Coffee and a word of inspiration…it’s everything a writer needs!
So speaking of needing to ‘begin’, here are some interesting events and opportunities to help you get your latest writing project underway…
BBC Writersroom & BAFTA Guru
BAFTA and BBC Writersroom have teamed up for a BAFTA Guru Live Event to celebrate ‘BBC Writersroom at Twenty’. Experts speaking at the event on Monday (November 30) include: Peter Bowker (writer of The A Word, World on Fire, Marvellous); Isis Davis (actor/writer of Killing Eve); Anne Edyvean (Head of BBC Writersroom); and Manda Levin - Senior Commissioning Editor for BBC Drama. Sign up for the event starting at 5pm here.
Call for Plays
Act Your Age has a call out for writers who have written plays that feature actors over the age of 40. They are looking for either one act plays or radio series of either four or six episodes. The vast majority, if not all, of the characters have to be playing roles over 40-years-old and plays should be of 30, 45 or 60 minutes in length. They can be in any genre but must be fully formed and complete. The deadline for submissions is December 18. Find out more on their website.
Producing Scripted TV
BAFTA Scotland has teamed up with Screen Scotland for a webinar lifting the lid on ‘Producing Scripted Television’ tomorrow (Wednesday). The in-depth discussion will feature producers behind the nominations for this year’s British Academy Scotland Awards (Elizabeth is Missing, Deadwater Fell, Guilt) and will be discussing the creative process and challenges involved in producing a successful drama. Register for the session starting at 7.30pm here.
Novel Writing
There’s a last chance to join a free NaNoWriMo event this Thursday (November 26) from 7pm-8.30pm (GMT). Offering advice, co-ordinated writing sprints, and chance to share your progress. While it is aimed at anyone taking part in National Novel Writing Month, any writer is welcome to join. Register here.
Digital Workshops
BBC Digital Cities is in the midst of a three-day virtual festival ‘Digital Cities Virtual’ running this week. It includes a range of workshops and talks for media creatives including sessions on: tips for filming with your smartphone, expert advice on networking in lockdown, and a masterclass on how the book ‘His Dark Materials’ was commissioned and filmed. The event starts today (Tuesday) and runs until Thursday (November 26). Find out more here.
Publisher Calls for Submissions
Salt Publishing is inviting submissions of novels from authors of fiction, narrative non-fiction, or poetry books, throughout November. They are particularly keen to hear from women, BAME, disabled, working class and LGBTQ+ writers. Further information is available on their website.
Playwrighting Prize
Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester is launching its first-ever Playwriting Prize, with the finalists getting the opportunity of mentorship with award-winning writer Jonathan Harvey (Beautiful Thing, Hushabye Mountain). A prize of £5,000 is being offered to the winning writer. The deadline for submissions is this Friday (November 27). For more info.
Still available…
International Screenwriting Opportunity
TIFF Writers’ Studio is opening up its Canadian programme to international screenwriters and writer-directors. The programme offers a whole host of mentoring and workshops for anyone at mid-level in their career and, for this round, it will all be delivered online. Applications are open until December 18, for more visit the TIFF website.
Financial Planning for Freelancers
BECTU Vision is running financial advice workshops on ‘Planning for Your Future’ next week on December 3 and 4. Aimed at those based in Scotland, further information is available here.
Broadcasting in Crisis Event
The RTS and The Media Society are running two online events on December 7 and 8 from 5.30-6.30pm as part of the Steve Hewlett Scholarship Fund events programme. The sessions are on the theme of British Broadcasting in Crisis. The first session covers public service broadcasting, and the second focuses in on the UK commercial channels and SVODs. Further about booking are here.
Screenwriting
The Screenwriter Showcase @Pinewood Studios has a call out for scripts from screenwriters for its next event as part of the Lift-Off Network, which includes the Lift-Off Film Festivals and Showcases. Scripts should be submitted before the final deadline of December 7 in order to be considered for the next event on January 29. You can find out more here.
Theatre Artists
Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre has launched its ‘L20 Artist Attachment Programme’, which is aimed at supporting 20 creative people from Edinburgh (and surrounding areas) to join The Lyceum for a year. It is open to all kinds of theatre artists including, but is not limited to, writers, directors, choreographers, composers, creative producers, designers, digital creatives, and more. It will involve a shadowing placement on a Lyceum project with a £1,000 bursary; quarterly Saturday skills development workshops; and one-to-one advice and support sessions from a range of experts. The closing date for applications is this Sunday (November 29) at 11.59pm. Find out more here.
If you know of any interesting opportunities for writers, do get in touch. We are happy to circulate them for FREE to our growing community of budding and accomplished writers. Simply fire off an email via the button below and please add the word Newsletter in the subject heading.
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