The Premise

Back in 1988, when I was a twenty-something who really should have been paying attention, Viki King wrote a book called How to Write a Movie oin 21 Days .

At the time, I still thought I could make a living as a poet, maybe at worst writing the odd short story to supplement my income as the new Byron. Foolish as I was, I never realised I needed the book.

I bought the book from the Harvard Bookstore in December 1995 but even then, I didn't use it. Instead, I wrote a novel. I finished it in 1997 or 1998. Sadly, I couldn't find a publisher. So it goes. Esto es la vida mierda. Ever since then, I've been trying to write another, but it's so hard, so depressing to work for months with no reward (and yet nowhere near as depressing as twenty years at the bottom of the civil service ladder).

So, as a way out, I've picked up Viki King's book again and decided to try it out. I don't know if anyone has used the book to write a movie in 21 days, but I am going to try. More than that though. I'm going to keep on at this for a year inshallah.

17 times 21 days is 357 days, or about a week short of a year. There are 358 days left in this year, so I shall start tomorrow. (Saturday 8 January 2011). This is not a new yar's resolution, of course, because the new year has come and gone. Nevertheless. Happy New Year.