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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.

OP posts:
LeahE · 26/01/2006 09:59

There's a writers' group that meets at Ottakars in Putney one evening a month (have no idea which evening, though).

Toots · 26/01/2006 10:00

Durr. Just read your post again and sounds like she just wanted grammar and spelling check. So ignore above. (Although I wouldn't be able to stop myself launching into it but then I think people need to know these things. I think constructive criticism and guidance is key to scriptwriting. You don't get anywhere learning the piano unless someone tells you you're playing the wrong notes, innit?)

wilbur · 26/01/2006 14:08

Toots - love the sh*t sandwich thing, got a lot of incidences in my life where I could use that! She's coming round on Monday so I'll work my script out and talk to her about hers then.

Leah - that's great about Putney Ottakars, it's quite easy to get to Putney from us so that might be perfect for her.

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