Age Concern

I'm tussling with a covering letter at the moment - chiefly the decision as to whether or not I should include the age of myself and my co-writer.

We're both 20.

Mentioning as such to me seems paramount to immediately tasking our script with disproving an implicit naivety. As confident as anyone may be in their work, few would disagree that a balanced frame of mind is crucial for objectivity.

Perhaps I'm being paranoid. Either way, I'm entirely ignorant on the matter and would appreciate any experienced advice.

Would mentioning our age be met favourably, with indifference or plant troublesome preconceptions within those who read it?

Sorry, I don't give advice to 20 year olds.

I'm no expert on these things.

But I'm guessing your scripts will stand or fall on their quality.

Ultimately perede ardua et astra, it's going to be a hard enough time finding some one to read them anyway.

Quote: Mav42 @ September 5 2008, 2:52 AM BST

I'm tussling with a covering letter at the moment - chiefly the decision as to whether or not I should include the age of myself and my co-writer.

We're both 20.

Mentioning as such to me seems paramount to immediately tasking our script with disproving an implicit naivety. As confident as anyone may be in their work, few would disagree that a balanced frame of mind is crucial for objectivity.

Perhaps I'm being paranoid. Either way, I'm entirely ignorant on the matter and would appreciate any experienced advice.

Would mentioning our age be met favourably, with indifference or plant troublesome preconceptions within those who read it?

View original

If you were 11, I'd mention it. Twenty, not so much.

Quote: Mav42 @ September 5 2008, 2:52 AM BST

I'm tussling with a covering letter at the moment - chiefly the decision as to whether or not I should include the age of myself and my co-writer.

We're both 20.

Mentioning as such to me seems paramount to immediately tasking our script with disproving an implicit naivety. As confident as anyone may be in their work, few would disagree that a balanced frame of mind is crucial for objectivity.

Perhaps I'm being paranoid. Either way, I'm entirely ignorant on the matter and would appreciate any experienced advice.

Would mentioning our age be met favourably, with indifference or plant troublesome preconceptions within those who read it?

View original

You wouldn't mention your age applying for a job and the same goes for selling a script.

And don't try to pretend you're older than you are either, that third paragraph of yours was the written equivalent of a kid with a wispy moustache chancing his first Strongbow at the bar.

Quote: Mav42 @ September 5 2008, 2:52 AM BST

I'm tussling with a covering letter at the moment - chiefly the decision as to whether or not I should include the age of myself and my co-writer.

We're both 20.

Mentioning as such to me seems paramount to immediately tasking our script with disproving an implicit naivety. As confident as anyone may be in their work, few would disagree that a balanced frame of mind is crucial for objectivity.

Perhaps I'm being paranoid. Either way, I'm entirely ignorant on the matter and would appreciate any experienced advice.

Would mentioning our age be met favourably, with indifference or plant troublesome preconceptions within those who read it?

View original

Well, your age is an advantage in the world of TV. In fact, get a move on or you'll soon be past it! Well, for Channel4 anyway!

I would mention your age - there are not a huge number of writers under 40 in the business.

Quote: Stan Doubt @ September 5 2008, 9:15 AM BST

I would mention your age - there are not a huge number of writers under 40 in the business.

View original

Stan, how many writers do you reckon there actually are in the business? I don't mean wannabes, but actual professional writers.

Quote: Mav42 @ September 5 2008, 2:52 AM BST

We're both 20.

View original

You lucky, lucky bastards. You should be out drinking, getting laid, "chasing the horse"?... whatever you youngsters do for your drug-fun rushes thesedays... Leave the comedy writing to us bitter, impotent old bastards, sat in front of our dismal scripts night-after-night, thinking whether or not tonight's the night to use that stash of paracetamol we've been saving-up, harbouring the bitter memories of our youth...

(No, your age doesn't matter. Wouldn't bother mentioning it. Sell your work first, then sell yourself. Best of luck.)

No idea.

http://writersguild.org.uk/plugins/findawriter.php

What was that link about, Stan?

Quote: Tim Walker @ September 5 2008, 9:19 AM BST

...Leave the comedy writing to us bitter, impotent old bastards, sat in front of our dismal scripts night-after-night, thinking whether or not tonight's the night to use that stash of paracetamol we've been saving-up, harbouring the bitter memories of our youth...

View original

How do you know all this? Have you been spying on me?!

Def.

I don't know how people can take so much paracetamol. By the time I got to the fourth tablet there was so much froth coming out of my mouth I couldn't even see the plastic tub any more...

Dan

Quote: Griff @ September 5 2008, 10:13 AM BST

When I did Dave Cohen's Writing for Comedy course, he gave some rough statistics based on his experiences (ie number of people submitting to shows etc, plus the volumes of writers he has worked with over the years.)

He reckoned there were several thousand people trying to get into comedy writing at any given time. Up to a thousand people having "some" success, which presumably covers a those of us on here who get the odd sketch on at Tilt or NewsRevue. Then there were a hundred or so people making a decent full-time living at comedy writing (which is where he would be I guess). And finally an inner "golden circle" of 30 or so people leading the pack, those who can get work commissioned just by making a phone call - your Ricky Gervais, or your Mitchell & Webb.

Obviously if you expand the numbers to include people trying to write TV drama, or novels, or action films the numbers go up a lot more.

Plus I guess he didn't include stand-ups in those stats, just pure writers. There were about 18,000 performers at the Edinburgh Festival this year, and surely at least 50% of those must have been involved in comedy in some way?

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I think that reply is the single most depressing thing I've ever read. And I've been on BSG since February.

Cheers Griff -- those stats are very interesting.

Dan