What are the chances of this happening?

I often wonder what the chances actually are of me writing a sitcom script, sending it to a production company and them actually liking it enough to give me a chance. Not necessarily to make my sitcom, but write something for someone etc etc.

I have found it increasingly hard to believe that me sitting in my bedroom writing scipts then sending it by e-mail to a production company in london will actually get me anywhere. It hasn;t yet in seven years of trying. Granted I was churning out shite for 5/6 of those seven years.

I think the chances are relatively small. Realistically you need to get out there and make yourself get seen/heard/read. Whichever way you prefer. You need to be proactive.

Thank God, I don't have strong ambitions to be a writer anymore.

*sits back and relaxes*

The chances are obviously slim to some degree , but it does happen. Writers email stuff off and it leads to meetings and hopefully things go on from there.

Once you're "in the system" and realise how long it takes to get anything made, how high the chances of getting rejected are, and how shite the money is, you'll wonder why you bothered.

If you were to get a sitcom on, though, the money can be very good indeed.

Thank God, I don't have strong ambitions to be a writer anymore.

Me neither. I'm aiming for something more realistic - like becoming an astronaut.

If you've got what people want, then the chances are pretty high.
If what you're offering, for whatever reason, is not what they're after - zero.

I know that sounds a bit obvious - but I think a lot of people spend a lot of time either backing the wrong horse or flogging a dead one.
For a start you have to be pretty sure that what you're writing is good.
That means a LOT of people telling you it's good.
Then ask yourself if you are aiming for the right target.
Leaping straight into getting a sit-com commissioned is asking a lot.
A radio sketch - perhaps not such a huge leap.
How much do you write?
You only get contacts by putting a lot of stuff out.
So perhaps spending two years perfecting half a dozen episodes of a sitcom might not be the way forward.
Short films, screenplays, sketches, bloody panto...
Write as much as you can - get it seen as many people as you can.

Genuine talent is suprisingly thin on the ground.
I honestly believe people that have it stand a pretty fair chance of getting to express it, one way or another.

Genuine talent can still hit a ceiling, you need to get out and known to people that can make things happen. Leaving it to emails etc is a slow and lethargic way of doing it.

It's not difficult to get into conversations with people. I've met agents and producers without actually showing them anything at all. Once I've finished my latest project I know they will look at it. Whilst they admit they don't read anything unsolicited. Just don't have the time to read 100s of random scripts and do their jobs.

I think it's very hard to have strong ambitions after a while.

I don't know I don't find TV sitcom that aspiring, give me a radio comedy any day really.

Malcolm Gladwell says that you need to work at something for 10,000 hours. Of course that number is crap, it's far too small a length of time to expect things to happen. (It's basically about half a year of working 9-5 weekdays) but it does seem to back up the idea that if you want something you have to wait for it.

And wait and wait and wait...

Quote: Tim Azure @ November 18 2010, 7:41 PM GMT

Malcolm Gladwell says that you need to work at something for 10,000 hours. Of course that number is crap, it's far too small a length of time to expect things to happen.

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To be fair, the "10,000 hour rule" is about how long it takes to be GOOD at something, not how long it will take you to be a SUCCESS at something.

It's also about 5 and a half years of 9-5, 5 days a week

(7 hrs a day (with an hour for lunch!) x 5 days x 52 weeks x 5.5 years = 10,010 hours)

Quote: andyblacksheep @ November 19 2010, 9:53 AM GMT

To be fair, the "10,000 hour rule" is about how long it takes to be GOOD at something, not how long it will take you to be a SUCCESS at something.

It's also about 5 and a half years of 9-5, 5 days a week

(7 hrs a day (with an hour for lunch!) x 5 days x 52 weeks x 5.5 years = 10,010 hours)

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You got the maths right but if I remember right, Gladwell's thesis says that's how long it takes to master a discipline.

Great that makes me an expert masturbator and procastinator

Quote: David Bussell @ November 19 2010, 11:04 AM GMT

You got the maths right but if I remember right, Gladwell's thesis says that's how long it takes to master a discipline.

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That one.

Interestingly, when Gladwell said that, he'd been talking bollocks for the previous 9999 hours, 59 minutes and 55 seconds.

Quote: Lord Meldrum @ November 18 2010, 4:03 PM GMT

I often wonder what the chances actually are of me writing a sitcom script, sending it to a production company and them actually liking it enough to give me a chance. Not necessarily to make my sitcom, but write something for someone etc etc.

I have found it increasingly hard to believe that me sitting in my bedroom writing scipts then sending it by e-mail to a production company in london will actually get me anywhere. It hasn;t yet in seven years of trying. Granted I was churning out shite for 5/6 of those seven years.

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It's dead easy really. You have absolutely zero chance if you give up. If you don't give up, the probability of success is slightly higher than zero. If you manage to make contacts and get to know people within the industry, the odds of success increase in your favour. And if your writing improves as your journey continues, you'll eventually beat 99% of all the other potential writers who fell at earlier hurdles. Unfortunately you then find yourself in a position where you're up against serious competition. But it can be done.

Of course some people fall lucky and jump the queue early, but I always see comedy writing as a sort of apprenticeship. It takes no time at all to learn the basics but it's mastering the details and making them your own that's the tricky bit. Once you've done that you should be home free. (Technically)