Dora Eff

@MizzMarshaS Little glass of fizz… then back to my desk as am meant to be delivering a treatment next week too 🤯😂 Hope you’re having a good Easter weekend :)

@dorafwrites That counts!! Can’t wait for the official announcement. Hope you’re celebrating!🥳 🎉🍾

First script commission! Kissing goodbye to my social life for the foreseeable. Totally worth it.

@MizzMarshaS Thank you!! For an indie not a broadcaster (yet!), but I think it still counts ☺️💪

@dorafwrites What??? Huge congrats Dora! 🥳🥳🙌🙌🙌🙌

@MizzMarshaS I know, I’ve been awol!! Life just got stressful for a while tbh, but fingers crossed the sun is coming out again now… How are you doing?

@dorafwrites Congrats Dora!!! Wondered where you’d been. Glad to see all is well with you! 🎉🎉🎉

Third original project into paid development, hooray! Progress has felt painfully slow, but a year ago I had zero projects sooooo 🥳 #screenwriting

Where are the new drama commissions from female writers? I’ve seen several big announcements in the past couple of weeks, but (unless I’m missing something?) all from the same well-known men. Asking as both a development exec and a female writer myself. Seriously!

In case it’s helpful for anyone else, I signed with my agents in 2022 and got NOTHING into development until this year. I was scared they’d drop me. But that first thing led to the next and (tbc🤞) the next. This is a long game - expect to be a “new” writer for years, not months.

Is this a safe space to say that I would secretly love to get my script on the Brit List, but am far too proud/awkward to do all the required vote-gathering?💀

So great to hear that you’re looking well & don’t seem like you might be secretly miserable, that’s excellent news

Other writers: “The first draft just poured out of me…” Me with 15 pages to go:

Second project safely into development, hurrah! Manifesting no. 3 in September, once the industry is back at its desk, along with finishing my next pilot - still 30 pages to go, oh god why are first drafts so hard…? 😭

I love these moments between delivering a new draft and the person actually reading it. Anything’s possible. “You’re a genius. No notes.” Etc.

I can only assume people thought Strange Darling was “clever” because it’s non-linear? There were a couple of interesting moments in the first half, and it’s well made, but ultimately it’s just… not about anything. I need some better horror/thriller recs!

Starting to write a new character’s dialogue, realising exactly who they are irl 👀 and promptly closing the document. Awks. New inspo needed.

I think my pay-to-play screenwriting contest days are done. They were fun, and sometimes gave me exactly the boost I needed. But their ability to help a writer’s career follows a bell curve - at a certain point, the smart thing is to stop :)

This week can get in the bin. What a disaster. If anyone needs me I will be hiding under a blanket until it’s definitely over💀

A year ago I was trying to write a romcom while dealing with acute heartbreak. Today I’m sitting by the sea, on a holiday paid for by the sale of that script. Still a long way to go, but… this feels quite nice ❤️

@J_MartinEdwards In development you can always tell when a writer is purely trying to do something strategic. It’s a turn-off. But there’s also no point picking up a script you know you can’t sell. The sweet spot is in the middle: commercial but with a bit of quirky flair. Easy to say, of course!

@dorafwrites No I agree. It's a risk for sure. But I do think the bigger risk is not writing the story you want to write. At least you get to develop your voice. I'm not at all strategic - that's probably not a good thing!

Scripts have a much better chance of being picked up, but are also far more work than a pitch for approx the same option fee. So do I write a bunch of pitches this year and play the numbers game, or try to write one more strong script? Answers on a postcard pls ☺️

@J_MartinEdwards I think the point about developing your craft is so spot on. But the other risk, I guess, is that you don’t know whether ‘the story you want to write’ will be one anyone wants to pick up - and you’ve spent such a big chunk of time on it. Still, on balance I agree :)

@dorafwrites Write the script. Always. Yes, writing pitches are an important skill that screenwriters probably need to learn but I'd rather develop my storytelling craft than my marketing skills. Flawed? Maybe. But I'm not waiting for someone's permission to write the story I want to write.