‘Not This Time’ was part of the title on the subject line, so thankfully, I knew what to expect when I opened the e-mail.
I’d seen the contents plenty of times in the past when applying for jobs.
Once upon a time I would have been consumed with disappointment and the feeling of rejection. Then, I was insecure about myself and my talents, and took things like that to heart.
I wished I had learned earlier that, professionally and creatively, not hearing ‘yes’ is not the same as hearing ‘never’, because I’d have taken lessons contained at the time and I might even be further along than I am now in many ways.
Why such a pre-amble to what is a fairly straightforward main body?
In this case, it is because I wanted to show a marked difference in how I deal with not hearing ‘yes’ the first time, and how I look for (and find) positivity.
As you’ve probably guessed, my submission of ‘Alley’ was not selected for this Season of the Ragged Scratch Podcast, which is not a spectacular surprise given the fact it is my very first attempt at an audio script.
And given that it was my first effort, the feedback was very positive. Had I not sought the positive, I would have missed the fact that it was shortlisted, and the other bits of feedback:
“Solid, with a nice twist and natural dialogue. Would possibly tweak the ‘VO’ lines so it’s all either said out loud or tweaked to a reaction noise instead. Feels like it could be the start of a full length play”
So, not only does it not require a wholesale re-write, but it could be expanded.
At the moment, I don’t have anything in mind relating to expansion or further development of the story.
I’ve taken them up on their offer to hold on to “Alley” for consideration in their next window, but will address the suggestions in the interim, so it stands a chance that time around.
I’ll also start working on other radio plays, and travel down this new avenue.
And then, there’s the table read for ‘(Un)Civility’ or/and ‘Must Not Run’ 😉…
Thanks for reading…
Lanrefiction Notepad 