Thursday, 13 March 2008

I AM WRITING A BOOK ...

No. I am not.

I am most definitely not writing a book. Nor am I writing a screenplay. And neither, most probably, are you.

It is a "book", and can only be considered a "book" when a "manuscript" has been submitted to a publisher, accepted for publication and a contract outlining the various terms and conditions that apply to it's publication drawn up and signed off by all relevant parties. It may also be considered a "book" if you wish to go down
Matthew Reilly’s path and publish the manuscript yourself, flogging it from the boot of your car at a market or some such place where people gather on a regular basis to spend their money on various bits of stuff.

And it is a "screenplay" when it has been accepted for production by a producer or studio executive and you have been paid for it, or you've managed to scrape together a whole bunch of money from a whole bunch of people you currently regard as "friends" and filmed your "screenplay" yourself. Keep in mind though, that given the usual standard of independently financed films that are made in this fashion, your "friends" may well realise upon completion of your project that you have no more talent than there is intelligent life in the wet spot on the hotel room bed of a Motley Crue roadie.

And then they will bash you up.

Until such time as the above criteria are met, you are not doing any such thing as writing a "book" or a "screenplay". However, you are perfectly within your rights to inform people that you are spending some of your spare time typing at yourself.

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