Why so silly?

The other day I realised I began this blog 14 years ago when I was broke, clinically depressed, and trying to find my way into earning money as a writer. Fast forward to today, and I’m a little less broke, a little more optimistic (despite the threat of A.I. companies taking over all storytelling jobs - I might talk about this more in another post as I have my own views on A.I. companies, the impact, and what might happen) and slowly finding my way towards earning more credits, publications and commercial success* as a writer. Looking back at my journey so far, I also remembered that reflection is the main reason I started this blog. It has been a way for me to organise my thoughts and share things people might like to know about me without having to post on socials every five seconds (seriously Insta peeps; I don’t know how you keep up without going into crisis every second hour!)

I know there are influencers who monetise everything these days, including their personal life and if that works for you; I applaud you and am totally not jealous of the crack-fuelled energy** you seem to have. But being an online influencer isn’t my ambition, and it isn’t the reason I started writing this blog.  Whilst I am on socials (and I try to stay active), I have learned to focus only on the essentials, because otherwise, I will never get any work done. It’s also the reason I don’t do a blog post as often as the Google algorithms say I should. As the slave of a 1 year old Supreme Dictator who has declared martial law at home, I'm lucky when I get five minutes to myself, so spending time on the essentials seems logical to me.

Anyway, I am pleased to reflect that my blog is my blog. A way for me to reflect and share without feeling I have to chase for attention. 

A funny few years

There is a pun here, because whilst I love (and write in) the science fiction, fantasy (SFF) and horror genres, I was advised by a producer to start pitching myself as a comedy writer. I laughed at her, which come to think of it, isn’t actually funny. After I apologised and thought about it, I realised she might be on to something. Most of my work, including my genre fiction, has a sense of humour running throughout. I just never really noticed it until readers started telling me. Repeatedly. In 2016, I was trying to pitch a horror novel that never caught anyone’s attention. It was dark. Bleak. Frightening. But it wasn’t really my voice.

Then Covid hit and the world went mad. I found solace online through the Spectrum Writers Community – originally a London focused SFF critique group; now a global hybrid that meets online and in person. I had been a member since 2016 and love all the writers and friends I have made there.  At the same time, I started getting more work published, but it wasn’t until I had work accepted at Sci-Fi Lampoon and podcast online, that I began to realise people were laughing, in a good way.

2023

My wife first told me she was pregnant as I was getting ready for a run in October 2023. I remember saying “Ah, that’s nice!” before giving her a hug and running away. I ran and thought; “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!” Halfway through, I realised, “Well, extra pair of hands to help about the house in future.” This then evolved into me speculating whether I could get away with calling our spawn after an amalgam of Star Trek-inspired names and catch phrases. Tiberius Quark. Ezri Spock. Chancellor Nuclear Wessels Gorkon. Accessing Dr Crusher. Seven of Scotty. Make it so Logically. You get the idea. By the time I got home, I was a little less panicked, and a lot more silly. It is to my wife’s credit that our son has a fighting chance of not being beaten up in the school playground (though I did manage to sneak in a Star Trek related name for his middle name!)

During this weird sleep-deprived period, I started experimenting with more comedy, particularly in screen, audio and stage form. I’ve always loved comedy whether it’s on TV, in the theatre, in the cinema, on the radio (I’m approaching middle age) or in a book. I just hadn’t considered writing comedy until I had my first short comedy play produced in 2022 before being advised by a producer in 2024 that I should think about doing more comedy. That lit a small fire under my nerdy ass and since then I have focussed in trying to write more comedy, seek out new shows and silly peoples, to boldly go where no serious person would bother to try.

And I have started to gain some recognition and success. My short comedy (with a slab of drama dropped in because I can't help myself) “Carrots for Mum” was selected for Ryaknots Theatre’s first scratch night in June where I got to work with four amazingly talented actors. (Here I want to also thank my friend, the more talented playwright and dramaturg, David Lane***, as I wouldn’t have known about Ryaknots if it wasn’t for his carefully curated opportunities list “Lane’s List”.) Add to the mix one of my character sketches from my comedy TV pilot “Watership Railed” making the final 50 for Comedy Crowd’s Chorts 2024 and most recently, my comedy TV pilot “Hansella’s Off Menu” being a Quarter Finalist and Finalist at Scriptwriter and Co International Festival, The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, and The Wiki Screenplay Contest, and I’m beginning to think that maybe I should start listening to my wife more often. She’s always telling me “Your stories are funny. Do more of that.”

It generally goes better for me when I listen to my wife. 

So, why so silly? Because life is bleak enough without me adding more grim to it. And there are writers better equipped to do that than I am. Besides, the world can always do with taken itself less seriously.

*i.e. earning more money

** Full disclosure: I have never taken crack cocaine, speed, crystal meth or any other class A drug that seems to gift the user extra-energy, but I have watched every episode of Breaking Bad

*** Dave is also a very silly man and the undisputed king of terrible but annoyingly amusing puns.