I first heard of the Frank Deasy award during one of my regular trawls through the writersroom website. Usually I expect to find a new script or an interesting blog piece has been posted. This time I stumbled across an opportunity that sounded perfect for me.
Though I've lived in London for a while now, I was brought up in Scotland and have always identified myself as a Scottish writer. In the past this hasn't always been an entirely positive thing; people tend to pigeon hole you, think that being from the regions, especially one with such a strong identity, means you can't write for 'mainstream' audiences. This award, designed to support a writer as they make the
leap into creating their own series, using Scotland as home base and inspiration without being inward looking, is something I feel I've been searching for for a long time.
And so I decided to enter. The inevitable printing off of scripts and ideas and the filling in of entry forms began.
Then the waiting period set in.
My attitude to the waiting period is always the same 鈥� try and forget you've entered anything. That makes the waiting period easier - because what are you waiting for? This policy has backfired in the past, memorably when Kate Rowland of the writersroom was forced to resort to sending a letter to tell me I'd won a previous competition. I'd forgotten that I'd entered so successfully that I'd also forgotten to check emails or answer the phone...
Over a period of months after entering the Frank Deasy award, emails arrived periodically. 'You've reached the next stage.' I was always thrilled but remained pragmatic, refusing as ever to get my hopes up. Finally, the last email - I'd been invited for an interview and was down to the final five.
Five people doesn't sound like a lot. But even at that stage the chances are only 20%. Certainly not enough to start counting chickens or thinking about what 大象传媒 Scotland might have in store for me should I win...I traveled to Glasgow to meet with Chris Aird and Kate confident that I would do my best and talk to them about my ambitions and my work as honestly and passionately as always, but by no means confident of the outcome.
Fortunately I was selected as the winner of the Frank Deasy award and finally I allowed myself to fully take on board what a fantastic opportunity I'd been given.
The writersroom has been supportive of me and my work since the very start of my career, over ten years ago now, and I'm grateful that they continue to do so.
Along with Chris, an incredibly busy man who's putting writers at the forefront of what he's trying to do at 大象传媒 Scotland, they've offered me an incredible leg up towards the next stage of my career.
I intend to do my very best to create drama that Scotland, and the whole of the UK, can be proud of. No easy task, but one I undertake with relish.
Needless to say, my regular trawls through the writersroom website will continue.
Katie Douglas and Kirstie Swain are the winners of The Frank Deasy Award and will taking up the position of Writer in Residence at 大象传媒 Scotland for a period of 6 months, to develop an original idea for 大象传媒1, with the aim of getting their pieces commissioned as a script on the 大象传媒 Scotland Drama development slate.
Katie is a prize-winning scriptwriter whose work has spanned drama and comedy both here and in the States. She has a wealth of experience under her belt both as a writer for hire and adaptor and has worked on such shows as Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, After You've Gone, MI High, Waterloo Road and EastEnders. She currently has several original comedy and drama projects in active development. As a playwright, she has worked with a number of theatres, including Liverpool Everyman, the RSC, Paines Plough, Soho and Southwark Playhouse, and her work has been shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Her most recent play, Dig, was described by Joyce Macmillan as 'a small masterpiece'.