I. Am. Waiting for the [Snow]Man

The weather service has been making ominous noises about the first substantial blast of winter, coming by the end of this week. Wind directions are due to change Thursday night or during Friday, so our weather comes from due north i.e. the Arctic. That means a sudden dip in temperatures from recent mild days [8-12 degrees in... err... Centigrade? Farenheit? Can never remember which one's which]. Plus biting wind chill, Maybe even some snow.

We did get snow flurries for about five minutes one day in October, part of a week-long cold snap that didn't come to much. I've yet to have a serious effort getting ice off the car first thing. But sounds like that's about to change. The good news is we've had the chimney swept, so a roaring fire is available. The bad news we don't have any fuel in hand for said fire. A trip to buy some fossil fuels is probably in order. Hmm, fossil fuels.

In other news, I'm headed down to Brighton tomorrow for day three of the Lighthouse screenwriting for television workshop. The story so far: six ideas for a new drama series were pitched, developed and re-pitched. One was chosen for further development, a lot of which took place a fortnight ago. Since then we've each been working up two characters and three story-of-the-day ideas for this putative TV series. Tomorrow it'll be time to review.

As a consequence there won't be much blog action round here the next day or two. Such is life. Oh, almost forgot to say - first Christmas presents of the year arrived yesterday! If that seems wildly early, well, they did come from New Zealand. When you're posting stuff halfway round the world, sending early to err on the side of caution is deffo the sensible option. So, a big shout-out to Dad and Catherine for the Kiwi goodies. Onwards!

Phoo Action series gets nixed - belatedly

Back in February BBC3 launched a series of six pilots, each intended to showcase a potential series. Leading the charge was Phoo Action, an action comedy based on an old comic strip by Jamie Hewlett [co-creator of pop culture icons Gorillaz and Tank Girl]. BBC3 talked up Phoo Action a lot and within days of broadcast announced a full series of the show had been commissioned. But then something curious happened, a phenomenon that's still playing out.

Nobody seemed to have a lot of affection for Phoo Action, despite the best efforts of BBC3's publicity department. Some people felt the comedy sequences weren't actually funny, while the budget wasn't sufficient to make the action sequences work. An action comedy without laughs or thrills doesn't have that much appeal - but six further episodes were already commissioned, to be made in Scotland as part of the BBC's drive for regional outsourcing.

Meanwhile the second pilot in the BBC3 series, Being Human, proved to be a critical hit. Soon viewers were launching internet campaigns to get Being Human its own series commission. The BBC seemed surprised by this reaction. Cynical souls might almost suspect the coronation of Phoo Action was a foregone event while Being Human's sudden popularity was both unexpected and almost inconvenient. [Shame on you, cynical souls, shame - don't be so doubting!]

Eventually the word-of-mouth campaign convinced BBC3 to commission a full series of Being Human, currently being filmed in Bristol. But two thirds of the original cast have been replaced - a creative choice that invokes curiosity. Perhaps the pilot of Being Human was guilty of skewing too old for BBC3's target audience? Let's hope the new incarnation retains the unique flavour that made it such an unexpected, breakout hit for the channel.

Alas, fate has not been so kind to Phoo Action. It's emerged that the six-part series has been cancelled, not long before filming was due to start. Six figure sums have been spent building sets and costumes, hiring actors and production staff. Reading between the lines, it seems developing good scripts from the slight source material proved too great a challenge. Someone took the brave step of pulling the plug, before more money was spent.

No doubt there are lessons to be learned from all of this, some of them quite expensive, but hindsight always brings a wonderful clarity. Perhaps it would have been wiser to wait until all six pilots have been screened before choosing one to give a series. Looking from the outside, it's apparent how tough a job commissioners have. Get it right and attached talent gets the credit. Get it wrong and the commissioner takes the blame. A thankless task!

My Doctor Who audio project - public at last

Audio drama makers Big Finish has just announced details of a project on which I've been working most of this year. DOCTOR WHO: ENEMY OF THE DALEKS is a four-part adventure featuring Sylvester McCoy as the seventh Doctor, with Sophie Aldred as Ace and Philip Olivier as Hex. Here's the advance publicity blurb for my story: 'The TARDIS travellers fall in with starship troopers struggling to defend a remote research facility from an all-out Dalek attack. But this time, could it be the Daleks need saving…?'

If you've never heard a Big Finish audio drama, it's like a radio play with enhanced production values. Sold via download or on CD, each story is recorded in a studio with professional actors. An extensive post-production process follows, and each story has its own unique musical score. Officially licensed by the BBC, there have been some significant crossovers between the Big Finish range and the hit TV series, particularly in terms of talent.

I've been writing scripts for Big Finish off and on since 2001. My first efforts were for the 2000 AD range of audio dramas, to which I eventually contributed five Judge Dredd thrillers. Soon after starting on Dredd, I was fortunate to have a story commissioned for the Sarah Jane Smith audio range. Test of Nerve was a break-through, full of plot and excitement and ethical dilemmas for the cast - an early example of my writing voice emerging.

When Doctor Who celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2003, Big Finish was allowed to run wild with a spin-off range called Doctor Who: Unbound. These stories rewrote continuity or presenting new interpretations of the Doctor. I was among the writers who contributed, alongside such heavyweights as Robert Shearman [Dalek] and Marc Platt [Ghostlight]. My effort, Full Fathom Five, was controversial but still wins plaudits for pushing the envelope.

From there I got the chance to write a Sapphire & Steel audio for Big Finish, before getting a commission to script all four stories in the second series of Sarah Jane Smith audios. Writing four hours of interlinked drama was a brilliant opportunity to stretch myself as a scribe, and gave me a taste for series work. By this time it was the end of 2005 and my MA screenwriting course was fast becoming an all-consuming activity in my life.

As a consequence I had to step aside from a commission to write my first audio for the main Doctor Who range at Big Finish. I was sad to lose this opportunity, but hopeful I'd get another chance. That finally came this year, with an invitation to pitch for an opening. I won the gig and the project's been inching forwards ever since. My work on the scripts is done and a recording date is imminent. The results will be available on CD and download next May.

ENEMY OF THE DALEKS is my 13th audio drama for Big Finish, and I believe it's among my best work for the company. I've learned a lot about writing since completing work on SJS series two, and - hopefully - my dialogue's improved considerably. I've been fortunate to work with a great script editor and executive producer, both of whom pushed me to extract the most drama from my story and characters. The results should make gripping listening.

Going to see the Changingman

Teaching a session or two about novel writing at the East Ayrshire Book Festival today, before heading into Glasgow for a concert by Paul Weller. I've followed his career since he first burst on the music scene in the 1970s as leader of The Jam [I was raised in the wild by punks, at a time when most Kiwis were listening to Saturday Night Fever]. A lot of fans never forgave Weller for splitting The Jam, let alone forsaking it for The Style Council.

Me, I didn't mind. The Style Council's mix of soul, jazz and funk with a message chimed nicely with me learning to appreciate soul, jazz and messages. [I blame Level 42 for my antipathy to funk.] Weller stepped off that carousel by the end of the 1980s and became a solo artist, rediscovering his musical mojo along the way. Now he pumps out a new album most years, and tours like a Trojan. He's got a massive back catalogue of songs, it should be a good gig.

In other news, Variety contributed a new word to my collection of obscure language today. The Hollywood trade paper has a long history of invented lingo that requires some decoding for newcomers to its pages. For example, nobody leave a project in a Variety article - they 'ankle' it. Chicago isn't a musical, it's a 'tuner'. Today's Variety gives the new Broadway production of Billy Elliot a glowing review, praising the West End transfer from London.

In the midst of that the reviewer talks about the show's gritty 1980s Northern England setting, describing it as 'hardscrabble' - what a great word. I've already scrawled that on a post-it note stuck to the wall beside my writing desk. There it joins samizdat, policier, rustbelt, imbroglio, weltschwerz, kinslayer, cognomen and cartouche - all words that have tickled my fancy. Always handy to have a distinctive word up your sleeve when required.

Working my way through a long To-Do list

I'm not much on To-Do lists, preferring to keep my different projects compartmentalised and work on one thing at a time. This is especially important when I'm writing a novel. If possible, I burn through the first draft in one go, start to finish. Doesn't always work, sometimes I have to break off for an urgent, short-term job. But that can bring its own benefits, especially if you've already broken the book's back. Gives you a chance to review progress.

Sometimes the freelance life throws so many things your way at once a To-Do list is the only sane solution. Write down all the things that need doing and delivery deadlines, assess how long they'll take, and assign priorities accordingly. This week's been particularly madcap with story of the day ideas for Doctors, a novel synopsis to rewrite, plus characters and stories to be devised for the Lighthouse screenwriting project all demanding my time.

Tomorrow I'm taking two sessions at the East Ayrshire Book Festival, so they need prepping too. Just after lunch I'm talking to 15 school pupils about writing graphic novels and various genres, while there's an open session at the Stewarton Library from 4.30pm where I'll be gabbing about novels. Of course, you never know what questions people are going to ask, so there's only so much preparation to do while expecting the unexpected to happen.

On top of all that the final script for a 100-minute audio drama I've written came back to me for a last look-see. The script editor shuffled a few scenes around, added some extra character moments for the regulars and streamlined some clunkier moments. I was more than happy to sign off on the changes - anything that makes the story better and me look good is always welcome. That's due in the studio the week after next, so time's getting tight.

All in all, this is proving to be an action-packed week. But there's still plenty more to do, so it's time to see if I can't get something else scratched from my To-Do list today. Onwards!

Trailer for 'Damages' season 2 now online

Weaving plot, emotion and themes

Most of this week I'm juggling story ideas. Got to devise a new A-story to replace one in a trickily twin-time narrative intended for a tie-in novel project. Creating three storylines and two new characters for the Lighthouse workshop. Trying to find time to update my Complete Inspector Morse tome for a new edition to be published next February. And I'm speaking at the East Ayrshire Book Festival at Friday, so need to do some prep for that too.

But mostly I've been tweaking one story of the day proposal, and developing another. The first has now gone onwards for consideration, while the second - not sure I've nailed it. It hinges on an unusual medical diagnosis, and the placement of that is crucial to the story, how it's told. My original instinct was to put that right up front, make it matter of fact and explore the consequences thereafter. But that didn't seem to sit right.

Someone suggested I hold the big reveal back as long as possible, to build up suspense, turn it into a mystery for the audience to keep them hooked. That's the version I submitted yesterday, but having slept on it I'm not sure that's work. Yes, we get the mystery element, but deny the protagonist a chance to talk about the consequences of his diagnosis beyond generalities. Can't help but feel that omits what could be a powerful scene.

Want to have another look at it, see if I can't find a better was to weave together the plot, emotions and central themes. But I need to progress all the other projects on my plate. Argh. Not enough days, not enough hours, not enough time. Onwards!

UPDATE: Having done my thinking out loud in the above entry, a better ending came to me almost immediately. I dove back into the synopsis, streamlined the start, rewrote the final scenes and sent off the new [hopefully improved] version - all by eight o'clock this morning. Blog - it's useful as well as therapeutic.

Another year older, what have I done?

No, it's not my birthday. But this Thursday another class of screenwriting students graduates from Screen Academy Scotland at Edinburgh's Napier University. Tutor James Mavor is inviting some of us old lags to come along, catch up and raise a glass. I'm hoping to attend, having gone along last year for my own graduation and the previous year when the first full-time class finished [and I was half way through my part-time MA screenwriting course].

Knowing it's twelve months since I graduated got me thinking about what I've achieved since this time last year. I finished my 19th novel, due to be published in the next few weeks. Read a dozen scripts for Scottish Screen. Wrote half a dozen issues of The Phantom comic for Egmont Sweden. A few bits and bobs of journalism, but that was about all my paying gigs. In purely financial terms, it's probably been my worst year since emigrating to the UK in 1990.

The bulk of my time's been devoted to speculative work, particularly screenwriting. I wrote a trial script for the BBC's daytime medical drama Doctors that got me invited to submit story of the day ideas. Yet to get one banked, but found myself invited on the Doctors shadow scheme for emerging writers [thanks, Caroline, much appreciated!]. Spent months pursuing a tie-in novel opportunity off and on, something that may come to fruition next year.

Wrote a 100-minute script for an audio drama that's due in the studio later this month, but that's yet to be made public. Got one of six places on the much esteemed TV drama team-writing workshop run by Lighthouse in Brighton. Wrote a new spec script that makes me proud. And it looks like I've got a part-time job that will secure my financial futures, freeing me to devote even more time to speculative writing - more details to follow.

All in all, it's been a productive if poorly paid twelve months. Haven't made the big breakthrough I've been working towards, but lots of little victories keep coming my way. Onwards!