FAQs

[pigfender]

I’ve read my brief and I’m panicking. Is this normal?

@matt

Does everyone else have the same reaction every year when they get their brief?

Mine goes something like this:

1. THAT genre… but I don’t know anything about THAT genre. I have never written in THAT genre before. Mental wards? I’ve only ever seen them under heavy sedation! Space ships? I would only go on one under heavy sedation! And now [omitted to keep the surprise]. I don’t even [omitted], let alone [omitted].
2. Alright, I’ve seen [insert TV show]. How hard can this be? Just copy what they did, but don’t suck so much.
3. Ok, I can do the paragraphs, but how in hell am I meant to tell how those kind of people really speak? I don’t hang out with those kind of people. My dialogue is going to sound about as natural as a badly acted TV soap.
4. Is that all you want me to write? I am meant to stretch that one measly paragraph into at least 1500 words of something someone would actually want to read? I can’t do that. I need more information. Give me more information. What happens next? Give me the story dammit, I can’t write under these conditions. I give up!
5. Walk away from the computer*.
6. Return 5 minutes later, re-read everything. Eh, its not so bad.
7. Begin writing, have a ball, send it off, and forget how much I hate that first 15 minutes by the next year.

Anyway, should be fun. I love [omitted]. Some of my best friends are [redacted].

Matt

• Or write a post on the forum instead.