Quote: writer for hire @ April 3 2012, 7:19 PM BST

Oh yeah! In the face! Mr Bussell just owned you all!

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And he's thorough - a courier just turned up at my door, thrust a metal collar and chain at me and said 'put it on bitch!'

He's right though; less useless paranoia, more writing, creating, and pushing yourself.

I know. Who's the bitching paranoiac?

Quote: Frantically @ April 3 2012, 8:12 PM BST

I know. Who's the bitching paranoiac?

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I'm talking generally; there's a lot of 'writers' who moan on about all sorts of reasons why their masterpiece isn't going to get a fair chance.

But that's the reason the American military devised the internet!

Quote: David Bussell @ April 3 2012, 4:22 PM BST

Yes there are such things as funny scripts that don't get made and poor scripts that do. There's also such a thing as subjectivism, meaning what you or I think is funny can be quite a different experience for someone else. The best thing a writer can do is quit complaining they're being passed over unfairly and concentrate on making their writing the best it can possibly be. Getting upset that other people are making it because of "who they know" isn't going to help you be any funnier.

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Wasn't getting upset, just thought I'd share my thoughts, theories and frustrations. Quit complaining? You make me sound like I have been chatting on here and whinging on all the time. I was merely carrying on the conversation.

Quote: SLRees @ April 4 2012, 3:46 PM BST

Quit complaining? You make me sound like I have been chatting on here and whinging on all the time. I was merely carrying on the conversation.

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The comment was based on your last couple of posts on this thread, but more than that it's to do with the larger issue of writers complaining they're not getting their due when they're not even close to earning it. Part and parcel of that is the "it's who you know" moan. Like it or not, being a TV writer is about more than just mashing keys in your garret, it's about networking and making connections with prod cos, commissioners and people of influence. It is "who you know" but it's your responsibility to get to know them. Sure, some people have a head start with family/academic/masonic connections and so forth but there's not a whole lot you can do about that. Get good at writing and watch that gap close.

Knowing someone can get your script read, and get your foot in the door, but since scripts have to be liked by two or three other people of increasing influence before they become a show, contacts can only get you so far. And everyone wants to be the person who has 'discovered' a brilliant new writer, so it's far from being a closed shop.

... which is why opportunities like Laugh Track are great - a level playing field at the beginning and then, even if you don't 'win' but they like your stuff, hopefully you've impressed some people who could be very handy if you stick at it.

Are we supposed to find out today if we're through? Anyone heard anything?

Not sure but the work shop is on 24th so two weeks notice seems reasonable.

Thanks, Kl Riley-- I've just seen that there's a blog post by our very own Michael Jacobs about the judging process.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/posts/Shortlisting-Laugh-Track

And on the Writers Toom twitter account it seems that we'll be getting the replies sometime this week.

I had to go and bloody ask, didn't I?!? Just received my rejection. Apparently I made it through the first sift but not the second.

So, it's the old crawl inside a bottle of wine trick for me. Again.

I've got a reply just now. My script failed to make it to the next stage.

However, on the plus side, out of the 800+ entries that the BBC received mine was one of those that made it past the first sift of scripts and was given a second look. Only 10% of submissions (so that's 80+) got this far.

So overall, it looks like my script was good but not great. Still, I'm impressed I managed to get that far.

Not even past the 1st sift for me. Ah well, them's the breaks.

Well done to anyone who got further or made it to the next stage.