British Comedy Guide

Writing for Newsjack (aka 7 on 7) Page 14

Quote: Little Jersey Devil @ March 6 2009, 3:15 PM GMT

I don't know, I feel really down :(

And yet your sketch is on at 'Script Night' tomorrow, isn't it? Maybe you should revel in the successes rather than the failures! ;)

Dan

Come on everyone buck up. I've been working as a stand-up and writer for 25 years and trust me, those rejections just keep on coming. Or, as is more often the case, people don't even bother to get back to you.

You have to take a professional attitude to this, and try and separate it from your emotional one. They're only making the kind of decisions you make every day, when you go into a shop and choose one item over another.

That said, I understand. It always hurts. I had a rubbish stand-up gig last night and it's been annoying me all day.

Dave Cohen

Quote: Anorak @ March 6 2009, 3:44 PM GMT

I had a rubbish stand-up gig last night and it's been annoying me all day.

Dave Cohen

Just blame the audience. :)

And I too have been rejected again.

Rejected more times than a necrophiliac without a shovel. And I'm out of work by the end of the month.

Suck to be me.

Oh well I saw Watchmen today which was ace, so not all bad.

Quote: Anorak @ March 6 2009, 3:44 PM GMT

That said, I understand. It always hurts. I had a rubbish stand-up gig last night and it's been annoying me all day.

You want to try one of those courses. :)

Oh God, I'm turning into Chipolata.

Quote: Mikey J @ March 6 2009, 3:05 PM GMT

Presumably, it'll still be an open door show, with their in-house writers and masterclass writers taking priority.

So there's still a good chance of getting stuff in every week. :)

I would guess that the workshop people will get an actual name to send their material to and might even get feedback while the plebs send it to a generic email address.

I'm in the 'generic no list' group, making me at least feel one stop more mighty then the 'didn't even get a response' losers, and surprisingly bitter towards the 'Liked your stuff - but you still lost' unfortunates.

Still, I'm looking over my submissions to see where I went wrong - unfortunately all I can currently see are big metaphorical red X's scrawled all over my work...

Congratulations to those who did make it to the masterclass and even to the ones whose work was recognised yet unfortunately turned down.

So it seems there are a few flavours of response;

1. You're on the masterclass!
2. You were close, and we'll be asking you to submit more material nearer the time.
3. You weren't miles away, so please keep any eye out to send more in when the show goes into production.
4. Thanks, but no thanks.

5. Tumbleweed blowing across a plain.

6. Just f**king kill yourself. I'm serious. Do it.

7. If you ever email me again, I will f**king CUT YOU.

Ermmm. Did anybody get this one?

Dear Writer,

If you ever submit anything, and we mean anything, even a shopping list, operatives will come round your house and smash up every piece of computer equipment, every blackberry and every Amstrad email phone. Furthermore they will remove all pens, pencils, crayons, sharpened sticks dipped in charcoal, etch-a-sketches and paper.

Should you then still refuse to stop contacting us the operatives will have no option but to break both your hands and kick you in the nuts before brain washing you, so as if by any fluke you have mastered the alphabet, the brain washing will render you incapable of remembering it.

We bid you good day and all best wishes.

No? Just me then? Ah well.

Hey guys 'tain't the end of the woild. The Beatles were rejected time and time again - mind they *did* have talent

Quote: Marooned @ March 6 2009, 4:32 PM GMT

Congratulations to those who did make it to the masterclass and even to the ones whose work was recognised yet unfortunately turned down.

I'll second that. I'm disappointed to have had the 'thanks but no thanks' email though.

Surely they wouldn't just not respond to anyone - they must be going to contact them later to say something else.

Might put something in critique and see if anyone'll be good enough to give some feedback which might help me sharpen them as I liked the ideas I had.

btw, what is script night?

Can anyone suggest an emoticon for: "I think we all deserve chocolate"?

Can anyone suggest an emoticon for: "I think we all deserve chocolate"?[/quote]

I'll second that suggestion - am heading out the door to get the Green & Blacks right now.

I'm not sure what to think, having not been contacted at all. You see, I didn't even get that earlier e-mail that other people seem to have received at the start of the week which said "thanks - we'll be in touch". I just got the BBC auto-reply when I send it in way back last Thursday. Am I being paranoid to wonder if my entry got lost amidst all those hundreds of other entries? Or if at the very least I slipped off some database or other?

Obviously it couldn't be the standard of my writing :D

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