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Got into an awkward situation offering to help out a neighbour, what do I do?

28 replies

wilbur · 25/01/2006 12:48

It's taken me ages to get to know anyone in the house next door to us, but have recently started chatting to one woman who lives there. She knows I am a writer, and last week she asked me to read something she has written to check the English (she is French). No problem, happy to help. However, she has just dropped round a few pages of a treatment for a TV script (which I thought was all she was asking me to check), and said that she has a full length script as well for me to look at and help with. The problem is, the treatment is awful in every way. As her spoken English is good, I assumed it would be a case of checking a bit of grammar and changing the odd word, but to make it even readable would be hours of work, and to do the same on a full length piece would take weeks. What do I do? I simply don't have the time the help her make these things ready to send out (and to be honest the story is v poor too, and probably not worth the effort) but then again I don't want to discourage her, nor make things difficult when I see her. Any suggestions? I thought about suggesting she join a writers group, but I don't know where she would find one locally.

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moondog · 25/01/2006 12:50

You have to bite the bullet andsay it is beyond your remit.
Just think...a couple of minutes of discomfort,or this looming over you for weeks??
(I have been in various similar scenarios abroad-I know how it can all get completely out of hand.)

fairyjay · 25/01/2006 12:51

You have to be upfront, and say that you hadn't realised the quantity of work involved, and that you simply don't have the time.............unless she wants to put in on a commercial footing!

jessthecat · 25/01/2006 12:51

goodness... erm, i don't know!

writers group is good idea... maybe we could help you research that if you tell us where you are?

Cristina7 · 25/01/2006 12:52

Oh dear. Just tell her that there are lots of mistakes and TV scripts are not your area. There are on-line groups she can join if nothing available locally. I wouldn't do the work.

motherinferior · 25/01/2006 12:56

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. (Bit like when people give you their Novel, isn't it.)

OK, she's asked you to check the English. Can you say 'I think you need to tidy up your grammar/spelling/sentence construction - obviously scripts aren't my area, though, so it's probably worth looking at the BBC website to see if there are relevant groups you should join' - something like that, which establishes that you interpret 'look at it' in precisely that way, not an overall edit?

(You can't edit it. I'm editing a report at the moment. For money, and it's taking two weeks!)

motherinferior · 25/01/2006 12:59

Got it. Suggest a 'writing for television' group or course. Morley College does them.

wilbur · 25/01/2006 13:00

Yes, I am going to have to be upfront (not very good at that, eeek!) about the amount of work needed. Thing is, the idea itself needs a ton of work, let alone the English - she has a couple of interesting characters, but that's it.

I'm in SW London, jess, if you know of anywhere that lists writers' groups - I googled it but just got loads of individual listings.

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moondog · 25/01/2006 13:01

Oh God MI!
I once had my best friend's dads Novel foisted on me (although to be fair,I was to blame partly for showing undue interest after 30 glasses of Rioja.)
What was worse,the house flooded and the manuscript was ruined.

Very Billy Liar!

wilbur · 25/01/2006 13:01

I'm going to lend her a couple of script writing books, MI. Suggesting a course is a great idea, will check out the Morley College website.

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motherinferior · 25/01/2006 13:03

The BFI website lists some too. But direct her to them. She's the one who needs the course!

wilbur · 25/01/2006 13:04

Trouble is, in our conversations prior to this request, I told her my career history (stuck at home mum happy to blab to anyone) which includes a stint as a script reader / development exec...

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wilbur · 25/01/2006 13:11

BFI - good idea.

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ggglimpopo · 25/01/2006 13:17

Message withdrawn

ggglimpopo · 25/01/2006 13:22

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motherinferior · 25/01/2006 13:24

NOT you, ggglimpopo! Yours isn't a novel, is it, anyway! I was thinking of a friend who sent me this really rather unspeakable effort set in a chip shop in Peterborough.

wilbur · 25/01/2006 14:23

Gosh MI - you do get all the glamourous stuff. A chip shop in Peterborough. A hotbed of drama, I'll bet.

Good, kind let-down words, ggg - I will definitely be using them forthwith!

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spub · 25/01/2006 14:34

Wilbur - does your local authority offer informal writer's groups through Libraries or community centres? Could give you chapter and verse (!) on the ones in Glasgow but not in SW London.
Some Unis also offer evening classes in Creative Writing type stuff through their depts of continuing and adult education.
Good luck!

ggglimpopo · 25/01/2006 14:36

Message withdrawn

wilbur · 25/01/2006 17:39

Have texted neighbour to suggest coffee later this week. Good idea to check out library - I am going tomorrow so will see if they have anything.

ggg - Currently I mostly write shopping lists and notes for dh about what needs doing around the house. I also do bits of journalism as and when I can around ds2 requiring my breasts. Just about getting back to more of that kinds of thing (got a job today to write an article loosely about footballers, dh wept with laughter when he heard as I am clueless about the beautiful game). In a previous life I had a very fledgling scriptwriting career, agent at The Agency, but all went pear-shaped when I had ds1 and I couldn't get my act together, then my father was ill, and so on, so on. Now I just look out the window and imagine What Might Have Been. CAT me if you want to swap writing traumas!

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ggglimpopo · 25/01/2006 18:03

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sunchowder · 25/01/2006 18:08

Wilburpriceless post on shopping list and notes to DH! I hope you do get to work things out with your neighbor. I am not the one to give advice on this though. I am always overextending. I ended up scrapbooking my Aunt and Uncles photos and my Brother's family photos which I had no business even offering to do and took on publishing a cookbook for fundraisingall of which has just about sent me over the edge...No...afraid I couldn't give you a bit of advice with this one.

Hausfrau · 25/01/2006 18:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wilbur · 25/01/2006 18:36

Sunchowder - you sound like me. I am v bad at saying no. I've just got around to resigning from a voluntary committee that I was co-opted onto 4 years ago - it was an intersting project but cost me ££ in terms of childcare/fares while I was attending meetings etc.

Hausfrau - arf at crap murder mystery.

ggg - will email.

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Pruni · 25/01/2006 18:40

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Toots · 26/01/2006 09:48

Wilbur - oh yuck, this kind of thing makes me squirm. Bad hot potato, chuck it back, chuck it back! The longer you have it the more she will be investing in you as her guardian angel. I'm a scriptwriter and have been a producer and my advice would be to do the sht sandwich thing - was taught this on a BBC course about conducting appraisals - nice thing (1st slice bread) nasty thing (sht filling) nice thing (2nd slice bread) So you could say - wow, didn't realise you'd written a whole script, well done. I think the story needs loads of work, that's always the hardest bit. A couple of your characters are interesting, though. Then, as she reels, suggest the Morley (as you hand back her script and turn her back towards her house). Think the whole grammar, French thing is more of a can of worms, personally. Suppose I've never come across that one, whereas story weakness I'm all too horribly familiar with.