Exceptions to the “No TV” rule
Before you point out the obvious, this is not a backtracking of my previous post, but rather a clarification. TV is not bad for you, even if you do write for books and journals. I wanted to post the notable exceptions to the “No TV” rule alluded to in the last post. They are these (well, these are the exceptions that come immediately to mind.
- The Chaser (although tonight’s is the last episode, so that doesn’t count)
- Lost (although that’s not starting up again until February, so it doesn’t count either)
- 7.30 Report (although, I’m usually doing other things with this on in the background)
- House (although…no this one definitely counts)
What a crying shame that television standards in Australia are in such a state that we’re unlikely to produce a television drama anywhere near the craftsmanship and production values of the two American shows above.
Makes me wonder if I should be writing for television
Oh god…did I just say that?
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Television, mornings, life and death
Okay a short muse on the job/life/writing juggle. I read on Sunday about the sudden death of a writer whose work I admired greatly and looked forward to reading most mornings. All those regular thoughts of impermanence and frustration bubbled up again and I looked at that manuscript, still shaggy and forlorn on the kitchen table.
I decided to use the sad news as a spur to stop arseing around and get stuck into the repairs and revisions needed to bring the manuscript up to scratch. It’s not like I don’t know what to do with it. I have an extensive to do list covering roughly the last two thirds of the manuscript – a scene by scene breakdown – something I’ve attempted many times, but never quite nailed as well as this one.
My conclusion? Apparently my first drafts are always a shambolic affair and it’s not until the second draft that I actually get any idea how I’m going to structure the story. It’s a time consuming process for me and one I don’t recommend to other writers, by the way. I always say: The next one I’ll get right from the outset.
Anyway, I’ve made a promise to myself, in the spirit of life’s brevity, that I will finish a polished version of the manuscript one scene a day until the bloody thing is done and I can, without embarrassment, hand it over to agent, etc.
Given that work full time and have young kids, this is easier said than done, so I’ve whittled this ambition down into two inescapable realities:
- Early mornings
- No TV
Got that? Good.
Early morning is the only time that doesn’t combine face-falling-off tiredness and a quiet house. I’m not a natural early riser, nor am I in any sense a morning person. Look how excited I am about the prospect of getting up with the birds. Yay.
And TV? Well, I figure if I have time to watch telly, I have time to do some work. It’s the uni principle: tremendous self-imposed guilt and looming deadlines force your hand.
Combine the above with a more manageable daily goal (the one scene at a time thing) and I’ve actually struck a process that’s not bad so far.
So far.
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