Getting it on, getting it wrong

One thing I hate to do, is admit that I am wrong.

But just because I hate doing it, doesn’t mean that I never do it. It just means that I lick my wounds a lot.

One of the links I provide on the website is to a site that I’ve been using for many years, Writers.Net. Over the last few months, I’ve been doing nothing but lurk there, listening in to other peoples conversations (and occasionally, their arguments).

I then had an idea. I had been trying to find a new way to pitch my plays – but this time concentrating on theatres, rather than on agents. The idea was fuelled by editing the anthology of shorts a few of us are about to publish.

I then thought about publishing one of my plays, buying a few copies and forwarding it to a number of producing theatres. But was this safe – what about exclusive rights?

I checked the T&C on the website of the Print on Demand publisher that I was considering using (and NO! It’s not PublishAmerica) and all appears safe – they enable you to cancel at anytime (provided you don’t link to another publication on their catalogue).

But is it still a good idea?

Writers.Net had saved me from a scamming agent a few years ago – why not ask there?

So I did. I posted for advice and was rewarded by a response from someone that works in an Irish theatre. His point was that I needed to pitch the theatre in much the same way as authors pitch literary agents.

So I wrote a sample letter and posted it for a (massive) critique on Writers.Net. Did it get one? No – worse! 4 replies – all telling me how wrong I had got it!

Okay, I expected as much – and I received a criticism about the cast size (I posted a query about Denim, as the playwrights I talk to all said this is the one to pitch).

Can I take the criticism? Yeah! Easy. I know that I’m not perfect at this game – else there would be a number of West End Playwrights asking me for a sub until opening night.

But why is it that I feel so uncomfortable?

Again – that’s easy to explain, but hard to develop the courage to admit it.

I’m still learning.

I know that I know more than most aspiring professional playwrights.

But I still know that I have a lot to learn.

I think that I know how to write… What I have to do now is learn how to sell.

I just wish that learning those lessons didn’t make me feel so uncomfortable.

I guess it’s time to stack up a few pillows around the PC, put on some relaxing music and start writing that pitch letter again.