In September of 2025 I was approached with a suggestion that I thought completely absurd at the time. Someone I had recently befriended over lunch was advising the curators of the next TEDx Ibiza and thought I should submit a proposal to talk. My immediate response was that I probably knew a million other people who had more to say than I did.

Eventually, I put the proposal together and sort of forgot about it- again, seemed very silly that I would do a TEDx Talk.

My proposal was accepted very quickly and I began the process of writing the thing. When I spoke to Mia, the organiser for TEDx Ibiza, I said ‘I’m really not sure I am going to be good at this’ she said that she always prefers that people say that than they come in with full confidence they will be brilliant. This is not a feeling I ever have about anything I ever do so in this instance, a leading edge, finally.

BTS at TEDx Ibiza

But as it turns out, TED Talks are remarkably consistent and well structured not by random chance or because the people who do them are naturally gifted (though, of course most are). There is actually a pretty rigorous structure and process around the whole thing- writing guides, writing coaches, performance coaches, rehearsals.

The whole process of writing took around three months, with weekly drafts submitted to the board and feedback dispensed. I was incredibly lucky that my draft came together pretty organically and my feedback was quite minimal- often aimed at helping me structure it in the most impactful way and trimming the flab.

After the final draft is approved by the board at TEDx Ibiza, it then needs to be submitted to Big Daddy TED (not an official denomination) for fact checking. Every statement you make needs to be meticulously sourced. Again, I was lucky that a lot of the work I was referring to was research or projects that I was directly involved in so the majority of feedback was around trying to soften statements, I am assuming to ensure I do not get sued by Big Tech for slandering The Algorithm.

The subject of my talk is linked to the work I do in the Real World as a campaigner for a movement building organisation called Purpose, but it’s also about my relationship with my father, who has rapidly changed his worldview after spending A Lot of time on YouTube over the past 10 years.

I’m talking about polarisation, especially the kind that is driven by algorithms that are pushing us into more extreme echo chambers and eroding our abilities to disagree well.

Something that surprised me in the process was my decision to face the challenges with my father face on. When I pitched it, I was thinking of it through a purely academic lens- my work as a campaigner, the importance of culture and stories in shifting narratives in society- but it was my best friend who said, quite simply, ‘well, obviously you’re going to talk about the irony that you campaign to combat climate disinformation and your dad strongly believes it- that’s the story’. I actually hadn’t even considered it. The dots hadn’t been joined, perhaps a conscious subconscious effort to avoid the genuine sadness and pain wrapped up in that reality.

One of the rare pictures where I am not making some quite wild faces.

My main hope is that this is a story people can relate to- and certainly when I got off the stage, a lot of people approached me to tell me that they did. Its an incredibly charged topic with so much nuance and it is really hard to get to a pithy solution in 10 short minutes. I wasn’t trying to do that, it would have been impossible.

One thing I would have changed, or at least tried to make clearer, is that I am not advocating for anyone to accept views that are unacceptable, dangerous or supporting a hateful agenda; all I am trying to say is that the ways in which we are divided is, as intended, supposed to drive wedges between us in order to distract us from the greater structural issues that are really impacting us. The more we fight about issues, often planted and backed by extraordinary funding, the more we do not question the systems that are really impacting our day to day lives. This seems more stark as the weeks go by.

If you are a long time Messy member, I hope you know some things about me that you didn’t know before, and if you are brand new, I hope this is a nice way to meet.

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And if you ever want to do a TEDx Talk and want to know what it is like or have done one and want to connect over how FUCKING SURREAL it is, find me over a tequila or two on 15th April at Vout-O-Reenees (again, also if you just want to tell me you loved it).

Love you mean it, Isobel x

P.S. Thank you to the entire TEDx Ibiza production team & all of the other brilliant speakers, who I’m so lucky to have spent time with

Before we give you an incredible insight into the life of a writer who writes across mediums and has a TWO BOOK DEAL. I was lucky enough to be in my first 2 Bootcamp groups with the very talented Ro Hollindrake, pre-book deal but very much already with the talent and motivation that makes magic happen and agents and publishers jump!

Which reminds me… After an 18 month hiatus, BOOTCAMP STARTS THIS MONDAY! You have until tomorrow at midnight to book your spot if you want to join. (It may be full by the time you get this - but if you think community and accountability is what you need to get ahead in your writing, whatever you write, then I kindly ask you to hurry along!)

And if you’re an active part of the Messy community and you’d like to share a Screenshot with our audience on here - please get in touch with a little bit about yourself (and how Messy helped you get there!) - messymessywomen@gmail.com

How did you come to be a Messy?

My path back into writing was a bit of a wiggly line. I’d written loads as a teen, and you’d never find my nose out of the paranormal or ‘unexplained events’ section of an encyclopaedia as a kid, but at age 17, when someone told me that I was better at writing than art and should pursue that instead, I decided writing was absolutely the opposite of what I wanted to do and followed my talents to art school. It was only in my 30s when I decided I might have cut my nose off to spite my face, and that I could be alright at both pursuits, and picked up writing again.

Messy was recommended to me in 2023 by a mutual friend at a birthday party, and I took my nervous self to my first meetup in Curzon Soho and have been a regular attendee ever since. The support and creative community these babes have provided has been like a warm loving blanket and kept me going through the dreary waiting/rejection periods and celebrated with me during the wins!
When I joined, I was unrepresented, with a couple of competition placements under my belt. Since then, I’ve been offered representation with Charlotte at Colwill and Peddle literary agency, and over 2024, Charlotte supported me to develop my first novel, The Filthiest Corner of the House which we submitted to publishers in October 2024, and in November I received a two-book deal offer from Titan!

I do wonder to myself what my journey would have looked like if I’d have kept my writing practise confined only to my living room, because sharing my work with others has taught me to take on feedback and question those needling, unhelpful thoughts that like to wriggle into your ear when you’re doubting yourself.

What was the first project that you were proud of?

My partner will tell anyone who listens how curmudgeonly I was about feedback when I first started writing and would borderline square up to anyone who dared question my soulful outpourings! When I was developing my first novel, I had to get rid of huge chunks of text, reorganise chapters several times over, and receive fantastically insightful feedback that meant I’d have to re-write chapters I’d spent weeks on. You know when Charlie Brown loses his kite and goes AUGH!? It was a lot like that the first few times I had to rewrite huge sections, and now in my second novel I’ll rip out two chapters at once like an absolute butcher. So, what I’m proud of is the fact that I’ve been able to rewire my brain in the service of making my writing better! My debut novel started out with a novella that I’d done for the Bath Novella in Flash competition in 2023 and was a set of fragmented but interlinked stories which tried to make sense of the aggression I felt towards my late biological dad. With a lot of external support from my agent and writing pals, I was able to refine that and pick out the themes into an epistolary novel that let me experiment and have fun with so many different voices, and at the very least throws my own tuppence into the world of working-class horror writing!

What is your writing routine?

I write around a full time, 9-6, executive-level job, because I worked in the arts sector and in charities for a decade, and I gotta tell ya: the starving artist trope is a terrible cruel joke and financial precarity makes me stressed and sad and means all my creative thinking goes on getting the bills paid! Neither my partner nor I come from backgrounds where there’s a financial safety net to support our creative pipe dreams, so that’s our priority before anything else. With a full-time job, you absolutely need to have boundaries, or it cuts into my writing time!

Full disclosure: I’m an introvert and grew up in a tiny village in the midlands, so spending long periods alone doing creative things is easy for me as I am a pale, wan, Victorian inside-child. It can mean you sacrifice your weekends and evenings to writing, and scheduling in social stuff is key because cabin fever sets in quick: it’s important to do this before the stage where you’ve wrapped yourself in a slightly smelly blanket and started talking to yourself.

My cheat codes for writing motivation are:

• Scheduling Saturday writing dates with my partner, where we write in the BFI library and have lunch on the Southbank

• The Forest app, which plants a cute tree for the time you don’t use your phone, and kills it when you do (brutal).

• Joining writing groups like Messy, and finding people you can meet up at the library to write with.

What projects are you working on right now and how do you juggle them all?

Funnily enough, I’m writing this during a week of annual leave that I booked with the sole intention to get my second novel ready for submission and work on some social media content.

My first novel, The Filthiest Corner of the House, is due to be published by Titan in spring 2027, so I’m getting ready to receive the first edits back from my editor Daniel, who is a brilliant writer himself!

I know that the latter end of 2026 is going to involve those edits and making sure I’m plastering my ugly mug all over socials and trying to get published in as many journals/competitions as possible (although my attempts have – so far this year – been in vain), so making sure my second novel is polished and ready has been my target to get ready for the beginning of March. It’s a post-apocalyptic horror which deals with lots of ideas around nationalism, capitalism, and mythmaking around national identity, which I started working on during the Messy Margate Retreat last March!

How do I juggle them all? I’m an old-fashioned paper diary girlie. I write down all of my dates given to me by my publisher, write down deadlines for any competitions or journals I want to submit to, and schedule my time around it.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

Honestly? I’d love to write full time. It’s a pipe dream, I know, and probably what everyone says. I’d like to have enough time to work on a graphic novel, I’ve got one scripted that I did way back in 2023, but I’ve not yet mastered juggling a full-time job and a drawing practise (yet!). I’d really love to give my debut novel the best chance it can have of being seen and read, so I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone and wrangling the old social media dragon, but hopefully it’s worth it! My childhood dream was and is still to create a graphic novel as influential as Watchmen or V for Vendetta, and to write novels that not only give people the proper collywobbles, but also are emotionally-wrenching, like Mike Flanagan’s work, or make them think differently about the way our world could look, like Octavia Butler’s work. That of course is a very distant prospect, and involves me keeping learning, and grafting, and listening to feedback, and getting better, so I think for now I will just put one foot in front of the other and if it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, I’ll know I did my best!

Follow Ro here:

NEWSLETTER | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK

For those who don’t know: Bootcamp is our MAGICAL ACCOUNTABILITY & COMMUNITY PROGRAMME for writing scripts. We take you from premise to complete first draft, page zero to the end in JUST 8 WEEKS!

Nearly 200 writers have taken part across four editions, finished their work, and made writer friends that last a lifetime. This is edition five!!!

• We’ve taken feedback from every single Bootcamp we’ve run, stripped it back, and kept what works.

• We’ve even added the COMPLETION CHALLENGE - where finishers get their £50 back - at the suggestion of one previous Bootcamper’s brother.

• We’ve got Unati’s scholarship for queer, trans & NB writers back!

And now we’re inviting you to join us.

I'M READY

But first, some proof that this works

Look. We could tell you Bootcamp is great. But we obviously would say that. So here’s what actual humans who have done it say:

“I wrote the first draft of my parody musical Ancient Grease on the Winter Bootcamp of 2024. It’s opening at the Vaults in March and running for 3 months.” — Lady Aria Grey

An actual show! In an actual venue! For three actual months! From a Bootcamp draft!

“For the first time in ages I had the motivation, accountability and support to write. Because of Messy Women and this challenge I have a first draft of a feature, which I wrote in 8 weeks. That just wouldn’t have happened on my own.”

“Never been so productive before.”

“The emails were amazing, so comprehensive and I felt really guided by them.”

“I often left my weekly Zoom with my small group with high hopes and feeling inspired.”

“A great way to meet other writers and benefit from their feedback. Messy has a nice, laidback community feel.” — Xan

And my personal favourite:

“The network and community has genuinely transformed my life. This is something I’ve been looking for forever. I’m not being dramatic.”

Reader, they were not being dramatic. 😭😭😭😭

OKAY YES BOOTCAMP

The story only you can tell

Here’s the thing: the industry doesn’t need more scripts. It needs your script. The weird one. The specific one. The one that could only come from your brain, your obsessions, your particular way of seeing the world. (The one an AI could NEVER write.)

We run Messy because new voices are essential – they challenge the structures that have been telling the same stories for decades. And that is exactly what this world needs right now.

Bootcamp is about finding and telling the story only you can tell, and using that story to take the next step in your career! Whatever that might be for you.

But first – deeply sorry for the hard truth – it has to exist. On the page. As a draft.

Enter... BOOTCAMP.

What is Bootcamp?

A guided 8-week programme to take you from premise to complete first draft.

Whether you’re tackling a page-one rewrite or starting something entirely new, Bootcamp gives you the structure, resources and accountability to actually finish. Weekly milestones. Act-by-act guidance. A private, committed community of writers doing the same thing at the same time.

Messy has always been about sharing in the process between where we are and where we want to be. We know that being together makes it more fun, even if it doesn’t make it easier.

What you get:

• Weekly guidance emails – From premise to polish, through outline and all five acts. Craft resources, motivational nudges, and clear milestones.

• A private community – Share your progress, celebrate wins, commiserate struggles, find sprint partners.

• Structure that makes sense – Based on the Five Act Structure, refined over four Bootcamps. Designed for features and plays, adaptable for pilots and shorts.

• A draft that exists – By the end of 8 weeks, you’ll have pages. Real pages. A draft you can edit, share, and build on.

Or as one Bootcamper put it:

“Whilst I didn’t finish my first draft, I got a lot further than I would have without this bootcamp. It’s kickstarted some urgency in me.” — Esmé

Even “further than I would have” is a win. But also, Esmé, you’ve got this next time. We believe in you. Come back, Esmé 🫶

JOIN BOOTCAMP

Why now?

Ummm mainly because who knows when we’ll have time to run another one?!

But also, why not now? Now is the best time to start apart from like… three years ago? In the womb?

If you start now, you’ll have a draft by May. Time to polish before the summer rush. Time to actually submit to the things you’ve been bookmarking for “when I have something ready.”

This is when you get something ready babies! You got this!

“But I—”

“I don’t have time.” You don’t need hours a day. You need consistent small windows. An hour before work. A lunch break. A weekend morning. Bootcamp is designed to fit around your life – the weekly milestones help you make progress even when you’re busy. It’s 8 weeks. You can find cracks of time for 8 weeks.

“I’m not ready.” You don’t need a perfect idea. You need an idea you’re willing to commit to. Bootcamp starts with premise for a reason – we’ll help you shape it. And the best way to learn what you’re trying to say is by starting to say it.

“I’ve never finished anything.” That’s literally who we made this for. The structure, the deadlines, the community – we are throwing everything we can to help you get over the line.

“You’ve given me skills, knowledge, community and the self-belief to keep plugging away.” — Luke Reilly

Nearly 200 writers have done it. You so can too. You are not uniquely incapable. We promise.

RETURNNGThe Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo Scholarship

Thanks to the generosity of actor, writer, and ICON Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, we’re offering 3 free spots (including feedback groups) to queer, trans or non-binary writers this year, with preference given to people of colour.

Messy community member, two-time Bootcamp graduate, and newly announced season regular on Netflix’s Wednesday – Unati wants to share the experience that helped them, and we are so, so grateful for this support 😭

Apply for the scholarship here by midnight on Feb 28th! We’ll let you know if you’re successful on March 1st.

The details

Sign-up deadline: Sunday 1st March

Kick-off: Monday 2nd March – welcome pack and feedback group assignments

Weekly emails: Every Monday morning for 8 weeks

Draft deadline (for completion bonus): Sunday 4th May

Spots are limited. We keep numbers tight so everyone gets the best experience – especially those in feedback groups. Don’t wait until the last minute.

SIGN UP HERE

We’ve got a few different tiers depending on how much support and accountability you want – from self-guided to feedback groups to a VIP experience with weekly calls and notes from yours truly.

There’s also an option for writers working on non-screenplay projects (novels, essays, poetry, whatever) who just want the accountability and community 💌

Countless studies show that people stick to the things they pay for. Think of this as proof of your commitment to your work.

But this time we have gone EVEN FURTHER: a completion challenge where you can get money back if you finish by May 4th. Because we believe in you, but we also believe in financial motivation.

Check out all the options and sign up here

Who runs Bootcamp?

Bootcamp is run by Messy co-founder Jessica Riches.

Important to note: Jess is not a screenwriting guru. She is not working consistently with A-Listers, on an overall deal at HBO, and nominated for 86 Oscars. But she’s read many books, listened to many podcasts, and somehow is making this work. She gets a lot of requests to read scripts and give career advice – she wishes she could say yes to all of them. Bootcamp, and now the VIP tier (which feels cringe), seems like the best solution and she’s VERY excited.

(And by “she” I mean “me”. I am writing this. Hi.)

A little bio:

Jessica Riches is a screenwriter and filmmaker building a career in indie film and series creation. She’s the creator of a new comedy format launching in March with an A-list director, writer of a podcast series starring Stephen Fry, and has a new web series about to start shooting in Atlanta. Her shorts have played at festivals globally, including BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying programmes, and she has multiple features in development including an adaptation of a major YA novel series.

Jess took the contest route to kickstart her career – top 50 at BBC Writersroom, nominated for New Voice Awards (which landed her first agent at United Agents), then selected for talent labs including Zurich Film Festival, Cinestory, Climate Spring, and Frame Fellowship, as well as shortlists for Black List Episodic Lab, Cannes Unlimited, Austin TV Festival, and a Brit List nomination. She’s also researched TV and film development programmes in LA and New York as part of her Churchill Fellowship.

She’s passionate about helping other writers find their voices and craft their own paths into this crazy world: she co-founded Messy Collective, and volunteers as a Film London mentor, Watersprite film festival juror, and Austin Film Festival script reader.

JOIN JESS FOR BOOTCAMP

With love and mild trepidation, The Messy Women x

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3 - GIVE US COMPLIMENTS! If Messy has been a part of your journey in any way, please, please, please pretty please tell us! If you met a collaborator at a party, entered a contest you were advised about on our WhatsApp, or if you wrote a script on Bootcamp that got you an agent or a deal or a run at Edinburgh, please let us know at messymessywomen@gmail.com. Send pictures, links, lovenotes - we want it all! Do not feel like you’re showing off, or like anything is too small to share. We love it all. It’s important to us to know that what we’re trying to build works, and can help us with grant applications.

And now we’ve said all of that… There’s A LOT going on in the world right now, and we think it’s about time for another Messy party. This will be big and special, to bring together our community who have not seen each other for a while and to give everyone a chance to bring along their friends and collaborators - especially newbies. As always, we will have special gifts and treats and surprises. We think this will be a really special one as we all come together and celebrate our wins and commiserate our losses and use our proximity and togetherness and community to create hope and inspire our next great works! Let’s find moments of physical connection and express our embodied experience in a way the machines our work is training could never!

Join us on WEDNESDAY 18TH FEB at our original party spot, Vout-O-Reenee’s, for the reunion of the decade, as we celebrate the lunar new year, transforming us from little slimy snakes into majestic fire horses, ready to go forth and marvel in our creative prowess.

GET YOUR PARTY TICKETS

With so much love, appreciation, and messiness,
The Messy Women
Jess & Isobel

*We also have been doing a lot of creating outside of full-time work. Isobel has a literal TEDx talk coming up and Jess is about to release the most insane comedy web series exec produced by one of the best directors to have been birthed. More on those soon. Love you!

Are screenwriting contests worth the entry fees? It’s a perennial question, and something I’m sure a lot of Messies have a view on. There’s a lot of factors to consider: whether you can afford it, what you hope to get out of it, your level of confidence in your script.

I decided to enter a few contests last year, but with a strict rule of limiting myself to the most established ones. The ones with the most solid recommendations on resources like Script Angel, Lauri Donahue’s list and, of course, Messy Writers. Shore Scripts seemed to get a thumbs up everywhere. So I submitted to their Feature Contest and a few months later was delighted to hear I was a finalist.

With the early deadline of the Shore Scripts Feature contest approaching, I thought Messies might be interested to hear about my experience as a finalist. The Messy admins have let me write this post anonymously (if you know who I am, please don’t out me!) because no-one wants to get a rep as a whingey writer, and my answer to ‘Is Shore Scripts feature contest worth it?’ is… OK, it’s not an outright no. But it’s a big fat not sure.

Of course with any contest the most likely ‘bad’ outcome is that you don’t place. That’s the gamble you take. But you assume that if you’re lucky enough to place as a finalist, you’ll get the benefits that the organisers advertised. The promise for Shore Scripts feature finalists was as follows:

WORK 1:1 WITH OUR WRITER DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
SCRIPT CIRCULATION TO OUR INDUSTRY ROSTER
INDUSTRY MENTORSHIP

So naturally when I heard the good news I was excited to get started on this process. Of course I knew there were no guarantees of success - the contacts they shared my script with might not vibe with my writing, and that would be the end of it – but I expected at least to experience what the timeline sent to finalists called their ‘bespoke and personal approach to script circulation’.

Here’s how that went…

First, I received a link from the Writer Development Manager to book an appointment for our initial call. The link had no available slots on it.

After chasing over a few weeks, I finally got a call in the calendar. But the Writer Development Manager didn’t show up to the call. I emailed him to ask if he was delayed and it turned out he ‘needed to reschedule’ (ie he’d forgotten, presumably).

Two months after placing in the contest, I finally got my introductory call with the Writer Deferment Manager (I’d begun to believe that development wasn’t really his thing, so I’d given him a new job title). At last! Here’s where we really get started. But, guess what - the Writer Disappointment Manager was ten minutes late, was audio only because he was driving, and in place of bespoke guidance he just asked me “Who do you want me to send it to?’. If I’d known that was the approach, I’d have been ready with a list. Though he might have struggled to make a note of it while driving.

Then things went quiet for a while. Two months later, I chased for an update, and the Writer Discouragement Manager finally let me know who he’d reached out to. Three people: One was on maternity leave, one hadn’t replied at all and only one actually had my material to read. I looked up the names and all three were development coordinators at their respective companies. Now, I have absolutely nothing against development coordinators – they’re the development execs of the future and it’s good to be on their radar – but in my opinion this just wasn’t in the spirit of the Shore Scripts promise. I’ve looked back at Shore’s industry roster on their website, and for all three companies the contact named is someone higher up, not the gatekeeper. This smacked of the Writer Deflation Manager effectively making cold calls.

And now we reach the midpoint of this story. There is, of course, a massive plot twist. Out of the blue, there was a bombshell email to all the finalists from the Writer Development Manager (sorry, I’ve run out of jokey adjectives starting with D – dadjectives, if you will). He told us today would be his last day at Shore Scripts. Shore was going to be ‘shifting how they’re running things this year’. So he’d been fired then, I assumed. For sheer incompetence? I admit, I felt somewhat encouraged by the poor guy’s demise. Surely this meant that Shore Scripts recognised the process had been less-than-ideal so far, and the new person would be actively singing my praises to real contacts, carefully selected for their potential interest in my material. Six figure option deals awaited.

Fellow screenwriters, you know as well as I do that a seeming victory at the midpoint is often but a chimera, an unreliable taste of the possibility of success. As night follows day, our protagonist is headed down, down, to their inevitable all-is-lost-point, before they can ever attempt to claim real victory. And so it was that I was ghosted by the replacement Writer Development Manager.

Yep, I sent an email to the new guy, asking if we could review where my material had been sent (knowing full well it had only gone to one development coordinator, but not wanting to start our relationship with a complaint). But no reply. I chased a couple of weeks later. Still nothing.

At this point, I knew that I needed allies – fellow travellers on this journey. So I contacted some of the other finalists on social media to ask about their experiences so far. I managed to connect with three of them. Two had similar experiences and feelings to me. One was more equivocal – they’d made one contact for him that he thought might turn out well. (His script is a horror, and looking at their industry roster I do think they might have better contacts in that space. Worth factoring that in if you’re considering submitting with a horror script.)

And then, from my dark night of the soul, I remembered that when the finalists were first announced, I’d had a congratulatory email from the Director of Contests. Clearly, she was the person to contact. When I wasn’t getting any joy anywhere else, why not go to the top? It was slightly disconcerting that the Director of Contests happened to share a surname with the evil tycoon family in an acclaimed dystopian TV series, but that wasn’t her fault. I was resolute. I was going to go straight to the boardroom and perhaps bring back good news for the others on the severed floor.

Messy friends, at the time of writing it’s not yet clear whether this story will turn around in Act 3. The Director of Contests has been more responsive so far, and says she’s going to reach out to more contacts for me in the coming weeks. I’ll believe that when it’s happened, but a happy ending is still a possibility. Even if this does end well, it’s a shame that I had to make a fuss to get to this point. Certainly there could have been better communication and more transparency. The Director of Contests initially claimed that the previous Writer Development Manager had shared my work with ‘numerous contacts’, but when I asked for a list of who, she never sent it - so I’m pretty sure that so far it’s only gone to that one development coordinator. Hmm.. ‘numerous contacts’. The last time I looked, the word ‘numerous’ meant more than one.

I’m not saying ‘avoid Shore Scripts at all costs’. Despite the frustrating process, I’ve still found placing in a prestigious contest validating, and arguably that alone was worth the $65 entry fee. Everyone will have a different experience, and scripts in genres such as horror might be better suited to the contacts they have. But I thought it might be useful to provide a counter-example to the positive testimonials, for anyone who’s on the fence, or needing that money for another potential writing opportunity, or just – you know - groceries.

If nothing else, I’ve got a story out of it. Hell, should I write the movie of this, and submit it to screenwriting contests? I’d say… Not sure.

Good luck to you all,
Anonymous source + The Messy Women

We are BACK with our 55 things series, which seems to be pretty helpful! We love to see you sending links to our previous lists to new writers in the WhatsApp groups because that is EXACTLY why we write these! So you can save these, come back when it’s relevant, when you need a bit of inspiration, or when you’re just looking for a good film rec <3

This week we are diving deep into FANTASY. This genre encompasses so many things, from fairy tales to surrealist magical realism. When I think fantasy I immediately jump to medieval fantasy, specifically 80s medieval fantasy like The NeverEnding Story and The Princess Bride, but there’s so much more to this.

We asked YOU, Messies from our WhatsApp community, to help us put together a list for any writer diving into fantasy for the first time and you came through.

The following list wouldn’t be possible without you, so thank you! 💖

For learning:

1. Scriptnotes, Episode 416: Fantasy Worldbuilding ONCE AGAIN we are recommending Scriptnotes to answer any questions regarding screenwriting you may have and this one specifically is great for any fantasy writers!

2. The Director’s Take, Episode 209: How I Directed HOUSE OF THE DRAGON with Clare Kilner For the writer/directors out there, this is a really great interview episode about House of the Dragon; about staging, blocking and dialogue and how it all helps to tell the narrative.

3. Draft Zero, Episode 15: World Building Rules, Okay? World-building is so so important and you as the writer need to have both feet steady in your world; this episode of Draft Zero will give you guidance on how to get there.

4. The Screenwriting Life, Episode 42: Rookie Mistakes & The Power Of Genre With the massive uptick in horror films in the past few years, genre is general is coming back BIG TIME, so even if you never indulged, maybe now’s the time?

For watching:

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) created by Joss Whedon is an ABSOLUTE classic and has created a whole phenomena of coming-of-age genre TV series + without Buffy we wouldn’t have I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

6. Preacher (2016-2019) created by Sam Catlin, Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg is based on a graphic novel and is an amazing adaptation; funny, dark & gory.

7. Agatha All Along (2024) created by Jac Schaeffer gave us the first queer Marvel character (+ I would watch anything with Kathryn Hahn)

8. Stardust (2007) written by Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn was the first film I’ve seen at the cinema and has such a special place in my heart; it’s full of joy, wonder and magic. We need more of that just now.

9. Willow (1988) written by Bob Dolman is a classic 80s adventure fantasy full of practical effects, puppets, miniatures and matte background paintings. What a beauty.

10. Dragonheart (1996) written by Charles Edward Pogue is known for it’s notable use of CGI, especially when it comes to Draco, the dragon, which was so unbelievable bad it become almost good??? Thoughts???

    

11. The Legend of Ochi (2025) written by Isaiah Saxon just came out and looks just wonderful, for anyone interested in old-school fantasy movies!

12. The Princess Bride (1987) written by William Goldman. Watch this. Everyone should watch this. Watch it tonight!

13. Big Fish (2003) written by our beloved John August is a weird surrealist odyssey about a son who is trying to learn more about his dying father through the various tales and myths he told him.

14. Fimfárum Jana Wericha (2002) written by Aurel Klimt, Jiří Kubíček & Jan Werich. When I tell you this is one of the weirdest, creepiest, puppet animated CZECH anthology film about various human weaknesses?? Just watch it. (If you end up with nightmares, that’s on you)

15. Hook (1991) written by Jim V. Hart & Malia Scotch Marmo is a beautiful take on the Peter Pan story and Robin Williams, as always, shines through </3

16. The NeverEnding Story (1984) written by Wolfgang Petersen & Herman Weigel. Another 80s classic. Weird, strange, hopeful. What more could you want?

17. Jumanji (1995) written by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor & Jim Strain. The original, not the remake!

18. Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973) written by František Pavlíček is a very famous Czech fairy tale; a version of your classic Cinderella, but grounded, with less magic and diamonds and more humour and beauty. It’s a stunning piece of cinema and if you watch one Czech film in your life, it should probably be this one.

For listening:

19. Outlander soundtrack by Bear McCreary is the Scottish Highland soundtrack of your LIFE.

20. Cloud Atlas soundtrack slaps almost harder than the film.

21. Soundtrack from any Guillermo del Toro’s films. Any, just pick any. They’re all good.

22. Realms Unknown podcast by Alice Fraser is devoted to Fantasy and Sci-fi media, in case you want to extend your reading list to ‘Oh No! My tower of unread books fell on me and now I will never read my way out’-levels.

23. NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy is as good as the hype. It’s become my staple gift to people who are in newly formed partnerships. This interview of hers changed how I think about fantasy writing/reading.

For visiting:

24. Glastonbury Abbey, King Arthur’s supposed burial site. The abbey's monks in the 12th century claimed to have found a grave containing his remains. Whether or not you were a Merlin (2008-2012) fan, you should go check it out.

25. The Tower of London is a fun visit and has many myths associated with it, for example the legend of the ravens and MANY ghost stories 👻

For inspiration:

26. Join a D&D campaign! Dungeons & Dragons is one of the best ways to learn storytelling, especially in a fantasy setting, through community. There are so many resources online on how to play, but one of the main ones is D&D Beyond. There’s also a brand new episode on D&D and other role-playing games from Scripnotes, Episode 691: Collaborative Storytelling and RPGs!

27. Explore the inner world of characters through Archetype and Tarot cards! We’ve used these before to help us guide to what we find interesting, what character dynamics we want to explore and what direction a story should go.

For reading:

28. A Song of Ice and Fire franchise! (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin. It made me put up a higher standard on how stories and characters should really work. I wish I could pull off twists, characters and worlds as great as the ones George R.R. Martin created.

29. Madeline is Sleeping by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum is about a young girl who falls into a deep and impenetrable sleep and her dreams are full of wonders.

30. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell I’ve I enjoyed way more than Cloud Atlas.

31. A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears by Jules Feiffer is wonderful little book about a prince who finds the meaning of life.

32. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell has everything: a 12-old-old heroine, a dead mother, seventy alligators, an affair with a ghost and a harrowing swamp.

33. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami is a detective story and post-modern manifesto all rolled into one rip-roaring novel.

34. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is a fantasy staple, following young Lyra and Will as they cross parallel universes.

35. Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin is a must read for fantasy lovers. It’s astounding.

36. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin because no fantasy list is complete without her.

37. Similarly, anything by Angela Carter because no bookshelf is complete without her. I would recommend a classic tale of horrors The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories.

38. Mort by Terry Pratchett. Part of the Discworld series, this novel is true Pratchett; hilarious, heartfelt, full of magic and death.

39. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab spans centuries and follows a young woman who makes a Faustian bargain to live forever. But there’s a catch; no one will ever remember her. (Reminds me of that Blake Lively film I’ve seen that one time? What was it called? Something Adeline? Anyway, this book was better.)

40. The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley is affectionately known as Lesbians In Space (sci-fi but we’ll allow it for the lesbians)

41. John Connolly dips into fantasy and is wonderful/funny (love Book of Lost Things and The Gates)

42. My guilty pleasure has always been Legend by David Gemmell (Heroic Fantasy stuff).

43. If you can stomach a very problematic/frustrating MC and some lazy tropes in Book 1, Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are beautifully written.

44. Any Brandon Sanderson books (like The Way of Kings) - he was also a consulting producer on the Wheel of Time series.

45. I’ve enjoyed the resurgence of Greek Myth retellings over the last few years, for me the absolute stand-out being Madeleine Miller’s Circe.

46. Diana Wynne Jones’ books are loads of fun (and if you’re only familiar with the Ghibli adaptations there are some surprises in store).

47. Susanna Clarke is wonderful; Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a modern fantasy classic, and Piranesi is so different and strange and compelling (and Chiwetel Ejiofor reads the audio book who has a very pleasant voice).

48. It was a little divisive for fantasy nerds, but I really appreciated RF Kuang’s Babel too.

For advice:

49. Know the limits or the ‘rules’ of any magic. Making sure I know what is and isn’t magically possible and how the magic works (whether I reveal it to the reader or not) helps me construct worlds and plots that hang together - it's easier to avoid the trap of ‘can’t the protagonist just magic their way out of that?’

50. I feel like in a fantasy world, I really need to get the motivations and desires of the characters and think their behaviours are believable and relatable. I guess it kind of anchors me within the world.

51. Throw practicality out the window and just write what you love - let your heart run wild and chase it! Screw cost and commercialism, you can figure that out later once what you have on the page feels true.

52. Sometimes writers can get super caught up in the world-building, is important, but really most readers will follow you into any world if the characters are compelling enough.

53. I also have a preference for dropping a reader into a world and letting them figure out the differences/contexts of a fantasy as it goes rather than direct exposition.

From the Messy Community:

54. Villain (2023) written and directed by Sparky Tehnsuko is a short film about revenge and dragons, what more could you want!

55. Bear Lake podcast by Zoë Maltby follows two young women whose stories intertwine across the centuries in the American West - and the existentially horny lake monster who connects them.

Love you all,
The Messy Women x

It’s the start of the summer and for any creative in the UK who likes the silly little thing called theatre this means FRINGE!

We got Ashleigh Gray who survived the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 and now has very kindly written about it for us and anyone who is deciding whether to take a show to Edinburgh this year.

Hi! I’m Ashleigh. I’m a queer, neurodivergent creative from Sheffield and in 2019 I took my one-person show, TUMOURS, to the Edinburgh Fringe. It was a piece I originally wrote in 2018 for the feminist theatre festival Maiden Speech, which somehow wound up taking me to Edinburgh the following year.

It wasn’t the plan. I wasn’t ready. I had no idea what lay ahead.

I write this as a writer/performer, so I have no clue what the Fringe is like from any other perspective. We were a guerrilla-producing team of three with no infrastructure. I went in completely green and quickly felt overwhelmed.

Maybe you’re feeling that way too, and that’s why you’re here. I’ll walk you through how I got to Edinburgh, how much it cost, and what I learned. Hopefully, I can help demystify what the Fringe is really about—or can be.

Before we dive in, take a moment to think about why you’re going to Edinburgh and what you hope it will bring you. I used to dive headfirst into everything and worry about the depth of the water second. I wish I’d had enough self-love and respect to ask: Why Edinburgh, and is it right for me?

It can feel like something you have to do. But if you’re not financially privileged, able-bodied, neurotypical, or mentally stable—it’s a tough road.

Yes, the Fringe should be more inclusive, and representation matters. But honestly, I care more about you looking after yourself. So I’d say: consider your health first, the theatre landscape second.

TUMOURS

TUMOURS sort of fell out of me. I pitched a different idea to Maiden Speech, but when it came time to write, I struggled. I ended up writing a four-hander that was similar in theme to what I’d pitched but very different in concept and, crucially, cast numbers. My producer sat me down and said I needed to write a one-person show and through that conversation, Ihad inspiration for what would become TUMOURS. I also had two weeks before a workshop-showing so the time pressure kicked my ADHD-ass into gear and I hyper-focussed the fuck out of those 14 days and birthed the show.

I can’t tell you how I did it—no writing tips, no prompts. It was a daze. I just remember a lot of sleepless nights and feelings of not being good enough.

FROM MAIDEN SPEECH TO THE FRINGE

I count myself lucky that TUMOURS’ first outing was hand-held. Festival producer Lexi Clare handled branding, venue, scheduling, promotion. All I had to do was find a director.

The show is raw and personal and deals with themes of sexuality, abandonment, abuse and I always saw myself working with a female-identifying director. But after meeting Chris Yarnell for another project, I approached them. Chris is masterful with movement and theatre. They’re kind, sensitive, emotionally intelligent. I felt safe. So we began.

I paid for our sessions myself. It wasn’t easy. I was a year out of drama school, working multiple jobs, barely surviving burnout. I wouldn’t recommend it, but that’s where I was.

Casting was easy—it was me. I hadn’t planned for what came after the festival, so invited approximately 0 industry members to watch the show. I was undiagnosed AuDHD / complex PTSD, just trying to survive each day.

Thanks to Lexi’s efforts to get industry people in, I received an email from Assembly asking if I’d take TUMOURS to Edinburgh. I was flattered but clueless. I thought they were programming me like Maiden Speech. Then I saw what they were wanting to charge. I imagine I coughed and spluttered at my laptop screen, closed the tab, and got on with the day.

But after our second show, Lydia Harrison—a student producer from Mountview (my old drama school)—offered to produce the show as part of their Masters. They would front the costs with their savings, recoup via Crowdfunder and ticket sales, and include TUMOURS in Mountview’s Directors’ showcase festival (which covered previews).

Being approached by Assembly meant that I didn’t have to apply. I was told it was a good venue, the producer and director were happy, so we just went for it. The whole run.

We chose The Box in George Square, a 74-seater thrust space, and got a 2pm slot—advised by Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab facilitators, which I was attending at the time.

Follow Ashleigh on Instagram <3

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

Money breakdown:

Neither I nor the producer took a fee. I saw it as a blessing that I was able to go at all and hoped that it would be a smart step to go up. We both worked for Paines Plough whilst we were up there, leafleting for their Roundabout Shows, and I’d worked right up until the day before we left for Scotland and we also raised £1,255 via Crowdfunder, which covered:

• £295 – Early Bird Registration

• £600 – Joint Brochure with Assembly, Underbelly, Pleasance, Gilded Balloon

• £360 – Minimum Theatre Facility Fee (Assembly’s guarantee)

We should’ve aimed higher—accommodation, train fares, rehearsal costs weren’t covered. It was our first Crowdfunder and people weren’t donation-fatigued yet, so we probably could’ve raised more.

We charged £7–£12 per ticket and registered with the Half Price Hut for a few days. We made a small profit—but not really, when you factor in unpaid labour.

Chris, our director, had accommodation through another Fringe show he was working on (Arts Council funded). A huge help.

Lydia and I shared a one-bed room in a flat 30 minutes from central Edinburgh. It was awful—not because of her, I’m just a person that needs a lot of alone time and I felt claustrophobic and self-conscious constantly. The other flat mates were noisy, drank a lot, took drugs, partied. I didn’t feel safe where we were and I didn’t know my way around. It was exhausting.

A month is a long time. Back-to-back shows drain you. The Fringe itself is loud, busy, non-stop. Not having anywhere to decompress and feel at ease really took it out of me. It’s one of many reasons I wouldn’t go back unless specific conditions were met (which probably means I’ll never return).

IS IT REALLY ALL BAD?

Have I put you off? Maybe that’s good. But if you’re hellbent on going, maybe it is right for you. A mentor once played devil’s advocate to talk me out of the arts—to see if I’d still go for it. If your gut says yes, trust that.

And no—it wasn’t all bad. There are things professionally that happened post-Edinburgh that I can directly link to my month there:

• TUMOURS was programmed in Soho Theatre’s Rising Festival

• I signed with a writing agent (didn’t work out, but led to meeting a lot of industry folk with whom I keep in contact today)

• I was selected for ITV’s Women’s Writers Room

• I was awarded a Developing Your Creative Practice grant from the Arts Council and I know that the experience with TUMOURS strengthened the

  application

THOUGHTS AND OFFERINGS FOR FRINGE-GOERS

• Prioritise rest. You’ll likely get two days off in the whole month. It’s intense, overstimulating, relentless. Rest and ground yourself or you’ll burn out.

• Make a schedule. You don’t have to see everything. Your career doesn’t hinge on this month. Choose how to spend your time. Do a few things well.

• Let go of expectations. You can’t control outcomes. Put the odds in your favour, yes, but don’t hinge everything on the result.

• Forget chasing reviews. The big reviewers usually pick shows backed by money and buzz. Target online publications and theatre bloggers instead. If you want a 5-star review to quote, use “Beyond the Silence”, my Substack—I’d love to support you. Let’s play the game and get you some stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Flyer with limits. I hated it. I’m introverted and rejection-sensitive. But it did help get people in. Still, we were also in the programme, on social media, and benefited from word of mouth. Set boundaries—don’t flyer right before or after your show. Save your energy.

• Avoid social media. Or limit it. Everyone’s posting highlight reels, not breakdowns. It’s not real. Protect your mental space.

• Don’t drink. A friend advised this. I didn’t follow it and wish I had. The Fringe tempts you to party non-stop—but you’re there to work. Alcohol drags you down and you don’t get recovery time.

• Leave your ego at the stage door. Expect audiences of 1–10 people. Often. It’s not personal. There are 4,000 shows. You’re not alone.

• Prepare for emotional fallout. Your work is personal. Performing it daily, without breaks, is draining. Bring your emotional first-aid kit—lavender, a blanket, earplugs, tea, whatever helps. Be ready to self-soothe.

• Ask: is this kind to me? If not, don’t go. The Fringe isn’t going anywhere. Go when you’re ready. Devote yourself to yourself, first.

• And don’t take it too seriously. I know this has all sounded heavy, but honestly—it’s just theatre. It’s theatre. It’s fun, silly, and people are there to have a good time. Yes, it can be heartbreaking to invest so much and not see results, but no-one’s life is on the line. Embrace uncertainty. Laugh. Enjoy yourself. That’s the practice—for before, during, and after the Fringe.

Follow Ashleigh on Substack!

Thank you, Ashleigh!!

With love,
The Messy Women x

We hope you’re having a BLAST in the sun and since you keep asking, we thought we would finally deliver the answer to the age-old question — HOW do I become a script reader?

We decided to ask someone who knows about the world of script reading much more than we do, our amazing Messy admin, Rowan Allen!

Oh, you poor bastard. It’s going to be a hard road ahead.

But I get it. It’s the first step towards your dream job of script editing on Coronation Street, or developing feature films with the BFI, or commissioning sitcoms for Channel 4. Or maybe it’s your backdoor route into a screenwriting career?

Well, since you’re here, I’ll give you the fruits of my experience. I’ve been reading in a professional capacity for about three years, and I hope to god I’ve learned something from that. (I sure as shit didn’t make any money from it.) So what are my bona fides?

• I’ve read for a number of screenplay competitions, including several of the ‘big’ ones with prizes actually worth the submission fee.

• I have also read for UK production companies and professional coverage services.

• Aside from script reading work, I’ve been a script researcher and assistant script editor on BBC crime dramas Silent Witness and Beyond Paradise.

• You can also hire me to write coverage on your film or TV project as an independent script editor. (Or get me drunk at one of the Messy Drinks events and I might read it for free.)

I won’t name any of the companies I’ve worked with, because not all of them have ethical working practices and could be considered exploitative. If you’re so inclined you can find my CV elsewhere and draw your own conclusions (or, again, get me drunk and I’ll dish the dirt).

Script reading jobs are tricky things to pin down, and there’s no one way to go about getting them. They are rarely advertised like normal jobs - an overwhelming problem with media industry roles in general - and when they are, competition is naturally fierce. 

It’s especially bad right now, with the UK film & TV industry more or less in freefall, so don’t be downhearted if you struggle to find this work straight away (or ever!). Much like leprechauns and the Ark of the Covenant, script reading jobs simply don’t want to be found.

First, ask yourself: why do you want to be a script reader?

This is not a glamorous job. It’s not a lucrative job. It’s not even a secure job. If you want a steady wage for doing skilled work, go learn a trade. 

Despite the mystery and competition surrounding it, script reading is an entry-level job at best. It requires basic reading ability, an understanding of screenplay formatting, structure and a smattering of story theory, and a GCSE English-level writing ability. I’m confident in saying that (some) screenwriters can comfortably manage that.

(Honestly, if there’s one piece of advice I’d give to young people thinking about entering the film & TV industry, it would be to apprentice as an electrician or a carpenter before doing anything else. You can learn film theory from YouTube and Wikipedia and make films on borrowed cameras and microphones; studying filmmaking is only worth it if you’re able to go to an institution which all but guarantees you a job when you graduate.) 

However, you’re still reading this newsletter, which must mean you’re afflicted with the same mental illness I am: wanting to work in scripted media above everything else. Good. If you’re in it for anything other than a love of the game and a slim chance at stepping up to something better, then let’s go:

Apply for jobs

Hands in the air: I’ve never successfully applied for a reading job through normal channels. I’ve been rejected to read for the BFI’s filmmaking fund once before, and when BBC Writers opened their books for new readers in 2022, they required applicants to have a minimum of three years’ experience (18 months for DDN applicants).

That’s it. Don’t hold your breath for these ones.

Email script contests

Script competitions need a lot of readers, especially if they have a decent reputation and have tons of scripts to get through. This is how many people get into script reading, and experiences can vary wildly depending on the size of the competition and how much of a scam it is. (Note: most of them are scams. The trick is to figure out how to separate the ones which are scamming writers with too much money from those that scam the readers with not enough). 

A small minority of contests will advertise for reader pools, but otherwise you’ll have to use your initiative. I’ve gotten work just by emailing generic inboxes a week or two before submissions close and asking if they need any extra hands on deck. If you do well they’ll likely keep you in mind for next season, but it is by nature fleeting work.

This approach sometimes also works with professional coverage services, but as they’re year-round operations they often have regular readers already in place. Still, worth a try!

Bear in mind that the pay for these jobs is often extremely low, but so is the bar for entry.

Contact production companies

Depending on their internal structure, production companies may have in-house readers who deal with all their script (and sometimes book) submissions, but others use an external pool of readers to generate synopses and recommendations, usually managed by a development staffer. If you can get an in with a company, they can end up being a handy source of semi-regular income, especially if you deliver high-quality work on deadline.

Contacting them is essentially the same approach as with the contests. Most production companies have a generic email address that you can use to submit your CV as a prospective reader. They’re likely to get many messages like this all the time for all kinds of roles, so a better bet is to try and find the contact details of a development coordinator or script editor and ask if you can buy them a coffee in return for some career advice.

If you’re feeling really confident, you can always try calling their office number and asking about reading vacancies. Personally, I’ve never had the stones to try, but I have heard the occasional success story.

Make friends in the industry

It’s sad but true: most jobs in film & TV come from friends passing on jobs they’ve heard about through WhatsApp or email. I can think of at least three reading gigs that I got either because someone directly forwarded a message to me or that I first saw in a group chat. 

It’s a frustratingly opaque aspect of the industry, because you already have to have some access to get even further in, but that’s not going to change any time soon. When I’m an executive at a top-level production company I’ll do things differently, and I expect all you Messies to do the same. For now, this is how the game is played.

Get to know script editors, people who work in development, production coordinators, even producers and directors (as long as they work in scripted). If they like you and they know you’re looking for work, there’s every chance they’ll think of you when an opportunity comes up.

How do you make these friends? Not having any, I don’t have the faintest idea. But here are some suggestions:

• Go to industry networking events. They’re literally all over Eventbrite, and will most likely be populated by people at the same level as you, but this is a good thing - some of you will have better luck than others, and as you rise you can lend each other a helping hand.

• Send people friendly messages on LinkedIn. I know this is cringe, but I’ve gotten meetings with people this way, and if you’re not a total weirdo about it.

• Ask to swap numbers on other jobs. Work as a supporting artist on a TV show or a runner on a short film? Get those digits if you’ve managed to strike up a rapport with the crew.

Once you’ve made some friends, this should lead nicely to:

Recommendations

I got my first paid reading work by asking a script office colleague if he had any tips when my contract on Silent Witness was coming up. He told me about a coverage service that ran competitions and was often in need of new writers, so he put me in touch with their coverage manager and I started almost straight away on a freelance basis.

What now?

Okay, those are your approaches. What happens when you get in the door?

Be prepared to do free work

I hate to say it because this industry is rife with exploitation, but in this case, you’re simply not going to get reading work without coverage samples. A company will ask you to share script reports you’ve done - usually of a TV pilot, feature film or short script - before they’ll bring you on board. In that case, it’s fine to reuse the same samples over and over again. 

If you haven’t ever done one before, find an example report from any professional coverage site (like this one) and copy the format to write about a friend’s script, or one that’s publicly available. At the very least, this is good practice for your critical faculties and doing future reports.

However, some of them won’t let you use your own sample, and will ask you to complete a report based on a script they assign you. 

They will almost certainly not pay you for this work.

Loath as I am to say it, you may just need to bite this bullet, because if they’re taking this much care in hiring their readers, then they probably have standards and want to ensure that the people they hire are working at a consistent level. This means they’ll keep you in the reader pool.

Don’t expect to make money

Script reading is the lowest step on the ladder, and often so low that you’ll actually have to drop down to reach it. 

The pay is usually bad, often bordering on or less than minimum wage. Shock horror!

In my experience, pay for script or book coverage from production companies tends to be better than elsewhere, though rarely more than you’d make as, say, a cleaner. Script competitions more or less run on goodwill, fumes and the broken souls of readers, making you wonder where exactly all that entry fee money goes.

Here’s a sample of some of the fees I’ve been paid along with the work I’ve done:

• £3-5 (read and score script + write brief feedback to writer)

• £12 (read 10-page extract, 3-page outline + write 3-page report)

• £4 (read and rate TV pilot)

• £75 (read and synopsise TV script + write 1 page of coverage)

• £38-45 (read and score script + write 3-page report)

Because of this stark financial reality, script reading is simply not going to be an option for people who need to make a living from it. Everyone I know who does it either also has a day job or does four or five additional freelance gig economy late capitalist nightmare jobs just to make ends meet. Mercifully, script reading is something you can often perform while doing other work, providing said other job doesn’t involve much higher brain function (e.g. security, reception, Reform UK MP).

Thank you, Rowan!!

With love,
The Messy Women x

I hope you’re enjoying the sun!

I’m Santiago Guerra, Messy Writer-in-Residence and host of our weekly Saturday Writual at BFI, where we gather to write our projects or procrastinate in unison from 12 to 4 pm.

Book your spot here!

This time around, we’re talking about writing and music: how songs, albums, scores and lyrics can motivate us to create stories, continue on with our draft or serve as a source of inspiration.

In my particular case, I tend to rely on the power of melody and rhythm as both an exploration of characters and theme (what songs would they listen to, for instance) and as a tool to crack with the writing itself. Film soundtracks of the genre I’m writing for can be quite helpful. And sometimes, when I really need to focus, I would listen to one instrumental song that perfectly captures the essence of the scene or story I want to tell on loop. It somehow transports me to the world of my characters.

But enough about me! Here’s what the Messy community had to say about their favourite music:

Music to convince you to write

Raian: Anything by Laura Marling 100%

Jaime: Hozier’s lyrics jolt me awake and remind me that I can write if I try

Jessica: I have different genres for different characters, like a shortcut into their headspaces. The lyrics — if they have them — have to be buried or nonsensical, though (hi Cocteau Twins), or I get distracted.

Music while writing

Jane: I find Muse (in particular Knights of Cydonia) great for sci-fi flavoured shorts. Ludovico Einaudi (anything of his) is fantastic for novel writing or just the creative writing process!

Sarah: I love The Signal, which is an album by Wojciech Golczewski, and it's an excellent soundtrack for writing sci-fi!

Carine: I’m OBSESSED with this unsettling Atmospheric Gothic Horror Reading Music playlist. All I’ve listened to while writing the past six months 🥀

Sasha: Been writing a gothic horror pastiche lately, and have found the sub-genre of Dungeon Synth & Dark Ambient to be quite great to write to. It’s basically ambient music but made by death metal bands/DnD enthusiasts.

Ro: Throbbing Gristle is great for writing horror or anything vaguely unsettling. Ohhh Skyrim OST too 🗡️🐉

Madeleine: Attack on Titan OST and Dark Academia for tedious assignments. Also The Witcher OST!

Jas: As well as many of the ones already mentioned, I find some video game soundtracks fun to work to — right now would recommend Darren Korb’s stuff: Hades, Bastion, and Transistor are all great!

Angus: Tom Twyker’s score to Cloud Atlas is jaw-droppingly beautiful, Daft Punk's Tron Legacy is exciting as heck and Mark Knopfler's Local Hero score makes me nostalgic for a time and place I’ve never been.

Rosie: Studio Ghibli playlist always <3

Sparky: Jo Quail, Wardruna and doom metal. Oh, and Mogwai’s entire discography.

Unati: Oh wow. All of Bonobo! Abel Selaocoe - insane South African cellist plays deeply ancestral stuff. Decolonises classical music. Vraell. The Sifu OST. Ooooh Moderat if it’s bleak and depressing but urban 🤷🏾‍♀️😂 Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have me in a chokehold! If it’s cyberpunk, you’re writing, very obviously, the Cyberpunk OST is great. Alewya - Ethiopian artist vibey queer bassy great for writing something in a city.

Alexis: Bonobo = unlocked a random nostalgia for music I had entirely forgotten about, brb going to listen to entire discography 🦻🎶 Sigur Rós! Super atmospheric. I also like to tune into a talky radio station in a language I don’t know because there’s something about background chatter that gets me in the zone, but the fact that I can’t understand means my brain isn’t distracted trying to listen to the meaning.

Hope: Aurora!

Philip: This is Deerskin! Bjork meets Florence and the Machine meets PJ Harvey. So good 🖤

Rowan: So the aim of my writing playlists is to actively NOT get inspired but keep me in a consistent headspace so I can keep typing without getting distracted by other sounds/ideas/people/my own ADHD-riddled thoughts... Lots already mentioned here that I love, but a couple of extra ones that keep me in the zone and my imagination in check:

• Brian Eno (Apollo if you want soaring spacescapes, Thursday Afternoon if you want the same four notes stretched out over 45 minutes)

• Fatima Al Qadiri

• Max Richter

• Jon Hopkins

Jason: I quite like Gregorian Chants.

Guleraana: Nils Frahm & The Grand Brothers make great writing music for me

Benedetta: I made a study playlist for work that I often listen to when I’m writing (to lock in) - if it can be of help!

Clement: Daniil Trifonov – Rachmaninov: Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini

Hope you’re all inspired and maybe even discovered your new favourite artist!

Love you all,
The Messy Women x

We have news of our HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MAY MESSY PARTY!

We are very happy to announce our partnership with LOCO (London Comedy Film Festival), which is running at the beautiful Ritzy cinema in Brixton from the 8th - 11th May! It’s the largest comedy festival in the world and we’re so so excited to be teaming up with them for their closing night party!

The party is on Sunday 11th May from 6:45pm - 9:30pm, upstairs at the Ritzy!

Get your FREE ticket!

As always, this is a night for people who hate networking events, intended for filmmakers and film-lovers to meet, to connect, to vent, or to celebrate with – and maybe even to meet some future collaborators.

Stick around for LOCO’s annual awards ceremony, where they will announce the award winning short films in the following categories:

• LOCO Award for Best Short (up to 20 mins)

• LOCO Award for Best Short Short (up to 4 mins)

• LOCO Award for Best Short Short Short Short (up to 2 mins)

• LOCO Award for Best Script

• LOCO Award for Best Performance

• LOCO Award for Best Speedy Film (for the one-week filmmaking competition)

We’ve also put together a list of films we are particularly excited for, some of which even come from the Messy community! LOCO programs films with all sorts of different perspectives, topics and budgets, which you can especially see in their fab short film screenings. Here are some of our recs:

FEATURES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

Two Big Feet (Writer/Director: Noah Stratton-Twine)

An exquisitely shot comedy about a down-on-his-luck monster-hunter and the best friend who’ll do anything for him. Largely improvised by its magnificent cast, Two Big Feet is one of the comedy highlights of 2025 and an astonishing example of microbudget filmmaking.

This film is a brilliant example of not waiting for film funds or investors to allow you to make what you love and instead just going and making it yourself. Big inspiration, this one!

Hostages (Writer/Director: Jim Owen)

After a terrifying explosion in a London hotel, three strangers escape together and hide out in a room, with chaotic, surprising, and very funny results.

(I will simply watch anything with Charlotte Ritchie at this point)

SHORTS FROM THE WILD SIDE - these films are dedicated to the weird, the wacky, and the wonderful.

The Secret Lives of Lesbians’ Cats (Writer/Director: Kate Jessop)

What do cats talk about when their owners aren’t around? What do they really think of their lesbian owners? The Secret Lives of Lesbians Cats is the new episode of Planet Pussy Willow, the feminist sci-fi development of the multi award winning comedy adult animation series Tales From Pussy Willow.

We met Kate at BFI’s Woman With a Movie Camera Summit in January where she was doing a talk on ‘A Guide to Sex through the Female Lens in Animation’ which we obviously loved x

I Said Maybe (Writers: Nayonica Ghosh & John D. Foley, Director: Nayonica Ghosh)

A stylised folk retelling of the epic rise, fall and reunion of a northern poet and his vagabond brother.

This film was part of the LOCO one week filmmaking challenge and even received an honourable mention for it! Nayonica is a Messy as well and she found the cast the night before shooting on our Messy Actors WhatsApp group <3

MEOW! (Writers/Directors: Michal Vojtěch, Ariel de la Garza Davidoff)

An intriguing, quirky and amusing run through the Gothic shadows of the city of Prague, as a toilet attendant searches for her lost cat, trying to avoid hunchbacks who are hopelessly enamoured of her.

Czech isn’t really explored in film often, which is why I’m SO chuffed to have filmmaker Michal Vojtěch screen this really cool short at LOCO!

Egyptian Geese (Writer/Director: Sarah L Morgan)

”Do you ever worry about how much violence you have inside you?" On her daily lockdown walks, a woman becomes fascinated by a glamorous yet aggressive breed of waterfowl.

Egyptian Geese is Sarah Morgan’s microbudget love letter to ornithology, female rage, and going for a little f*cking walk. Made only for £300 by another Messy woman! We love budget filmmaking!

SHORTS FROM THE NEAR SIDE - these intimate comedy shorts are all about romance, family, friendship, and sex.

HOT Neighbour (Writer/Director: Alexandra Boulton)

A young woman attempts to email her hot neighbour asking him to turn the music down - but things quickly get out of hand.

Elephant (Writers: Matthew Hopper & Ali Woods, Director: Matthew Hopper)

When a guileless young man meets his girlfriend’s stoic father to ask for her hand in marriage, his attempt to honour cultural traditions goes awry.

SHORTS FROM THE OTHER SIDE - these are worlds of fantasy, and daydreaming, and the supernatural.

Book Club (Writer: Ishbel McLachlan, Director, Barbara Wiltshire)

The first meeting of a new community book club is thrown off-track when an overly-zealous attendee tries to convince the group to read his favourite book: the sci-fi epic 'Lady Dalamide and the Crusade of the Cosmos’

Dragon Slayers United (Writer: Adam Pearson, Director: Tom Levinge)

Holding a painful secret, Nic joins a dungeons and dragons group for people with disabilities. Through it, she enters a fantasy world that will forever change her self-view.

Pushing Daisy (Writers: Joe Moloney, Leah Revivo & Christian Russell-Pollock, Director: Leah Revivo)

A short comedy film following over-zealous, business student Daisy and her first foray into the working world at a local funeral parlour.

SHORTS FROM THE DARK SIDE - these short films revel in transforming the disturbing into the amusing.

Whistle (Writer/Director: Ainsley James Cannon)

It tells the story of house mates Ray and Lisa who, until now, have cohabited with minimal conflict. Set in their vibrant but increasingly claustrophobic houseshare, Lisa’s neurosis begins to spiral out of control when she notices an ungodly torment, a plaguing horror... Ray has one whistling nostril. The walls close in. This is an episode to end all episodes. The mother of all icks…

The Nun Slayer (Writer/Director: Ben Bovington-Key)

After new evidence proves his innocence, the wife of a notorious serial killer must come to terms with the fact that her husband is not the murderer she fell in love with.

Come watch some fantastic shorts and stay for our CLOSING NIGHT PARTY!

Get your tickets!

See you then,
The Messy Women xx

This week we have a special treat for those of you who are lovers of the STAGE! We asked someone who understands it much better than we do, the wonderful Mollie Semple (whose Substack, The Fully Intended, you should also go follow now), to give us insight into the world of SCRATCH NIGHTS!

Take it away, Mollie!

There is often no better way to develop your writing than to hear it read aloud, shared with a supportive audience who are able to give constructive feedback. Which is exactly what you get with a scratch night.

A scratch night is a showcase of writing extracts that are usually no longer than 15 minutes long, performed in relaxed settings in front of an audience who will usually be able to give useful feedback at the end. I used to attend one at university called Smorgasbord which I think is a great title to reflect the type of evenings scratch nights can promise: a delicious selection of writing tasters that give both audience and participants insights into the bigger pictures.

They are extremely useful to get a feel for how your writing sounds out loud, as well as a great way to meet creatives and start building teams for future productions. I have personally been involved in two scratch nights as both a writer and an actor in the last year that have lead to great partnerships and even a full blow production. Most of the time they are free to participate in, and if there is any payment it’s usually very minimal. And whilst the performances happen on stage, it’s also possible to try out all types of work like screenwriting too.

This list only scratches (get it?) the surface of what is out there. It is always worth keeping up to date with the BBC Opportunities page as some scratch nights get advertised there. Individual theatre companies often hold their own scratch night events too, so keep your eyes peeled on Instagram or sign up to newsletters.

Instagram handles for companies that I know sometimes hold scratch nights and may continue to in the future include: Bomb Factory Theatre, Thistle & Rose Theatre, Pistachio Theatre, Working Girls Theatre and Flawstate.

London:

Theatre in the Pound at The Cockpit
When: Third Monday of every month. Applications currently closed until July due to so many submissions (it’s popular!)

You have a full 15 minutes to perform in a wonderful space. You can have pretty decent tech (depending on the tech that is set for whatever is on in the week), and the tech run is extremely professional and helpful. Usually brings in a decent audience, including the owner of the venue sometimes in case this is someone you want to meet. You usually have to bring together your own team but you can ask the venue for support with this.

Has a £60 deposit, but only £20 per piece.

Sunday Fix at The Baron’s Court
When: The first Sunday of every month. Rolling monthly submissions deadline of 15th of the month.

A very relaxed evening of writing in development in the adorable Baron’s Court theatre. Unique in that you can just hand over your work and all the rest (finding actors, directors, and rehearsing the piece) is done for you because they have a pool of creatives. This is very useful for understanding how your piece is interpreted by creatives as well as by an audience.

They often have interesting Q+A guests accompanying the evening.

Pleasance Scratch at The Pleasance
When: It varies. The next one is in April but submissions closed a while back. Definitely worth keeping your eye open and signing up to their newsletter.

This one is pretty competitive with a relatively stringent selection process for submissions (I have never managed to get a piece on for this… Maybe next time!) I think it gets so many submissions because it’s such a popular venue, and they only hold this scratch a few times a year rather.

They now have a comedy specific one as well as their theatre one as well as stretching them over two nights in their main stage due to such popular demand.

Monday Monologue Club at the Old Red Lion
When: At least once a month, always on a Monday!

This is run by the current resident company Medium Rare Productions. It’s relaxed and does what it says on the tin, you submit a monologue (from an existing and longer piece, or a one off), and if it gets selected you spend a Monday evening with fellow creatives sharing their pieces with audience feedback at the end and a chance to mingle downstairs in the pub afterwards. Can’t go wrong with that.

Riverscribes Scratch Night at Riverside Studios
When: Once a month. Rolling submissions process.

This is a script in hand scratch night at the wonderful Riverside Studios (unparalleled views of Hammersmith bridge if nothing else). 4-5 10 minute pieces from different writers to be read in front of a supportive audience ready to give that all important feedback.

Scratch Nights at Jack Studio Theatre
When: Every two months.

Another opportunity to perform an extract of your work with full technical support from the award winning studio.

The difference here is that the audience gives their feedback anonymously and it is sent to you a few days later!

The Writers’ Corner (different venues each time - the next one will be at The Pleasance!)
When: No set dates but runs regularly. The next one on 1st May at the Pleasance has closed submissions.

Run by founder Winnie Arhin, the Writers' Corner gives writers from across the UK a chance to test out new scripts through in person and online scratch nights.

The latest in person scratch night is specifically for female writers from the African and Caribbean diaspora and has a theme sex. I have only heard great things about these, another one to keep your eye open for.

To Whom It May Concern by Salt Circle Productions at The Glitch Theatre
When: Usually monthly - they do call outs on their Instagram.

I love the concept for this one. “An evening of letters never sent”. You submit a monologue (up to 5 minutes, could be theatre, spoken word, poetry) that is addressed to someone (anyone!).

They usually have themes that you need to respond to, but you can go anywhere and be as bizarre and unique as you like. Such a unique concept, and a fun stimuli to respond to if you are looking for inspiration.

Flux Creative Collective at Jamboree in King’s Cross
When: Looks like their latest one was back in October, but worth following on Instagram for the next one.

It’s described as carefully curated short form works and open sharing sessions in order to showcase fresh talent and innovative performances to inspire and build community. A vibrant, relaxed vibe in a really beautiful venue.

Writers can submit all sorts of writing from poetry to theatre.

The Writing Shed in North London
When: Monthly

A community based group that hosts poetry open mic nights (as well as workshops and talks with established writers.) A cosy, inspiring event each month in a cafe called The Roasting Shed. I actually can’t think of a more nourishing way to spend an evening…

Scene Night by Actors East
When: Monthly

This one is aimed at actors and directors wanting to practice their craft in front of a live audience. This is a space to test material, sharpen performance, and get immediate feedback from the room. The night includes a mix of new writing and scenes from established plays.

Side note: Actors East is a fantastic company that owns a couple of venues that can be hired on a pay what you can bases. A rarity in London nowadays.

Anthrotalks by Anthroplay at Two Brewers
When: Monthly (apart from July and August)

This one has it all. You can submit anything from poetry, spoken word, monologues, comedy, songs, comedy-songs, drag acts… now that’s a real smorgasbord…

Each month has a different theme, so your piece will need to correspond in some way but the themes are very open and easily interpreted. Artists also receive a £10 travel fee, which is nice!

Freshly Squeezed by Flat4Theatre at St Margaret’s House
When: Fairly regularly but no set times as of yet. The next one is 8th May but submissions have closed.

Flat4Theatre, a queer and female led company, have been around for a while now but they have recently partnered up with St Margaret’s House, an Arts and Wellbeing centre in East London to make the scratch night as accessible as possible.

The standard of extracts performs is always very high - keep them on your radar!

Heads or Tales? by Slainté! Theatre at MAP Studios
When: Monthly

A unique scratch night run by a theatre company with a focus on Irish and Scottish heritage. Therefore, the work needs to reflect this. Also a unique format in that the artist(s) will present their first and their last scenes of a piece of work. Seeing an audience response to this is pretty invaluable.

Outside of London:

Scratch Club by Script Club Cardiff at Porter’s
When: First ever event happening 31st May! Hoping to become regular there after.

This one is from our very own Messy Pearl Andrews-Horrigan who works with the Script Club Cardiff team. This is a brand new event to get writing off the laptop and onto a stage. There is another fun twist here as well, about a month before the night a theme will be revealed and you have to respond with a 10 minute complete play (no excerpts for this one).

It’s always excellent practice to respond to stimuli, I actually ended up writing a short film script in response to a stimuli for a competition that Pearl was running and became a finalist… Sometimes these things give you the boost you need to think outside the box!

Scratch Night at Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot, Merseyside
When: One every quarter

Reading the synopses for extracts featuring in the next scratch night has made me want to align my next trip to see my granny with this. Scratch Nights feature a mix of two featured artists (Headliners) and a limited number of bookable slots for those eager to present their work.

They invite artists across disciplines - actors, playwrights, performers, and creatives of all kinds - to step into the spotlight.

Liverpool Scratch Network
When: Monthly

A regular coming together of likeminded creatives to share their new work that doubles up as a social/mixer. Usually looking for scenes that actors can perform with the help of a director.

Stage Write Night at Liverpool’s Royal Court
When: Bi-monthly

Quite specific rules for submitting to this one. You need to submit a full piece, from which an excerpt will be performed. You need to have a cast of no more than 8 and at the moment they are only looking for contemporary comedies or comedy-dramas.

However, don’t let that stop you from submitting something else if you have one to hand - you never know!

Thank you so much, Mollie!!

Love you always,
The Messy Women xx

Spring is FINALLY here; sun is out, iced latte is in, smoking area is full. We’ve survived the winter and now we should be getting back to WRITING.

Film funds are coming up, competition deadlines are approaching, and in my case, the movie is being shot two and half weeks so I should really get a move on with rewriting that script!

However, when you lack the drive/inspiration/motivation to write, the blank page looks enormous and terrifying, which is why sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is to sit back and absorb instead.

We’re put together a list of podcasts about failing and picking yourself back up again, films about struggling writers barely making ends meet, books about being kind to yourself when you feel like you’re the worst, lovely spots to explore and wander through instead of chaining yourself to your laptop and spaces where community comes together to support and hold you accountable.

For learning:

1. The Showrunner’s Corner at John Wells Productions is a great resource hub for TV showrunning, both aspiration and inspirational <3

2. Make Art Not Content is an amazing podcast series for artists of all types, a bit overdramatic but helpful for those trying to find more drive.

3. An Honest Day in the Life of a Writer by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm is a Substack series which dives into different writers’ lives, similarly to our SCREENSHOT series!

4. Passive Young Women by Elle Nash is a really great essay about the FEELING of writing.

5. Whenever I feel like what I'm writing is shit I reread this interview between Phoebe Waller Bridge and Kae Tempest where they talk about how ideas are perfect and ruining them is the only way to write them and it’s honestly kept me going on countless occasions! (pls note though that this interview is from before KT came out as non binary so their pronouns and name aren't up to date!)

6. I love this quote from Annie Dillard, from her book The Writing Life:

There is neither a proportional relationship, nor an inverse one, between a writer’s estimation of a work in progress and its actual quality. The feeling that the work is magnificent, and the feeling that it is abominable, are both mosquitoes to be repelled, ignored, or killed, but not indulged.

7. The Screenwriting Life podcast - especially their opening segment ‘our week in writing’; it’s comforting to hear them struggle with the same things.

8. This video made for an audio segment by Ira Glass (‘This American Life’) about ‘the gap’ is very recommended!

9. Scriptnotes, Episode 569: Inspiration vs. Motivation (what would our list be without mentioning Scriptnotes!), as a whole but specifically this episode!

For watching:

10. Stuck in Love (2012) written by Josh Boone & Rick Bitzelberger is still one of my favourite films about writers. It follows a family of writers and I keep rewatching this film with my dad, who is my biggest cheerleader.

11. The Before trilogy (1995-2004-2013) created by Richard Linklater is one of the most beautiful films that calls out to live your life! experience new things! fall in love! go to vienna!

12. Kill Your Darlings (2013) written by Austin Bunn & John Krokidas for those of us who had a Beatnik phase in high school and never recovered from Dark Academia. This film is a look at the dark side of The Genius.

13. Misery (1990) written by Stephen King & William Goldman is the OG warning to writers about how our work becomes ALIVE.

14. Hacks (2021-) created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky looks at how messy, absurd and hilarious women are. Always a good reminder.

15. Sex and the City (1998-2004) created by Darren Star makes me feel better about the fact that none of my friends read my Substack because none of Carrie’s friends ever read her columns either and there’s something beautiful about that. So next time you lack motivation, pour yourself a glass of red, light up a Marlboro, flip your hair from your shoulder and go write.

16. Girls (2012-2017) created by Lena Dunham.

    

17. Minx (2022-2023) created by Ellen Rapoport is about a feminist writer in the 1970s trying teeth and nail to be heard. And it works.

18. BoJack Horseman (2014-2020) created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg is not a show I would recommend to, well, anyone (for their own mental health) but this quote has really stuck with me; it’s a reminder that you don’t have to write the thing people tell you to write, that you can write anything:

Diane Nguyen: When I was a little girl I thought that everything, all the abuse and neglect, it somehow made me... special. And I decided that one day I would write something that would make little girls like me feel less alone. And if I can't write that book...

Princess Carolyn: Then... Then maybe write this other book. Maybe this book does that, too.

19. Adaptation (2002) written by Charlie Kaufman is a brilliant film, not necessarily for inspiration, but it really makes you think outside the box with the way Kaufman worked his own writer’s block into the script itself (super meta)

For inspiration:

20. London Writers’ Salon for online body doubling. Runs 4x a day for an hour and it’s free!

21. Messy Writual runs EVERY FUCKING SATURDAY at the Cafe & Bar on Southbank from 12PM - 4PM so if you want to write alongside other Messies, and our Writer-in-Residence, Santiago Guerra, join us!

22. Follow Amie McNee on insta (no affiliation). A great reminder that art isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

23. One of my favourite creative writing exercises at uni was to go sit in a cafe and observe the people around you. Pick 3 and write 150 words on each, creating their names and lives. Then pick 1 of the 3 and write 500 words on their school/work life. Finally, pick a different one of the 3 and write 1,000 words about the day they have been dreading forever.

24. We are big believers in using tarot, archetype and relationship cards in your writing—it helps getting out of a set mindset, open horizons and really get under your own skin and your characters to find out what YOU find interesting or important about this story.

For listening:

25. Merrily We Go Along can be helpful to me when I'm stuck!

26. Similarly, Opening Doors, from the same musical, is all about hope and rejection.

27. Say what you want about the Hamilton craze, but it gave us two absolute bangers, the first is Wait For It, all about keeping your eye on that finish line.

28. The other, Non-Stop, gave us the iconic line ‘Why do you write like you’re running out of time’ and it’s a good reminder to try and put pen to paper when we can.

29. Writer’s Block by Just Jack is all about overthinking in the middle of the night (happens to the best of us)

30. Vienna by Billy Joel is always relevant <3

For visiting:

31. The Bloomsbury Blast walking tour in London where you’ll literally walk in the footsteps of the greats, like Woolf, Eliot, Pound and Yeats!

32. My favourite playwright and now filmmaker, Annie Baker, loves to go to graveyards to look at names and think about characters so visit your local graveyard and have a look-see, maybe the Highgate Cemetery?

33. If you’re based in Scotland, try joining the Edinburgh Poetry Tours and weave in and out of streets, closes, gardens and graveyards of Edinburgh as you learn of poets, their poems and their history.

34. Go to the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, to soak up inspiration from major new fiction releases and prize-winning authors!

For reading:

35. On Writing: A Memoir of a Craft by Stephen King is mostly about doing drugs in the 80s and the misuse of a semicolon but lots of useful stuff as well, especially about breaking down the barriers between the personal and the professional.

36. On Writing by A. L. Kennedy is about the complexities of researching, writing and publishing fiction in a three-year period with Kennedy’s blog at the core of it.

37. In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena Ferrante where Ferrante talks about her formatting issues from a young age, about how the page was never big enough for her.

38. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, both the book and the limited podcast, is about the mysterious nature of inspiration.

39. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. Though my caveat with it is that if you’re time poor and a procrastinator sometimes it can turn into loads of lovely time doing the exercises, taking yourself out on Artist Dates etc... and no time doing the actual writing. But I found it brilliant for opening my mind to thinking about creativity differently, how to nurture my creative self and what actually counts as writing!

40. I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections by Nora Ephron gives you an insight into the weird and brilliant mind behind the iconic Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. It’s about Ephron desperately waiting for her inheritance, not getting it, and having to write a script instead of lounging by the pool. This script then became When Harry Met Sally...

41. Writing in The Cold by Ted Solotaroff is such an inspiring essay about late bloomer writers 🌸

42. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. She brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way.

43. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear to remind you to chip away at something routinely rather than be a Genius From Birth.

44. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a lovely funny compassionate book about writing—it’s my go-to when I’m in a slump!

45. Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder is a good first book on screenwriting, but definitely not the last.

46. How to Become a Writer by Lorrie Moore is a short, funny, self deprecating piece to read if you want a bit of validation… the first line is “First, trying to be something, anything, else”

47. If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland I’ve really enjoyed so far! Kudos!

48. The Prevention of Literature by George Orwell! It’s a short essay about writing under a fascist political environment. It was published in 1946 but rings very true even now.

49. I love The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, I haven’t even finished it because I get so hyped to write every time I read another section!

50. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke was gifted to me by a writer I really admire. I re-read it every year.

51. For SF heads Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanDerMeer is a brilliant creative writing guide focused particularly on sci fi. And it’s just a gorgeous, crazy-looking, beautifully illustrated book.

52. Also found Becoming A Writer by Dorothea Brande really good… Hilary Mantel recommended it in an interview once so I tracked it down. Slightly spoiled after reading by discovering that she and her husband were two of the leading American Fascists in the 1930s… I don’t remember her politics being particularly apparent in her creative writing self help book!

53. Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development by K.M. Weiland is one of the best books I’ve read on the subject!

54. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee is an absolute classic.

55. The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock offers a new take on the hero’s journey that is far more true to the female experience and frankly human experience, than the one we’ve been presented.

Hope you’re feeling pretty damn inspired to live, rest, fall in love and then write it all down on paper <3

With love,
The Messy Women x

I hope you are all well and enjoying the spring weather. This week we have another SCREENSHOT, which is a deep-dive into a writer’s life from our community. I’m so so happy to have the fantastic Michail tell you all about his journey, his processes and successes <3

How did you come to be a Messy?

Initially I first heard about Messy through the BBC opportunities page. However, I was initially a little too nervous to go, until a few people who were at my Uni decided to go and invited me along. So I went, and ended up having a great time. I think creative careers can sometimes be a little hard to talk about with people who aren’t doing the same thing. So it was really nice to be surrounded by people dealing with similar obstacles and problems, and being able to talk shop and chat about story. Now I try to go whenever I’m free.

What was the first project that you were proud of?

I think the first project I was ever proud of was a feature script I wrote called HUNG OVER. I’d written several scripts before this, and while I was proud to finish them, I was never proud of the project itself. You know the Ira Glass quote about the taste-talent gap? They talk about how the thing that gets us started in creative work is having good taste. But for the first few years, you’re not actually very good. You’ve got potential, or the work shows ambition, or it’s trying, but it’s not good yet. Of course it isn’t. You’re a beginner.

The problem is, your taste is still great. That’s what got you into the creative work in the first place. So you become supremely aware that the work isn’t good enough. And that’s brutal. It’s painful. It’s… disappointing seems like too small a word, but disappointing.

And the only solution is to make more. More work that doesn’t live up to your taste. More work that you know isn’t good enough. All so you can slightly narrow that gap. It’s, in my opinion, the hardest part about screenwriting (or any creative endeavour). It’s also where a lot of people give up, because you have to do that for ages. Until eventually, you make something that lives up to your taste.

HUNG OVER was the first script I ever wrote that lived up to my taste. Other scripts had good ideas, or good moments, or potential. But that script was the first I could look at and be proud of what it was, rather than what it could one day be.

It was also a really personal story. One that pulled a lot from my own experiences, and really had something to say. I think the best scripts are, in some capacity, vulnerable. And for me, it was the first script that truly harnessed that vulnerability.

Funnily enough, it was also the first script that really impacted my career. It won the Drama Feature Screenplay Award at Austin Film Festival. It got me signed with my manager. Got me meetings with production companies. But more than that, it was a script that let me know I was on the right path, and a script that let me know I could pursue this with a chance of success.

What is your writing routine?

I tend to work on multiple projects at once, so that if I hit a roadblock with one, or get bored of it, or simply fall out of love with it, I can jump to another one for a bit. I try to make sure they’re different, whether in tone, genre, or medium, just so that it can add some variety. Like, if the script I’m working on is super optimistic and positive, and my depression acts up, then I can switch to a project that has a bleaker tone rather than trying to force myself to write something I’m not vibing with.

But as to the actual process., let’s see… It starts with the ideas. One thing I do a little differently is that I don’t write down the ideas I get. Doesn’t matter if it’s a character, a concept, a plot. I used to list them all out, but generally I found that just led to me starting and stopping multiple projects constantly. Now, I get an idea, and then I wait. Sometimes for a week, sometimes a month. If it continues to crop up, weaselling into my head, and pulling at my attention, then I know it’s worth actually looking into.

From there, I’ll try and get a logline. Personally, I find if I can’t write a logline, I won’t be able to write a script. So I work on the logline until it’s tight. Then, research. Any research that needs to be done, I’ll do. From there, I generally move to outlining. If I’m lucky, I have an ending in mind, which makes the whole process easier for me, since I know what I’m working towards. I’ll open Final Draft, and write out every slug line for the story, with a brief description of the scene. Sometimes that’s just a single action line, sometimes it’s paragraphs, and sometimes I’ll even include dialogue that I like. Once that’s written, I’ll check how many scenes that is to give me a rough idea of if it’s enough. Then I go over the outline a few times, looking for problems or tweaking it to be better. From there, I copy the file, and then start writing out the scenes. I almost always write the scenes in order.

I’m always so impressed by writers who can jump around writing scenes out of order. I wish I could, but it so clearly doesn’t work for me. I’ll write out the script, then read it back, and then rewrite it. After a rewrite (or three) I’ll send it to people I know and trust, and get feedback, and then compile the notes, look for what I think needs to change. If it needs a lot of reworking, I’ll go back to outlining, and if it’s minor changes I’ll just start tweaking the script. Sometimes though, the first draft just tells me that I actually want to write about a completely different story (like when a satirical comedy about racism made me realize I wanted to write a horror about PTSD), in which case I’m going back to the outlines and changing it before writing a new draft.

The actual writing routine itself? Well, I go to a coffee shop, get an iced vanilla latte (cause I’m a basic bitch), down it, and just sit at my laptop and work. Sometimes stuff flows. Other times I end up staring at the screen doing nothing for a couple hours, but that’s part of the process right?

If I’m stuck for more than a couple days, I’ll read some scripts for inspiration, or I’ll read a book, or just write something completely unrelated without a plan just for fun without pressure. That tends to help.

What projects are you working on right now and how do you juggle them all?

Currently, writing wise, I’m working on three feature scripts (one drama, one horror, and one psychological thriller), a one hour pilot (drama), and I’m hoping to start working on a half hour pilot (comedy/dark comedy).

I’m also in post-production on the first proper short I’ve ever directed, which is… a lot. I’m not a natural director, and so I’m learning a lot on the go. I’m hoping it’ll be done relatively soon. I’m quite nervous about it, and I always have a hard time gauging whether my own work is any good. At least with writing, I have more knowledge and experience. Directing? I’m at best an enthusiastic but inexperienced amateur. So while I’m excited, I’m also terrified.

As for juggling them all? I kind of don’t. Invariably one project makes progress, then stops, and another makes progress, then stops, etc etc… The only thing I really do is that I keep a massive spreadsheet that I make at the beginning of each year. Every day I try to fill it, indicating whether I did any work, and if so, what type of work and on what projects. I also track my pages written on it, and a few other things. It helps me get a rough idea of if I’m being productive or going through a slump, and also gives me perspective when I forget how much work I’m doing. Sometimes it’s a kick in the arse when I need one. Plus, I’m not a very organised person, so it helps me to stay on top of that.

Also, life gets in the way. I’m working on being more understanding when that happens, but invariably I still use that to beat myself up a little bit if my output isn’t as high as normal. Then I go out with my fiancée or friends, and they help to ground me. Or I go to a climbing gym and clear my head. Or play boardgames with my family. Something to take a step back, and remember that life getting in the way is a good thing, not an inconvenience.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

Long term? I want to win an Oscar. I always get a bit embarrassed saying that, since it feels arrogant or foolish, but it’s true. I want an Oscar, and I want to be the screenwriter that, whenever he finishes a new script, people want to read it. Directors, studios, actors. I want people to get excited when I make new work. Not to mention I want to make a living doing this. I’ve made a little money here and there, but I want to be able to live a life that’s supported by my career. Shoot for the stars right?

In the short term though, I’d love to sell my feature script, and get my short into a few film festivals. And, frankly, I want to see one of my long form projects on screen. Screenwriting is one of the few art forms where the artist doesn’t have a finished product. I find it quite tough that we rarely get to see our work as a finished product. So I’d definitely love to see one of my features or shows get made.

Also, I want to just keep growing. Occasionally I’ll look back at my old scripts and it’s often… mortifying. Thankfully, the flip side of that is that I’m consistently improving (at least so far). So I’m quite excited to see what stories I could write if I manage to keep getting better!

Represented by Entertainment Lab

Thanks Michail!

Love you lots,
The Messy Women x

We always rave about short films — why you should make them and why you should watch them. If you’re based in London, you have a fantastic variety of short film screening right at your fingertips and no, you don’t have to wait for London Short Film Festival to roll around again and no, you don’t need to spend a hundred pounds on a festival accreditation.

Films are supposed to be experienced on the big screen, so while we LOVE and support online short film platforms like Vimeo or Omeleto, the feeling of sitting in a dark room and watching a film with others is still superior.

We’ve put together a short list of screening nights, cheap, monthly film festivals, communities, distribution companies, film clubs and collectives where you can watch films for FREE or very cheap.

Take a look and let us know if we should add any:

Theatreship is a (literally) floating art centre on two cargo ships docked in Canary Wharf. They have loads of music (especially folk) events on, but every Wednesday there is a FREE MYSTERY CINEMA SCREENING. You can subscribe to their newsletter to get a hint at that week’s film, or you can just show up and be surprised!

Their next mystery screening is tonight at 7PM! Book here!

Shorties is a short film screening run by Lois Tallulah, for women and by women. We at Messy are big fans of Shorties and have gone to some many great screenings + Q&As, talks on finding funding and workshops! Their most recent screening was for International Women’s Day at Picturehouse Finsbury Park and looked incredible.

They haven’t announced their next event yet but watch this space!

The Love Tank is a non-profit organisation promoting mental health & wellbeing of under served communities. They run a FREE monthly screening called the Queer Film Club for Queer Migrants and Queer People of Colour!

Their next event is on the 9th April at 6:30PM where they will be screening Close (2022) by Lukas Dhont & Angelo Tijssens! Book here!

Shorts on Tap is a short film festival based in London, Berlin, Tokyo and Venice. They have a showcase dedicated to incredible female-driven storytelling called Women on Revolt at London’s Rich Mix: ‘An exploration of female film-making, a selection of extraordinary works depicting, describing and challenging the very essence of Womanhood.’

Their next event is on the 2nd April at 8:15PM! Book here!

Bad Gal Film Club is a women-centric film community focusing on screenings, events and essays. For the month of March they are running the Bad Gal Film Festival in Manchester, where they will be showing everything from classics to contemporary picks while raising funs for Women’s Aid!

Their next event is a screening of Witches (2024) by Elizabeth Sankey tonight at 8PM at my beloved ArtHouse Crouch End in London. Book here!

We Are Parable is a Black-focused film distribution company that frequently puts on FREE screenings of some of the most wonderful new releases. I’ve gone to packed Q&A screenings of Nickel Boys (2024), Earth Mama (2023) and American Fiction (2023) all across London.

Sign up to their newsletter to get invites for their next screenings!

Czech Centre London actively promotes Czech and Eastern European art and culture, including music, architecture, gaming, design and film. They showcase variety of Czech cinema through curated screenings of both classics with in-depth introductions or new releases with cast & crew Q&As. This is a great way to expand your film knowledge!

Their next event is a screening of Identity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story (2024) by Kateřina Mikulcová & Petr Smělíkis and it’s on the 25th March at 7PM!
Book here!

South London Shorts is an entirely not-for-profit, community-led endeavour dedicated to showcasing local talent and helping out where short filmmakers need it most: getting cash. The proceeds from all tickets serve as prize money for filmmakers at the end of each screening!

Their next event celebrates 10 years of South London Shorts where they will be screening local short films and is on the 1st April at 7:30PM! Book here!

Seasonal Affective Cinema is a quarterly film club which screens season-specific films. To welcome autumn, I went to their screening of Practical Magic (1998) by Alice Hoffman & Griffin Dunne. The organisers even handed out plant bulbs at the end of the screening to plant so that the flowers would bloom for spring ❤️

For their SPRING screening they are showing Bright Star (2009) by Jane Campion on the 15th April at 6:30PM! Book here!

Kino Short Film is an indie short film collective, a BIFA-qualifying film festival and a production company running their own short film fund. They run something called the Short Film Open Mic, where filmmakers submit their shorts to be screened at the event, first-come, first-screened basis.

Their next Short Film Open Mic is on the 25th March at 7PM! Book here!

CHERRYPICK just launched last week! This is an actor-focused community hosting screenings, talks, actors on acting panel discussions and Q&As.

Their first event, a screening of Diary of a Ghost, is on the 7th April at 5:30PM. Book here!

As a special bonus, we have three of our very own Messies hosting screenings of their short films soon!

First is Shakira Newton, who made her first ever short film titled In His Name, which was BFI-backed (congrats on the impossible!) and after a successful cast & crew screening is doing a public showcase to raise money for a festival run!

There are two available screenings on the 25th March, one at 6:30PM and one at 7PM, so go see a fantastic film and help Shakira get this film to fests! Book here!

The second is Cameron Richards, who, with Charlie Tidmas made a documentary titled We’ll Go Down in History. It tells the story of TRUK United, a grassroots, proudly trans football club.

The screening is preceded by a selection of queer shorts and is happening on the 31st March at 6:50PM. Book Here!

The third is Amadeus Redha who is going to be hosting the ‘Best of British’, a new film event showcasing some of the most awarded British short films of recent years, including his own film!

The screening of Olympus Lost is among 7 other amazing shorts and it’s on the 28th June at 3:30PM. Book here!

Enjoy the films and maybe see you there!

All our LOVE,
The Messy Women x

From Friday to Monday we have taken over The Albion Rooms, an adorable boutique hotel (and shrine to the Founding Fathers of Indie Sleaze, The Libertines), where we’re running our very first Messy writing retreat! We’ve had about 15 Messy writers staying at the hotel/dropping in for a day of writing and created our little slice of heaven.

Friday 7th March

Getting out of London on a sunny but still-windy day is exactly what I needed. We arrived to The Albion Rooms around midday to set up before the first arrivals!

After the welcome lunch and reception drinks we had our GUEST SPEAKER, the brilliant Bethany Rutter, join us. Bethany is a London-based writer, author of FIVE books and co-host of the What Page Are You On? podcast. She shared some wisdom on motivation and self-discipline (and how being a writer and a personal trainer are actually very similar!), some insight into genre conventions (especially her beloved ❤️ ROMANCE ❤️) and writing routines!

It gave us the inspiration needed to dive into our first writing session which ran across 3 hours in the main room of the hotel. For dinner, we checked out a local tapas spot, Lilie’s. Bottles of wine and selection of vegan & vegetarian plates were shared over the general chatter of buzzed writers. Back at the hotel, all night owls were free to have an additional writing sprint before bed!

Saturday 8th March

The bravest of Messies took to the sea early this morning, even though the temperatures were around 7°C, before jumping in the Peoplecareplanetcare, free, community sauna. After breakfast we had our next writing session. Quiet tapping and sunshine accompanied us until lunchtime. Writers were free to roam around the hotel and find themselves a nook to work in, or stretch their legs with a walk on the beach, then get back to their keyboards for the afternoon session.

Our writers were working on everything from rewriting shorts, finishing features, editing novels and collating research using books, tarot and archetype cards. At the start of each writing sprint we would set our intentions for the next 3 hours and realistically think about the progress we ideally want to achieve. This also meant that we knew what each of us were working on, struggling with and powering through.

Over dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant, La Trattoria, we exchanged ideas, dived into Severance theories, and cheered each other on. We did end up ordering too many antipasti for the table so most of us had to skip on the tiramisu :((
Back at the hotel we headed to the basement bar, The Wasteland, for a drink or two before going to Bar Nothing for a boogie. Support local businesses! Especially if they smell of patchouli incense!

Sunday 9th March

After partying last night, most of us were a bit slower getting up this morning, myself included. Breakfast helped to get those gears turning though and soon enough we started our morning writing sprint, wrapped up in a warm blanket with a tea and Isobel’s best boy Beau for support.

The best thing about The Albion Rooms is how close it is to the sea. In 5 minutes you can be walking alongside the beach in the sun with another brilliant writer by your side. All the writers got to know each other pretty well over the past few days, if they didn’t know each other before. It was a great mix of OG Messies, who have been coming to our classic Messy parties for YEARS now, and writers who had never come to a single event before.

For dinner we had a proper Sunday roast (meat, veggie & vegan options!) at Tom Thumb Theatre, which also happens to be one of the smallest theatres in the world! It was the cutest little venue, just 2 minutes away from the hotel and we had the whole floor to ourselves! Most writers then stayed up in the common area of the hotel to continue writing, some until the wee hours of the morning.

Monday 10th March

Final day! We had to check out of our rooms by 11AM but were free to stay and write in the main room until 4:30PM. The typing at desk continued throughout the morning, over lunch time and into the afternoon.

We wrapped our very first Messy writing retreat in the afternoon and before everyone headed to the train station we took a moment to reflect on the past four days and say our goodbyes 💔

This long weekend has been great at clearing our brains, brainstorming, finding directions to go in and explore, getting back into the physical act of writing, remembering our initial spark for a story, finding structure in a dedicated time & space, surprising ourself with our progress, having amazing conversations with each other to propel us to create and follow our interests, looking at mythology, tarot and archetypes to guide us through a narrative and fall in love with writing again!

We would call this a VERY successful first stab at a writing retreat so we will definitely be running another one. Subscribe to our Substack to be the first ones to hear as rooms sell out very quickly!

Big THANK YOU to Imogen from The Albion Rooms who was so helpful with the prep and getting everything in order, Casey, our brilliant retreat photographer and of course to everyone who decided to spend this weekend with us!

Just a reminder that our next MESSY DRINKS are actually happening TOMORROW, the 13th March at our weird and wonderful venue Vout-O-Reenee's from 7:30PM, so if you missed us, get your ticket now!

Get on the guestlist!

See you then,
The Messy Women x

For this month’s party we’re offering an ✨ extra special offer ✨ on HEADSHOTS by Casey J. Newell, a Nashville-based cinematographer. Whether you need a new photo for a website or your dating profile, you can now book your 10 minute headshot session with a fun Messy backdrop which includes 1x retouched photo and a high res album of the rest. This is SHOWBIZ baby, it’s time to look the part.

Get on the guestlist!

PLUS! In huge news, our weekly writing sessions hosted by Messy writer-in-residence Santiago Guerra are BACK due to VERY popular demand, now 12pm-4pm EVERY F*CKING SATURDAY at the BFI Cafe & Bar on the Southbank. Bring along your laptop (or notepad if you’re fancy) and be surrounded by other writers quietly tapping away.

Sign up for free!

NOW! Onto all things 🏳️‍🌈 Cinema!

The annual BFI Flare is one of the only dedicated LGBTQIA+ film festivals in the UK and very close to our hearts. Every year they present features, shorts and events by and for the queer community, from Argentina, to Norway, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil and much more.

We thought we’d give you some of our Messy recs:

I Saw the TV Glow (Writer/Director: Jane Schoenbrun)

This was my favourite film of the past year which I managed to watch at Sundance London and have not been able to shut up about since. This is a heartbreaking drama, a love letter to fandom culture and a horror about the passage of time. I urge you to watch this film.

Watch I Saw the TV Glow on the 30th March <3

Dreams in Nightmares (Writer/Director: Shatara Michelle Ford)

To kick off the festival, this film is in the special presentation and follows three friends who embark on a journey to find their missing bestie. It’s a fresh take on the road trip genre which focuses on Black queer experience and friendship.

Catch Dreams in Nightmares on the 23rd or the 24th March or watch it on the 21st with the Industry pass!

Hot Milk (Writer/Director: Rebecca Lenkiewicz)

Adapted from the amazing Deborah Levy’s Booker Prize-nominated novel of the same name, the story follows a mother and a daughter seeking a diagnosis for a mysterious condition in a Spanish seaside town. And a love affair with a seamstress.

You can watch Hot Milk on the 25th, 27th or the 29th March!

Ponyboi (Writer: River Gallo, Director: Esteban Arango)

If you’re looking to cleanse the palette after the Anora sweep at the Oscars and want to explore more narratives about the life of sex workers, Ponyboi might be it. The film follows an intersex sex worker over one night after encountering a gangster. Grace Barber-Plentie writes for the BFI: ‘Ponyboi is both a high-octane neo-noir and a reflective depiction of the intersex experience.’

Watch Ponyboi on the 27th or the 28th March!

Drive Back Home (Writer/Director: Michael Clowater)

Family relationships, especially for a queer person, can be complicated. This film follows a man who is forced to trek a thousand miles to pick up his brother from jail in Toronto and their journey back home. Starring Alan Cumming and Charlie Creed-Miles, this film better be a ride.

You can watch Drive Back Home either on the 23rd or the 25th March.

Our special mentions:

The Wedding Banquet (Writers: Andrew Ahn, James Schamus, Director: Andrew Ahn)

A gay man makes a deal with his lesbian friend: a green-card marriage for him, in exchange for in vitro fertilization treatments for her. Plans evolve as Min's grandmother surprises them with a Korean wedding banquet.

Black Fruit (Writers: Lamin Leroy Gibba, Sophia Ayissi, Naomi Kelechi Odhiambo, Lisa Tracy Michalik, Sarah Claire Wray, Directors: Elisha Smith-Leverock, David Ụzọchukwu)

A sharp as tender look at the complicated lives of Lalo and Karla, two Black and queer best friends in Hamburg, working out who they really want to be in this 8-part series.

Winter Kept Us Warm (Writers: David Secter, Ian Porter, John Clute, Director: David Secter)

This recently restored 1965 homo-romantic college drama, inspired by the French New Wave, is acclaimed as Canada’s first gay film release.

Cherub (Writer/Director: Devin Shears)

A poignant, dialogue-free character study of a lonely, overweight man who has internalised the belief that he is invisible and unlovable.

I’m Your Venus (Director: Kimberly Reed)

The memory of a ballroom legend lives on as Venus Xtravaganza’s families unite to reopen the cold-case investigation into her murder.

Some FANTASTIC shorts you shouldn’t miss:

We’ll Go Down in History (Directors: Cameron Richards, Charlie Tidmas) - part of the Sporty Spice! strand

Two years in the life of TRUK United, a trans & non-binary football team, a beacon for positive change and trans inclusivity in football.

By our very own Cameron from the Messy community!

Wild Oats (Writer: Kate Hammer, Director: Rosa Duncan) - part of the Shorts from the UK & Ireland strand

A day of work on the farm makes it impossible for Rhona to focus on fantasies of her pop-star crush.

Blackout (Writer/Director: Chris Urch) - part of the Queer and Now strand

When a young man living in a high-rise is disturbed by domestic violence in the flat next door he comes to realise that violence isn’t always on the outside – sometimes it’s with us all along.

Strawberry Shortcake (Writer/Director: Deborah Devyn Chuang) - part of the Between Worlds strand

Reality and dreamscape become increasingly blurred in an uncomfortable, Lynchian and violent Freudian loop for teenage Lolo and her mother.

Soviet Fantasia (Writers: Penn Bálint, Zsófi Kemény, Director: Penn Bálint) - part of the Day Dreamers strand

Hajnal needs to get out of here. In this surrealist fantasy, they prepare to leave their home country for England.

Networking, industry panels and free events at the BFI:

Industry Opening Reception - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY

20th March | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Blue Room

This is an opportunity to meet other delegates at the BFI Flare, chat, connect and hopefully meet future collaborators!

Show Me the Money

21st March | 2PM | Blue Room

Funding is the biggest questions hanging over any filmmaker, and we usually need a lot of it. This panel is all about the different funding opportunities in the UK, funder’s goals and preferences and the ever-changing landscape of film financing. Speakers include the BFI, Doc Society & Film4.

Networking Happy Hour - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DIRECTORS UK

21st March | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM | Blue Room

Writers need directors; directors need writers. Similarly to the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain for screenwriters, Directors UK is a professional association of UK screen directors. This event should be useful to anyone who is a director or plans to work with one, to know how this org functions!

Meet the Programmers

22nd March | 2PM | Blue Room

You write a film, you shoot said film, you edit it; then what? Getting your shorts/features to festivals is a task of its own and understanding how festivals curate their selections can be very, very useful, especially when you have limited festival budget. On this panel, LGBTQIA+ film festival programmers share their processes and how they make their curatorial decisions.

Keeping It Short: A Short Film Creative Workshop

23rd March | 2:30PM | BFI Reuben Library

This is a lil session on writing short films for emerging LGBTQIA+ screenwriters, led by BFI Flare programmer and playwright Rhianna Ilube. Shorts are a wonderful way to see your work play out and a great starting point for many filmmakers, so write those scripts; and maybe you can start here.

Working with a Script Editor

23rd March | 4PM | Blue Room

Script editor? Don’t know her. But this job is a massively important part of any script. No film is made in a vacuum, and being a writer can often feel very lonely, like you’re carrying the whole world of your narrative on your shoulders. A script editor is your friend, your champion, your mentor. Learn what they do.

Networking Happy Hour - IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WOMEN IN FILM AND TV

24th March | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM | Blue Room

As a women-led and women-forward community, we are big fans of Women in Film & TV, a leading membership organisation for women working in creative media in the UK. This is your chance to connect with other women and take projects off the ground.

The Markers talk - Rebecca Lenkiewicz

25th March | 4PM | NFT4

Rebecca started as a playwright and a screenwriter, having co-written Ida, written Colette, Disobedience and She Said. The adaptation of Hot Milk is her directorial debut and we can’t wait what she’ll share about her journey from one practice to another.

Queer Freedom: Now and Then

26th March | 6:30PM | NFT3

This is a programme of shorts celebrating disabled and autistic filmmakers. Curated by Oska Bright’s Matthew Hellett, this event will dive deep into the intersection of disability, sexuality and identity, all while elevating the voices of LD and autistic filmmakers.

LGBTQIA+ Gamers – Queer and in Control

29th March | 2PM | Blue Room

Games have always been influential to the LGBTQIA+ community—from Dungeons and Dragons to The Sims. This panel discusses LGBTQIA+ creatives exploring their relationship to queerness and computer games.

See you all very soon,
The Messy Women x

Lola Szczotarska is one of our OG Messies and she’s finally letting us explore her wonderful mind, her dreams for the future, her love of stage and screen and of course, how she came to be a Messy in the first place.

How did you come to be a Messy?

I met Jessica Riches through one of my best friends, Jessica Rowlands, when - together with another now OG Messy Megan Prescott - they came to see me in a dark comedy play ‘Coffee, ten sugars’ at the Hen & Chickens Theatre. After the show, we clicked immediately. Conversation flowed (as did soda with tequila) and when we got onto the topic of the state of things, the frustration of being a woman in the industry, how isolating writing can be, Jess Riches mentioned that she and her wonderful, talented friends, Isobel Bruce and Sorcha Kurien-Walsh, were going to do something about it. Enter stage right: the blossoming idea of Messy Women. It sounded like exactly what I had been missing in my life: a close community of vibrant, curious, creative minds who embraced the wilderness of it all, were nevertheless determined to carve a route through and wanted to ride the rollercoaster with their friends. Very soon, WhatsApp groups having been dutifully created, we were gathering in various central London locations, chatting and sip sip sipping.

The singularity with which each Messy approaches their process and creative choices is so inspiring to me. I’ve loved taking part in the bootcamps and live reads, reading and listening to the brilliant writing, supporting the successes and the struggles, cheering on Messies at the Edinburgh Fringe (where I too survived the month) and of course attending many a party. There’s been familiarity and discovery in equal measure. I’ve learned and grown a great deal over the past couple years, but perhaps most importantly, I’ve made many life-long friendships. These really are the relationships I value, nurture and feel so lucky to have. Perhaps fate is too strong a word but certainly something aligned and smiled down on me.

What was the first project you were proud of?

I was very proud when I finished my first feature screenplay - a fast-paced coming-of-age crime drama set in 90s London. It was recognised in competitions although now it naturally needs a re-write. But it did confirm my ability to write a big complete story in a world I had imagined with characters who seemed to know what they wanted to do before I did. Central themes of dual identity, violence and renewal emerged and I realise they thread through much of my other writing too.

I was also proud when a short screenplay, Terma, that I wrote was brought to life on screen in soft Greek hues. It’s a retelling of Homer’s Ulysses from Hera’s perspective with themes of self-discovery and defiance against prejudiced opinions on gender and sexuality. Here is the link if you fancy a watch!

What is your writing routine?

Good question. And one that makes me a tad nervous because it holds up a well-dusted mirror to my insecurities and vulnerability.

I don’t really have a set routine since I’ve worked mostly freelance, at odd differing hours as side hustle income gigs usually are, and also it depends on the project and the deadline. Ah, a deadline. Now that gets me going. Of course I won’t type until absolutely necessary (why the self-inflicted stress I don’t know*) but the accountability does coax me into submission - I don’t want to let others down. Time and energy is precious, and deserves the utmost respect.

If I’m working with others on a project, as I have done quite a few times, then it’s a back and forth, as and when feedback is exchanged kind of process. This fuels my writing rhythm since I’m responding to questions and suggestions from another writer, a director or producer: I enjoy the collaboration, the play, the digging. I’ve worked in translation and with international teams whose perspectives often expand my own. It also means I have to be able to clearly articulate my vision and justify and negotiate my choices.

I’ve learned quite a few writing lessons in this way, working on short films that haven’t received enough funding for production, treatments and pitch decks that died in the shopping basket, and short films that have been made and screened at festivals.

Writing solo is also delicious. When I wrote my first two features scripts in 2020, I made a habit of being at my laptop every day for any length of time but always a minimum of one hour. It takes me some time to warm-up, detach from my ever-present to-do list and submerge myself in the world or the emotional space of a particular scene. Sometimes I’d delight myself with a stream of pages or sometimes I just tinkered with the same five lines of dialogue and daydreamed. Either way, the sitting down and the thinking is part of the doing. I definitely like being on public transport, or like a long train journey, and mentally workshopping story ideas or finding inspiration for characters through people watching. I find being in transit meditative.

There’s also the natural ebb and flow of being creative and witnessing creativity that I welcome and believe is vital - watching films, going to exhibitions, theatre, live shows, concerts, listening to podcasts, reading books and articles… Experiencing these and being moved is cathartic and invigorating: I know better what I care about, what I find funny or upsetting and why. These realisations work in tandem with developing my outlines, the shape of a character’s arc and answering the inevitable question: What’s your script about?

But it’s hard to do everything at once. Plus sometimes I’m just not in the mood to write. Plus I need to devote equal time and energy to my acting career. Plus work to pay the bills. Plus maintain adequate health. Plus socialise and live life. Plus family, admin and cleaning the bathroom.

But of course I do need to put actual words on the page. Enough rationalising of excuses. Ok. Words. Page. Once I’ve done the required research and put together images or references, I like to first outline and then map moments in a scene - a kind of collage rather than strict beat sheet - which then reassures me when I start the first draft and scroll down. I prioritise the habit of sitting at my laptop every day to work on a writing project, whether in notes or research stage, treatment, first draft or third re-write stage. Once I’m in the flow, I go hard and go home, and write until there’s a draft done. Then a breather and some distance before I re-read, edit and mumble incoherently.

Now for the practicals. I tend to be a late morning or late afternoon/evening writer. It’s either too much strong coffee in my favourite mug, a herbal tea or a gentle tipple. Post-meal I’m too lethargic and want to sink into a comedy like Abbott Elementary, Shrinking or Hacks. Writing in bed is fun, or on a sofa, or in any position that will require a chiropractor’s visit. I listen to blues, The Growlers or the playlist I’ve carefully curated for the script and protagonist. A nail file nearby is handy before I expose my nail bed.

* I do know. It’s fear, procrastination, self-doubt, laziness and perfectionism all tied up in one. Old habits do die screaming.

What projects are you working on right now and how do you juggle them all?

I’m writing a drama feature that I started in 2023 during the first Messy bootcamp. I recently discussed the premise with a good friend, who I had met at a Messy event (!), and the themes really resonated with her. The script is very personal, and probably the reason why I struggled to finish it the first time round, but with distance and re-examination, I realised it needed something else. We re-jigged the structure, streamlined the story and added magical realism.

I always have a handful of projects brewing so I’m now also deciding which one to get cracking on, whether in script or play form. Something new and shiny and strategic as I want to get it produced (on stage or screen), perform one of the roles and get a writing rep.

I also have the two features which need a page one re-write… so I guess juggling is the name of the game. If I have multiple ideas percolating at once though, I tend to stick to working on one project per day to avoid feeling overwhelmed. I also like working on projects in different stages of maturity since they each use different types of brain power (science ya?).

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

I’m very ambitious and have been visualising myself fulfilling my grand ol’ dreams since I decided when I was little that this would be my career. As an actor, I want to be on stages playing juicy roles with full houses and be in international films that spark conversations and TV that charms and comforts audiences. As a writer, I want my scripts and plays to bring hope and humour, to open hearts and stir action towards social, economic and environmental justice. The only thing is that my age seems to be getting incrementally yet noticeably older in these visions… reality slaps!

My career expectations have certainly adjusted over the past five years, acknowledging and surrendering to the fact that my path is unique in its trajectory and meanderings. My journey has its own pace, comparison is futile, and I’m trusting the process of these darn hurdles. Sometimes reluctantly. I’ve also found that I do better rather than worse when I embrace the surprises and the big risks, say yes and trust my inner child instincts. And also my definition of success has evolved. Right now, success is being able to ditch my side hustle and earn a basic living with writing and acting slash anything creative.

Over the next year or two, I aim to develop my feature script to be ready for pitching and financing, and get the train rolling for independent production. I want to turn one of my brewing concepts into a low-budget short film script, and another into either a solo or strong ensemble play that I can put on at a fringe venue in London. And in an ideal world sign with a writing rep so I can get my foot in the door and my scripts on desks. And then beyond that, I strive to continue producing high quality, singular and bold work with passionate people I respect and admire, and of course, my Messy friends!

Thanks, Lola!

With love,
The Messy Women x

HELLO MESSIES!

Most of you probably know this, but MESSY WAS AN ACCIDENT! We did not set out to start a group that became so active and popular and filled with so many talented and amazing people. But here we are, a couple of years on, with literally thousands of people here, in our WhatsApp, and on our Instagram.

We’re trying our very best to help you all get what you need from Messy on and offline, but we are (were!) just Three Messy Women with lives and jobs.

However, after some late 2024 soul-searching and one too many WhatsApp bots, we have decided to make a few changes to keep this space special.

So we thought we’d do a post reminding you of what we are and who we are, and what’s changing!

A reminder… WHAT IS MESSY!

In a nutshell:

Messy Collective is a supportive community for women, NB and trans writers and filmmakers - celebrating the messy process of creativity and getting a career in the arts.

The Messy admins are here to help us keep an open and fun space for people to connect with those on the same creative and career trajectory, to celebrate and vent, to share resources and ask for advice, and to help each other along in good spirits. Often with wine. 

Cis men are allowed to our events and in our WhatsApp if they are recommended by an existing Messy member. If they go against any of our guidelines or make any of our community uncomfortable, they’ll be asked to leave at admins’ discretion. 

We always want to hear how we can do better by the communities we represent, so please come to us if you have any ideas.

WHAT DOES MESSY DO?!

We started off as a WhatsApp group, and now we are a WhatsApp COMMUNITY with many subgroups and thousands of members. It’s a lot.

But what we really love about Messy is the IRL space we curate and the empowerment that gives our community to WRITE and MAKE things. That’s through our monthly parties and our weekly writing sessions, our partnerships with film festivals and other organisations, our Bootcamps, and the occasional Other Messy Things we do like New Moon Writuals, Live Reads, Q&As, Retreats etc.

WHAT’S CHANGING?

Not our ethos, not our values, just the way we do things.

• PARTIES: We’ll still be throwing our parties monthly, but the date will now change each month. Make sure you’re signed up to get access to the latest news and tickets. (We’ll also be ticketing more strictly than we have before so please ensure you book. Our next one is now live here!)

• WRITING SESSIONS: These are becoming more formalised, and they’ll now be hosted at the BFI Cafe on Saturdays from 12pm-4pm, hosted by Messy’s first Writer-in-Residence, Santiago Guerra. (Relaunching March 8th at our new venue - free sign-up here.)

• BOOTCAMPS: We’ve got a whole new format for Bootcamp launching VERY SOON that will help you get your words down whenever you need.

• WHATSAPP: We have brought in some extra special admin support in the form of three lovely people from our community - Mollie Semple, Rowan Allen, and Unati Lewis-Nyawo.

MEET THE MESSY TEAM

If you come to our events or hang out on our WhatsApp, you probably know us! But we thought we’d do a little refresher, and introduce you to the new Messy faces you’ll be seeing more of.

• Founder Jessica Riches (she/her) is a screenwriter who also directs and produces, specialising in climate storytelling. She’s made lots of short films about romance in late capitalism, a 5-part podcast series performed by Stephen Fry, and has 3 features and a sitcom in development.

• Founder Isobel Bruce (she/her) is a writer/ producer/ director who founded Ingenue Theatre to bring new writing from around the world to alternative spaces across New York. She has worked as a producer for independent theatre, as producer and content specialist for Secret Cinema, and managed the global short film festival, Future Shorts. In her spare time she has a full time job as Global Head of Campaigns at Purpose.

• Content manager Jessica Mackie Hunter (she/her) is a Czech/Scottish writer/director based in London. Her first short film, ‘Rabbit’, was screened at a BIFA-qualifying festival and has played at festivals across Europe. She is an alumni of the Torino Film Lab, Boosting Impact and ELBE DOCK IFF.

• Writer-in-Residence Santiago Guerra (he/him) is a Mexican writer/director/juggler residing in London. He does plays, films and copy. He loves tacos (of course), coming-of-age novels (obviously) and to dramatise his life, whether for the page or for his friends and family.

• Admin Mollie Semple (she/her) is a writer and actress recently moved all the way from Buckinghamshire to South West London. She writes for the stage, the screen, and the Substack and then gives herself the best roles. She loves a pub quiz and would always prefer to be lying on a beach reading a book.

• Admin Rowan Allen (they/them) is a screenwriter, script editor and reader from northern England, though you'd never tell from their accent. They can often be found watching French movies in the dark or out in the woods looking for mushrooms.

• Admin Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (they/them) aka three raccoons in a trench coat! They are a chronically online actor, writer and massive nerd! They love shiny dice math rocks and their cat Garlic Bread! Here to smite finance bros and take names or something 😂

As you know - Messy truly is a labour of love. We all have jobs around this, and we just want to keep it helpful for the people who use Messy as their first step into the world of filmmaking and writing.

If you want to support us on our mission and are able to, we are kindly asking you to pretty please become a paid subscriber on this Substack to give us a little monthly boost, or to buy us a one-off Ko-fi.

Buy us a Ko-fi!

BEING PART OF MESSY

We’ve consulted with the community and decided to publish a refresh of the RULES! We can’t believe that we’ve grown so much that we need RULES, but we want to provide a space that works for the people who built this community and made it what it is.

Rules of engagement:

• BE NICE!

  • No harmful language, mansplaining or aggression

  • People are allowed to make mistakes, learn and grow - we only ask that you listen rather than dig in if the community takes the time to educate you

  • But not too nice: this is not a space for dating and absolutely do not message anyone out of the group unless they specifically ask you to

• Keep conversations relevant:

  • In the general group, stay focused on filmmaking, writing, and relevant culture and media

  • For more specific questions, use designated groups - we have many!

• Be mindful of screentime and don’t overwhelm with notifications:

  • Try to only ask questions where you’re looking for answers from personal experience rather than things you could Google or find elsewhere

  • Keep things to one message rather than a series

  • Use reactions rather than typing out ‘haha’, ‘thanks’, or ‘well done’

  • Don’t reply to things that you don’t know the answer to

  • Friendly chat is fine in moderation but don’t let it go on too long 

• No spam or self-promotion for professional or paid services:

  • We don’t like people soliciting Messies for money

  • Always ask an admin if you have a service or product you think is relevant - but don’t be offended if we say no

  • Please don’t clog up the channel with your social media links and introductions to you and your work - instead, please post these here Messy Friend Finder

• No pitches or asking for producers or film financing:

  • Most of the people in our groups are fellow filmmakers seeking producers, money and work so can’t help you, and would share any opportunities and jobs that could help you on the relevant groups

  • Again, this probably isn’t the group to share your crowdfunder as we’re all in the same boat

  • Active and long-term group members should feel free to ask how we can support you if you’re trying to get a project off the ground

• But share things that are relevant:

  • We have specific groups for contests and job openings as we know that these really help out early career Messies

  • We love to hear successes from when it’s actually gone well and welcome celebration

  • Inviting people to engage with your work by sharing links to read, watch, or buy tickets is very welcome! (Just be sensible with it!)

Messy Events

We do not allow the following behaviours at Messy events, and you will be asked to leave, or blocked from attending future events, if we are told about this behaviour.

• Overt, extreme or unprompted pitching, taking over conversations, mansplaining

• Attempting to use the events for dating more than professional or friendly connections

• Unwanted physical contact (this can include shaking hands and kissing on the cheek)

• Harassment or pressuring behaviour to maintain contact outside of events, for example premature suggestions to meet or connect on social media 

• Use of inappropriate or offensive language that makes members uncomfortable 

• Inappropriate sexual comments or behaviours

A reminder to people at our events: please find a Messy Collective founder or admin if you are made to feel uncomfortable - there are always plenty around!

Messy Values

• Messy is a women-first space with a focus on supporting underrepresented filmmakers. Trans, NB, queer, POC, disabled and neurodivergent writers are very welcome.

• Messy supports a free Palestine. 

• Messy supports sex workers and the decriminalisation of sex work.

• Messy supports the work of unions fighting for fairer rights for creatives, and this includes a strong stance against the use of AI to replace jobs that would otherwise pay creative workers.

• Messy wishes that all writers and creatives could be paid fairly for their work and so we prefer shared opportunities to come with proper reimbursement, but we understand that lots of projects are labours of love by the creators, and that those early on in their career who are able to may choose to take unpaid or low paid work to advance themselves - this is at the discretion of those involved.

Any posts that don’t align with the Messy values or upset members of our community may be deleted and the poster removed.

Thank you to those who stick to the guidelines and make the lives of the Messy founders & admin team a LOT easier - and thank you all for being here!

With Messy love,
The Messy Women x

In case you forgot, it’s almost Valentine’s Day and with that, we prepared a little list for all the romance lovers/writers out there looking for some inspiration. I’ve personally been rewatching Sex and the City these past few weeks and reflecting on the way we talk, or don’t talk, about romance and sex nowadays.

We all know the classic Hollywood screwball comedies of the 1930s, the height of Nora Ephron reign in the late 80s/90s and of course, the early 00s rom-coms dominated by Katherine Heigl, but since then? Not much.

The rom-com specifically is a genre I lean on every holiday season, on a rainy Sunday, on a hungover Saturday and really anything in-between, but most of these films don’t hold up in 2025 and it can be really painful to watch homophobic remarks just casually being thrown around by the leading couple.

What I’m trying to say is: WE NEED MORE ROM-COMS!

And we need you, our lovely Messies, to write them (so we can make them and cast Dev Patel). Please let yourself be inspired by our list below, read, watch, listen, cry, explore and pour your hearts out onto the page.

For learning:

1. Scriptnotes, Episode 540: Nice to Meet-Cute You who would we be without mentioning Scriptnotes at least once in our list, and this episode on Meet-Cutes is ultra cute.

2. Draft Zero, Episode 22: Romantic Comedy, Actually analyses rom-com clichés and how to subvert them.

3. Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much? by

   Wesley Morris is a great article on why the rom-com has always been such an essential part of our film library because as a mid-budget genre it focuses on the ordinary while centring women and their desires.

4. Kiss Me Stupid article by Carlos Valladares looks at the history of romantic comedies and proposes how we can expand the canon.

5. Mina Le’s ‘Why aren't romcoms "romantic" anymore?’ video essay talks rom-coms from the screwball comedy of the 1930s all the way to 2024 flops.

6. The Take’s ‘Why Every (Good) Romcom Is Secretly Cinderella, Explained’ video essay looks at how to de-center the romance in your rom-com to focus on your protagonist’s real growth. And maybe the love that comes after.

7. What We Mean When We Say ‘Happily Ever After’ by Emily Henry the well-known romance novelist shares her thoughts on love after loss.

For watching:

8. His Girl Friday (1940) written by Charles Lederer is perhaps the most well-known screwball comedy, it’s a damn good classic with physical comedy, verbal banter and eccentric leading couple played by Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.

9. When Harry Met Sally… (1989) written by Nora Ephron. This film has been cited as the most influential modern romantic comedy for a reason. This is essential watching.

10. 99 Moons (2022) written by Jan Gassmann is less of a romance and more of a Swiss sex affair gone wrong but we’re here for it.

11. Palm Springs (2020) written by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow is one of the best rom-coms of the past decade and utilises one of my favourite tropes in rom-coms - magical realism.

12. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023) written by Christine Doyon & Ariane Louis-Seize is a beautiful genre-bending indie feature which takes a high concept (vampirism) and makes it low-concept (how much are you willing to suffer for the person you love).

13. The Worst Person in the World (2021) written by Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier. This is the messy coming-of-age we all dreamed of. No notes.

    

14. About Time (2013) written by Richard Curtis is one of the best rom-coms ever made. Ever. And what does it utilise? Say it with me. Magical Realism.

15. Rye Lane (2023) written by Nathan Bryon & Tom Melia, about two people walking through South London. Simple and stunning. This film made me believe in the rom-com renaissance.

16. The Taste of Things (2023) written by Anh Hung Tran & Marcel Rouff is a slow-cooked meal of a romance. Highly recommend.

17. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) written by Brian Peterson & Jamie Babbit is Natasha Lyonne’s groundbreaking role as a baby lesbian being sent to a rehab camp in the 90s. Hilarious, colourful, gay. What else do you need?

18. Addams Family Values (1993) written by Charles Addams & Paul Rudnick. I maintain that this is the most romantic film of all time.

19. Normal People (2020) created by Sally Rooney. The TV show ruined me. I know it's sacrilegious to say, but I think the TV show is better than the book 🫣

20. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) written by Karen McCullah & Kirsten Smith, especially that scene where Kat reads the poem in class and Heath Ledger just LOOKS at her LONGINGLY.

21. Sense8 (2015-2018) created by the Wachowski sisters & J. Michael Straczynski was a beautiful shot in the dark; ambitious, queer, moving.

22. Your Monster (2024) written by Caroline Lindy and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) written by our beloved Diablo Cody are both gloriously twisted, funny, genre films about female desire and agency. This specific genre of films is top-tier for me. Give me more recs!

23. Fleabag (2016-2019) specifically season 2. The quote “you’re the loss of my life” is about them, I’m convinced.

24. One Day (2011) the original film OR One Day (2024) the TV series will both break your heart into million pieces. Good luck.

25. Feel Good (2020-2021) created by Joe Hampson & Mae Martin follows a recovering addict stand-up comedian navigating an intense romantic relationship. This show includes one of the best portrayals of exploring ones gender identity as an already out queer person. Give it a watch.

For listening:

26. Horny Apocalypse Spotify playlist for some end-of-the-world fun!

27. My Life Is A Rom (Com?) Spotify playlist for those of us who miss Katherine Heigl every day of the year </3

28. the record by boygenius album for some lesbian longing.

29. Javelin by Sufjan Stevens is an album he dedicated to his late partner and you can feel the heartbreak in every song.

For visiting:

30. The Garden Cinema is a cozy, tucked-away cinema in Holborn with red, velvet seats, amazingly curated programme and lots of accompanying events!

31. Electric Cinema Portobello is the best date night spot to watch new releases. Book a front row bed (!!), a comfy armchair or a back row sofa with food and cocktails <3

32. Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath where BBC Pride and Prejudice was filmed, followed by a wander to the pergola gardens.

33. The cutest all-day walk from Little Venice, through Camden Town, Kings Cross, and Angel, all the way to Broadway Market!

34. Go see Northern ballet Jane Eyre at Sadler’s Wells this season for the ultimate gothic romance vibes.

35. Check out Brie Larsen is Elektra at the Duke of York’s Theatre—a funny thing to go and see with your mummy’s boy boyfriend.

For inspiration:

36. No regRATS fundraiser! The Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Programme is running a fundraiser where until February 13, for a donation of $5 or more, they will name a rat after your ex (or archenemy) and feed it to one of the owls at the breeding program! Use it for your own ex, or just as an inspiration for your writing—either way, donate to owls!

37. Frida Kahlo’s “Heartbreak” Art “I suffered two grave accidents in my life: one in which a streetcar knocked me down.…The other accident is Diego.”

38. Letizia Battaglia’s Life, Love and Death in Sicily at The Photographers’ Gallery is a documentary collection spanning decades of Battaglia’s work, from crime scenes to every day life, she points her lens at the love we have lost.

For reading:

39. You Made a Fool of Death with your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi is a steamy romance about loss, reinvention and lots of sunscreen.

40. Arrangements in Blue by Amy Key is a beautiful memoir about how to build a life when your romantic dreams haven’t quite come true. Cannot confirm nor deny that I read it with only my cat for company, while ordering myself a dozen red roses and a Lovehoney gift set.

41. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a hot lesbian romance that uses my favourite trope ✨ magical realism ✨ Casey is my go-to for brilliant queer romance and their Substack is for sure worth a look!

42. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter is not a ‘romance’ as such but it is a deeply romantic book (that’s set a lot in and around the film industry/Hollywood) and some editions have a brilliant essay and interview with him in the back that have really informed the way I write and think about love.

43. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton was revolutionary for me in my very early 20s - it was included in my uni dissertation and in many ways inspired my debut play “Loneliness and Other Adventures” - it helped me to understand my feelings of yearning/sadness about being single at the time.

44. The Orange and Other Poems by Wendy Cope! Loved every poem in that collection 🍊

45. Bit of a vintage one (though there was a recent TV adaptation), but I'm a big Nancy Mitford fan, The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate were the first time I encountered kind of 'edgy' romance or like anything that approached love with a bit of a satirical bite, and from a female writer?? Game changing.

46. Want: Sexual Fantasies written by anonymous, collected by Gillian Anderson is a collection of letters from hundreds of women around the world who share their wildest sexual fantasies. A good reminder to us all that there is no ‘normal’.

47. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson is a contemporary classic. This is a love story which explores the most vulnerable parts of identity, race and masculinity, set in South London.

48. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is less about romantic love and more about navigating the difficult, murky waters of platonic love. This book is about the intimacy of creating something together and the pain that comes with breaking it apart.

49. Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors is a ride from start to finish following an impulsive marriage with a great cast of supporting characters.

From the Messy Community:

50. First Kiss (With A Girl) written and directed by Clodagh Chapman is a kitschy, low-fi, bubblegum-sweet glance at queer intimacy.

51. Rabbit (pw: Rabbit2024!) written by Jessica Mackie Hunter and directed by Jessica Mackie Hunter & David Kreibich follows a young woman on a search to fulfil her other-worldly desires.

52. Blueprint (pw: blu3pr!nt) written and directed by Lada Kopytova is a reflection on a failed relationship and what being a writer and a muse does to a couple.

53. Come As You Please (pw: tomatosalad) written by Sean Goddard & Alex Stedman, directed by Shirmaine Ong is a funny, heartfelt story of a robbery in a sex shop.

54. Comfort Food written by Sandy Nicholson is a romance web-series about a long distance couple who attempt to keep their relationship alive by learning to cook desserts together over the phone.

55. Hooving In (pw: Hoover) written by Daniel Ward Garber is a short comedy about a couple moving in together, and a jealous hoover.

I sincerely hope you’ll be inspired to write the next great romance and credit us with the push and inspiration that led to it 💋

Love you forever,
The Messy Women xx

We might be well into February 2025 but our minds are on the current award season and therefore on the beautiful, wonderful and unique films, TV series and plays of last year, so, to honour 2024, we wanted to share with you OUR favourites.

We reached out to some Messies to share their picks for a bit more perspective (especially since Isobel and I simply HAD to pick both Hoard and La Chimera)

It can be incredibly frustrating going to film festivals and watching the most outstanding films and them never having a wide distribution, let alone award recognition. This is our attempt at giving these films the flowers they deserve.

This list has many deservedly well-known choices, but also some smaller movies we think you should check out if they happen to screen at your local cinema (we love an independent cinema! support your local independent cinema!)

Enjoy the list and feel free to leave your own recs in the comments <3

Jessica Mackie Hunter

I Saw the TV Glow: My insides still ache.

Lisa Frankenstein: Horny teen girls will literally kill to get laid. Set against 80s neon aesthetic with one of the Zac & Cody brothers, can’t remember which one.

Hoard: You’ll end up with a fascination of the rat king but like, in a good way?

La Chimera: Never read the bible but, comparable in significance to me.

Isobel Bruce

La Chimera: I wished to live in the magical realism world of Etruscan grave robbers with Josh O’Connor and his band of feral conspirators indefinitely.

The Taste of Things: Gorgeous, sublime storytelling that will make you fall in love with Juliette Binoche (again) and leave you feeling ravenous. Bring snacks.

Hoard: Visceral, fantastical, pretty fucking disgusting. I both loved it and can never look at popping candy the same way again. Do not bring snacks.

Your Monster: I fear The Monster is my type.

Jessica Riches

Challengers: I arrived at this film crying and left otherwise damp.

Babygirl: I took my 23 year old boyfriend to see this on opening night, of course I loved it.

Love Lies Bleeding: This film turned me into a bodybuilder.

Civil War: This film is not at all sexy but I really enjoyed it.

Anastasiya Ador

Nelken: If you haven’t seen Pina’s genius, you haven’t lived.

Disclaimer: It’s Alfonso Cuarón, c’mon.

Bird: Watch it for raw performances, excellent direction and the whole different universe that is Andrea Arnold.

No Other Land: Most important film I’ve seen in recent years.

David Kreibich

Do No Expect Too Much from the End of the Word: The most accurate depiction of the near future.

Nelken: Beyond words.

Queendom: A visually exceptional portrait of an uncompromising artist during a time of political oppression.

Baby Reindeer: Haha. F*ck that’s dark. Haha.

Jon Champion

Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Brings “it’s complicated” to a whole new level.

Industry: If this show could speak, it would say “I am Industry and I am relentless.”

Bluey: Emotional therapy disguised as a children’s TV show.

Nobody Wants This: Nora Ephron for a modern audience.

Lola Szczotarska

The Brutalist: Watched it at the Venice Film Festival with an audience of a thousand - it’s the kind of film cinemas were made for.

To Kill a Mongolian Horse: First feature by a young Mongolian female filmmaker, the film powerfully illustrates the vulnerability and tenacity of a herdsman caught between a vanishing past and uncertain future on the striking yet unforgiving Mongolians steppes. Some beautiful cinematography and motifs - hope it gets a UK release.

Shōgun: The drama, the dignity and the death; a historical mega series that whisks you up and straps your heart strings in.

Gunter: Transferred from Edinburgh Fringe 2023 to London. A witch trial, football, puppetry, music, dance and surprising storytelling - talented women being brilliant, inventive theatre makers.

Meg Prescott

The Substance: Literally everything you want to see in a film that puts Hollywood on blast. Will leave you with fantasies of Elisabeth becoming Sue’s agent and the two of them eating Hollywood alive together.

Supacell: show that uses the superhero genre in all the ways marvel wishes it could.

Cowbois: A fucking beautiful show. If you’ve ever found yourself exhausted trying to explain how ridged gender ‘norms’ don’t benefit anyone, this show puts it in words that are undeniable.

Whore’s Eye View: How come in some places in the world it’s totally legal to sign up to go to war at 16 but it’s illegal to sell sex as a grown adult? Kaytlin Bailey uses her masters in history and skills as a stand up comedian to layout the truth: it’s never been about the sanctity of our bodies; it’s always been about oppressing women’s freedom.

Sparky Tehnsuko

Fallout: The best videogame adaptation since The Last of Us. Just goes to show, if you’re confident and witty, that there’s no skin condition in the world that’ll quench our collective thirst.

The Substance: Just watching Dennis Quaid eat shrimp is a more horrific scene than any part of the whole Terrifier franchise.

I Saw the TV Glow: We all remember our crises of gender dysphoria while watching Alex Mack in the 90s, right? RIGHT?!

Shōgun: I never tire of serious dramas having an occasional character die from just falling over like a klutz. Anna Sawai is impeccable.

Santiago Guerra

Agatha All Along: I’m a fan of WandaVision, Aubrey Plaza and Kathryn Hahn. And this show didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The only universe that truly works for Marvel now.

The Penguin: A classic! Especially because of breakout character Sophia Falcone. Dark, twisted and complicated.

The Substance: So crazy! Wanted to vomit, but pushed through. I was so immersed. And the grotesque pulls off the message.

Challengers: Oscars don’t like sex, apparently. This movie is a masterclass in tension, character and sexiness.

In other news, our next Messy Party is happening on the 13th February for a Valentine’s Day special 💐 This is an event for writers & collaborators to meet, connect, vent to and celebrate with! Expect wine, chocolates, flowers and Severance season 2 theories in the smoking area.

Get your tickets here!

Love you lots,
The Messy Women x