SIGNING OFF

Dear friends and fellow scribes,

Over the past couple of years, I have become disillusioned with the business of writing. The excitement of writing on spec slowly evaporated, replaced by resentment at being expected to give up my free time to write and rewrite in the slim hope that someone would pay me eventually. With my last commission in 2020, that free time became even more precious when I reluctantly had to find a full-time job to pay the rent.

After being diagnosed as autistic a few years ago, I also lost interest in networking, deciding that the intricacies of social interaction were a mask I was too exhausted to maintain.

And today, my agent dropped me as a client via email.

Consequently, I’ve decided to bring my career to a close and devote my energy to other pursuits.

It’s been a wild ride, one I have mostly enjoyed. Over the last twenty-five years, I have been commissioned to write seven feature screenplays, pitched for seasons three and six of Sky One's Barssic, narrowly missed out on writing for Eastenders (mainly due to my lack of social awareness), put some wonderful stories on paper, won a couple of writing awards, and worked with some amazing people.

But all of that, and a shrinking industry, have left me chronically fatigued. When it paid, it was exhilarating. When rejection came calling, it was depressing. Once, I could think of nothing else but writing, but now all I feel is joyless and numb. When that happens, it's time to call it a day.

My screenplay-reading business will remain open, as I’m always open to helping others, but my days of staring at a blinking cursor and wondering what the fuck to write are over.

Adiós, amigos.