Staying in the Writing Game
Why Your Next Win Is Closer Than You Think
When I was nineteen, recovering from surgery and stuck at home, I wrote my first full-length screenplay.
I could barely move — so I wrote instead.
Later, at university in Birmingham, I kept going. Every year, I entered the Channel 4 film challenge with a short film script. And every year...nothing.
Until the third year.
That year, I didn’t win — again — but something was different. I got a letter. It said, "You haven’t won, but we’re reading your work — and it’s getting better."
I celebrated like I’d won an Oscar.
It’s funny, isn't it?
We’re often so focused on big wins that we miss the tiny signals that tell us we’re on the right path.
Like entering writing competitions and getting no reply...until one day, a quiet sign arrives.
Like launching newsletters nobody reads...until one person hits reply and says, "This really helped me."
Progress often looks like failure — until it doesn’t.
The real shift came when I realized this:
Staying in the game is the real game.
Over the years, I kept writing screenplays. I kept entering competitions. I even earned an MA in Screenwriting.
I made a short film from one of my scripts, funded it myself, directed it — and finally sold it to HBO Europe.
One small step at a time.
Most of my scripts went nowhere.
But the few that worked changed everything.
That’s why if you’re staring at an empty subscriber list, or your first few blog posts feel like they’re echoing into the void — don’t stop.
Every rep you put in sharpens your edge.
Every quiet day stacks behind the scenes.
Every “no” trains you to handle the “yes” when it finally comes.
This is why I created Weekday Writer — a free daily letter to help you build momentum, one morning at a time.
Join us if you want a system that keeps you writing, keeps you growing, and keeps you in the game...