Michelle Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 The first thing that makes this book interesting is the format.. a series of emails (and the occasional text) between Russell T Davies, and Benjamin Cook, a journalist who writes many of the Doctor Who articles. This communication continues over a year, whilst the scripts for series 4 are being written, and many aspects were hitting the news, such as David Tennant leaving to play Hamlet, and Steven Moffat taking over from Russell. The emails are pretty much unedited, and they give quite an interesting insight into Russell himself, and fans of his writing will enjoy references to his other shows, such as Queer As Folk, and Bob and Rose. It Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I was desperately hoping someone would buy me this for Christmas, but alas, it wasn't to be, so I'll just have to buy it myself at some point. I've always been fascinated by how a script is developed for Doctor Who, and the writers are nearly always my favourite talking heads on Doctor Who Confidential, so I'm really looking forward to getting this soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 It is rather fascinating.. I keep telling my hubby little things from it, but he's not much of a fan, so he looks back at me rather blankly! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I love DH, but as you said it's not really a book for children then maybe it wouldn't be good for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 Nope, I said it's not really for younger fans... and I was thinking more along the lines of my 9 year old - she has tons of Doctor Who books, but there is content in here that's a little too grown up for her. It's also the fact that it's not a guide to charcters/monsters etc, but about the actual writing process. Does that make more sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Nope, I said it's not really for younger fans... and I was thinking more along the lines of my 9 year old - she has tons of Doctor Who books, but there is content in here that's a little too grown up for her. It's also the fact that it's not a guide to charcters/monsters etc, but about the actual writing process. Does that make more sense? I'm sorry, you made sense the first time, I just read it wrong. I thought you meant younger being my age. My appologies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I've always been fascinated by how a script is developed for Doctor Who, and the writers are nearly always my favourite talking heads on Doctor Who Confidential, so I'm really looking forward to getting this soon. If you watch Doctor Who Confidential, or listen to the podcasts they post on the internet (or the commentaries that are on the DVD box sets), then you will probably already have a pretty good insight into why things have been scripted as they have been in Doctor Who (at least from the "artistic" point of view!). What this book tells you is how that process happens. To add to what Michelle has said, the book doesn't just include snippets of the scripts, it contains the full first drafts of Voyage of the Damned, Partner's in Crime, The Stolen Earth and Journey's End, as RTD wrote them - hot off the keyboard! I found the book to be very interesting; I'm interested in Doctor Who anyway, but I'm also interested in story development and writing generally, and this was a very good marriage of both. I would say that if you are an aspiring script writer - regardless of whether you like Doctor Who or not - this will make an interesting read. If you are interested in Doctor Who as well, this is a must-read. And, for those who don't yet have a copy but want one, check out The Book People's web site, as they were selling it for just Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I'm certainly getting this when I can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I'm glad I haven't managed to buy a copy of this yet, as amazon.co.uk have a new revision listed for early next year: When The Writer's Tale was published in autumn 2008, it was immediately embraced as a classic. For this extensively revised and updated paperback edition, Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook continue their candid and in-depth correspondence to take in work on the last of Russell's 2009 specials - and the end of David Tennant's era as The Doctor - while also looking back to the achievements of the first three seasons. With over 300 pages of all-new material, including new photos and original artwork, The Writer's Tale is a fitting tribute to Russell T Davies' phenomenal achievement in bringing Doctor Who back for a new generation of fans. I think I'll wait for the new edition to be published, since I've already got a lot of books on my TBR shelf, so it won't be too much of a hardship to wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I didn't realise this was a book. I will be looking out for it in future as it would be a great present for my mum, she's a big Doctor Who fan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I believe the Bookpeople are still knocking this out for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Yeah I think I'm going to wait for the newer one. It makes sense too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I've just checked, and it doesn't look as though the Bookpeople are carrying this anymore (you can still get a box set of 10 original novels for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I've just checked, and it doesn't look as though the Bookpeople are carrying this anymore (you can still get a box set of 10 original novels for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I don't know if they buy fixed quantities or remainders etc, but they only tend to carry books for a limited time anyway, so I'm not surprised it has gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anika Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 This looks like an interesting book. It's always fun to see how things are done 'behind' the scenes'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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