that’s what I’ve been getting up to! All of which have given me new experiences and new perspectives on the life of a writer and I plan to share those insights with you. So, watch this space…
Here are some of the upcoming topics you have to look forward to on OEP:
More about the Fiction Framework (including self-producing a podcast)
How to work with directors and producers (Webseries)
How to make a pitch deck
Deep dives into writing theory
And many more…
Thank you for reading and supporting this project.
If you have any topics you would like to see covered, please leave them in the comments or send me a message through the contact page.
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