October 2025: WHAT A MONTH!!
I think I may have dropped acid at the start of this month… Why the hell would I put myself through a month like that?
Anyone that follows me on Instagram (@tongueincheekwriter) will know that in October I decided it was a brilliant idea to write a short film, from start to finish, in one month.
October was also the month where the Iris Prize LGBT+ film festival took place in Cardiff. It’s my third year volunteering and you would have had to kill me to stop me attending.
And then, out of the blue, two large orders came in on my Fiverr page. (check that out here - I’m really good at what I do!) All of that culminated in a month where I didn't, or couldn’t, stop.
It’s been one of the best months of my year.
Iris Prize 2025
Let’s start with the gays, shall we?
This is my third year volunteering for the prestigious LGBT+ film festival, and the first where I felt truly a part of it. I should stress that the reason for that is this year was the first year I got out of my own way.
For the first two (amazing) years, I turned up, did as I was bid, and tried to stay out of sight (don’t ask the people I volunteered with - they will slanderously disagree with this).
This year, I met a library of amazing filmmakers and creatives, poured their drinks, and held my own. When Salvor Hardin from Apple TV’s Foundation wins an award and still remembers your name, there’s something really special in that.
And despite pulling 13 hour shifts on multiple days (of my own free will), I was still able to watch four feature films and several libraries of absolutely beautiful short films.
It was one of the most fulfilling weeks of my creative career, and a real insight into what is possible when you apply yourself. At a networking event this last week, when talking about the event and conversations I’d had, one of the attendees commended the pursuit of “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
I reject that.
Ultimately, I was at the festival to volunteer and make sure things ran smoothly on the ‘shop floor’. Many of the conversations I had sprouted from working damn hard at the job I was there to do. It’s not who OR what you know, it’s who AND what.
Right place. Right time. Right ethic.
If you’d told me last year that I’d have conversations with award-winning filmmakers about short film ideas or be invited for food with a touring cast and crew, I’d have laughed in your face. I certainly wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me that I’d be talking to high-ranking members of BBC Writers or be one of the first to congratulate award winners.
But that’s where I am.
And that’s endlessly wild to me.
It’s Iris Prize’s 20th anniversary next year, and I’ve been toying with a couple of promotional ideas for the event and, for the first time, I may even be confident enough to pitch them.
God fucking bless the gays.
Writing Challenge: A Complete Writing Project
Oh yeah, that short film.
It’s widely accepted that writing any complete story is an endeavour that takes time. Time, energy, and discipline. After months of writing (and endlessly rewriting) my one-person show, I Have Sinned, I gave up.
In my heart, I’m a screenwriter, yet all I’ve written over the last 18 months (with one Doctor Who shaped exception) is plays! Rather than continue running at a creative brick wall, I thought it would be fun to cleanse my palate with a short film. With it being October, horror seemed the perfect genre. And as it had been a while, a sci-fi angle wouldn’t go amiss.
What I didn’t take into consideration was how much bloody work goes into making a believable science fiction world. I also thought it’d be really easy to film the process of creating the script…
Like some sort of masochist.
I’m putting it down a lot, but I genuinely loved the process, and I’m not unhappy with the result. What I wanted to write was a domestic-feeling story about parental favouritism, and I think I achieved that.
Like a good disciplined writer, I spent most of the month planning, plotting, and researching. While I never intended the final product to be anything close to producible, I wanted it to feel professional. That meant narrative structure, compelling characters, and clear themes.
And yes, you may have noticed I used some AI images. If you don’t like that, I urge you to look at my bank balance and then tell me I should have commissioned an illustrator. This is not an article about using AI, but I’m just going to say now that my use of it doesn’t diminish the creative work and energy I put into this script.
It was pretty touch-and-go at points as to whether I’d get it done in time. Had I spent too long creating a dictionary of terms that exist in the story world? Did I need to focus quite so much on the wardrobe of characters who will never be put on camera?
Maybe.
But on 30th October 2025 I was finally ready to open Final Draft and get writing. Yes, 48 hours before the deadline. And you know what I learned?
A good outline makes writing SO MUCH EASIER!
Not only did I manage to finish the script, I even got to play around with formatting, use of imagery, and learned some new tricks within Final Draft I can use in future projects.
Freelancing
As if what I’ve just talked about wasn’t enough, two large orders came in on my Fiverr page that I couldn’t pass up.
So alongside a full-time day job, a week-long physical marathon of a film festival, and the impending deadline of my own making, I also collaborated with two writers on their own projects.
Due to writer-editor confidentiality, I won’t go massively into what both writers needed, but if you’re also looking for proofreading, editing, or support writing a one pager, reach out on Fiverr before I start upping my rates in-line with the amount of work I’m putting in.
At the minute, I’m providing industry level support at a net loss. I’m spending more on coffee while working than I’m earning doing the work itself. With every order, the price goes up, so the sooner you order the cheaper it will be!
