"Advice
to would-be writers? Quite frankly, I believe there is only one piece of advice
anyone can give, and it’s exactly the same as that given by the Greek philosopher
Epictatus in about 100AD: ‘If you wish to be a writer, write.’ You can only
learn the craft by doing it, and keeping on doing it. You can only get through
the door by hammering on it, and keeping on hammering on it, until somebody
opens it. And when they do, you must have something of your own to show them,
so you must keep on writing spec scripts until one is accepted, or leads to
a commission." - Anthony Read. Doctor
Who script editor.
If you are a professional writer, or someone who wants to learn the
craft of writing, or just someone who has always wanted to write a Doctor
Who story, then may we humbly offer the services of The Doctor Who
Audio Dramas.
SegalChord Productions is a group of professional, semi-professional, and amateur actors who have been making The Doctor Who Audio Dramas since
1982. Currently, we have over 160 stories.
Our aim is not only to create an entertaining show, but to provide a
learning experience for up and coming writers and actors. A place where
people can "cut their teeth" as the saying goes. The Doctor
Who Audio Dramas is an excellent place to hone your skills before diving
into the unforgiving world of professionalism. To date, it has been our
honour to have worked with several writers and script editors who have already been or have turned
professional. Perhaps you will be next!
As a writer, our script editor will work with you, helping you to polish
your work for production as well as providing pointers and examples instead
of just giving you a "thumbs up or thumbs down" as you would receive
from a professional publishing firm or studio. When your work is finally
finished, it will be produced complete with sound effects and music. Alas,
since everyone does this for fun and no money is made, we can not pay you
for your effort. But we are honoured to give you copy and credit.
As requested by many budding writers, here are the answers to some of
the most frequently asked questions and a few guidelines to help you get
started:
Although they are fun to write for, do not use regulars like the Daleks,
Cybermen, Gallifrey, etc. Everyone wants to do them, and there is a very
long wait time before such can be scheduled. Only experienced writers are
allowed to write for these types of characters, and usually only by invitation.
We do use our own Doctors
and companions.
So no writing for Sylvester McCoy, Lalla Ward, Jon Pertwee, etc.
Your story should be no more than three or four episodes. If it needs to
be longer, be ready to justify it. In the past, we've had stories that run
the episode gambit from a single episode (Mission
to the Unknown and The Brown Death) to fifteen episodes (Time's Champions).
At this point in our history, we're trying to bring it down a bit and keep
the episode average to three or four. We will still accept stories that are shorter
than three episodes or longer than four, but you will need to have a really
good story that requires such an unusual number of episodes.
Regardless of the total number of episodes a story has, each individual
episode must
be between 15 and 30 minutes including opening title music and end credits.
Do not crossover Doctor Who with other shows.
Try to control the number of characters involved in the plot. While
a large cast may seem more authentic, we only have a certain number of actors
and therefore a certain number of voices available. Too many characters
will have people doubling up on voices, and that should be avoided.
Be sure and give the companion or companions something to do. Gone are
the days when the co-star just stood around and said, "Gee, Doctor,
what's that?" or "Eeek! Help me!". Though companions are
good for drama and emotional impact, they should not be used as ciphers.
Make sure they do more than just stand around and act as window dressing.
Humour is an element that should not be ignored. Producer Allen Davidson is interested in seeing stories that are more humourous than they have been in the past.
Please do not submit stories which are sequels and continuations of
something else. Originality is the operative word.
No vulgarity. To paraphrase Bill Cosby, such is the tool of a weak writer
who is too lazy to think of anything more intelligent to say. Yes, we know
the new series is allowing it, and even the Doctor needs his mouth washed
out with soap every once in a while. But not here. Keep it clean!
Regular, satisfactory progress must be made by the writer. While we
do realise that writing is a time-consuming endeavour, we must require that
a regular effort be made by prospective writers. If you are unable to submit
work on a regular basis, we will be unable to consider your story.
Keep references to Doctor Who history to a minimum. Not only
will continuity-heavy stories make writing more difficult, but with the
BBC having resumed the series, continuity has been increasingly difficult
since the new episodes have themselves been ignoring series history.
Basically, only the television series is canon. Not the books or Big
Finish. Check with the script editor if you need more information.
Do not reference events from the spin-offs. (Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, or anything else they may come up with.)
Although we don't want you to refer to the Virgin books, their
Writer's
Guide does contain some valuable writing tips, and so we would recommend
that those who have had little or no writing experience for Doctor Who
look over this document before proceeding onward.
Do your best to stay true to the BBC series. While we don't
mind doing things that Auntie Beeb wouldn't do because of its time slot,
we do want to maintain the show's overall whimsy and spirit. So basically,
if you don't think it would fly in any time slot on a BBC channel,
it probably won't fly with us, either.
Ownership of stories: This question has come up a lot. Essentially,
writers continue to "own" any story they submit. You can sell
your story to anyone else. The only thing we require is that you can not
come back and ask us to remove your story from our lineup. Once we produce
it, we can continue to distribute it for all eternity.
If you plan to write an original story for us,
begin with a synopsis, a two to four paragraph
summary of your story. That way, bugs can be ironed out before work is begun
on the treatment and full script.
Finnaly (as if all that wasn't enough), the script format we use is "Hollywood Screenplay". This is the format Hollywood uses for the movies. You do not have to use this format. Write your script in any format that you are comfortable with. We will convert it. If, however, you would like to write your script using that format (and you don't already have script writing software), there is a free programme out there called Page2Stage. This will automatically put your script in the
proper format. You can download it here. Another free programme which will properly format your script is Celtx. For those unfamilair with the format, it is a bit awkward to look at if you're not used to it. It was developed in the days of manual typewriters (what are those?) and hasn't really changed in half a century. For anyone who wants to be a writer, it is highly recommended that you learn and use this format. Both
programmes are easy to learn and makes a great crossover when you want to buckle down and buy a full scriptwriting programme
like Final Draft or Movie Magic (the one we use).
For those interested, click on the appropriate link for an overview of the
scripting process and a short
essay by an experienced writer on what the writing process is like.
Thank you, budding writers, for your interest. We look forward to doing your
story.
