The other day my phone was ringing and when I looked it was an unknown number. 
Now, normally I wouldn’t necessarily answer an unknown caller but, and here’s the thing about writing and trying to get stuff published, I’ve currently got quite a bit of product ‘out there’ sent to publishers, magazines, and producers, all with my name, address and mobile number displayed prominently so I could not afford to miss that call. I was particularly hoping to hear from a radio drama producer who had looked at a radio play I’d written and had not rejected it out of hand but liked it and wanted to look at the next draft. Well, I wasn’t really contemplating a next draft, I thought the piece was pretty much ok as it was, in fact, I was pretty pleased with it. Here’s what I’d done, I’d taken all my nerdy knowledge as a self-confessed conspiracy theorist, written something about –not the JFK assassination but the RFK shooting, re-invented it as the shooting of a British MP, set it in Manchester and thrown in a lot of speculation about organised crime and MI5 and stuff and thought I’d arrived with something pretty good.
Anyway, you can imagine my feeling when my mobile was ringing. I very briefly imagined a scenario where the radio producer was offering me a lot of money, asking about who I wanted to play the main characters, did I need a car to pick me up for the rehearsals and the recording day? Was the 20th a suitable date? Well, I’m sure you’ve got the picture, anyway, so I pressed the answer button on the phone and here’s what happened; I thought I’d put it in script format just so you can really get the feeling.
(INTERIOR DAY, STEVE HIGGINS IS AT HOME, WATCHING TV.)
(FX: MOBILE RINGING.)
STEVE
Hello.
CALLER
Is that Steve Higgins?
STEVE
Yes, speaking.
CALLER
Are you the same Steve Higgins that has just registered the domain name stevehigginslive.com ?
STEVE
(APPREHENSIVELY)Yes . . .
CALLER
Well I represent a new web design company and for a small fee we can completely re design your site and actively promote it and-
(CUT TO DISAPPOINTED LOOK ON STEVE’S FACE; FADE OUT)
Writing isn’t particularly easy but it’s something I’ve always done and have always loved. The end product is usually its own reward but like any writer it’s great to have your work get somewhere and be read by others. That’s why I so love the digital age. Every time I publish something on WordPress and get some tiny comment back or even just the odd ’like’ it’s a great feeling.
Just going back to the radio producer and his request for another draft it just reminded me about screenwriter William Goldman’s book, Adventures in the Screen Trade. Goldman tells how it’s fine to get your script finished but then the producer always wants another draft and then the star steps in, he wants a new draft and he doesn’t like it when his character does this, he thinks the character should do that so can we have another draft and then he drops out and the new star likes the script only he doesn’t think that should happen so, can we have another draft please . .
The day I actually get to hear my characters on the radio investigating the shooting of my fictional MP I’ll be overjoyed.
Letters from an unknown author! 
Hi Steve, thanks for sharing this on my http://www.facebook.com/BlogtrainerUK page. Not only is it frustrating that it wasn’t the publisher calling you but how rude to say about having a site re-design, when your site is perfectly great as it is.
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And certainly, thank you on your sweat!
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