Tag Archives: Tim Austin

Short Story Author embarks on “World’s Most Insane” Writing Marathon

Posted on by


In March author Tim Austin began a “Brilliantly Insane” project: to write a brand new 100 word short story every single day for 365 days.  It has since been viewed thousands of times by readers from across the globe – from Sri Lanka to Canada, India and Australia.

With just under 300 more days to go, we talk to Tim about the project, celebrity contributors and what writing fiction means to him.

What is One Word, One Story?

It’s a project where members of the public suggest single words and I use those words as titles for flash fiction short stories.  I read each word, an image forms in my mind and I take that image as inspiration for what I write.  I never, ever know what’s going to come next!  And I’m writing a new story every day for a year over at onewordonestory.org.

It sounds crazy.  What made you do it?

A friend of mine suggested the notion of word association as a way of exploring my imagination and practicing my writing.  I started doing that as a hobby.  At first it was single paragraphs but I enjoyed it so much that I turned it into entire short stories.  Taking it public and doing it every day for a year seemed like a fun next step.

You have a strange idea of fun,….

Haha!  I enjoy taking things too far and I like a challenge.  I think this counts for both.

Why just a hundred words?

I wanted to create something that people could read on the go.  People have little time if they’re on a lunch break or travelling to work and I wanted to write something bite-sized that they could enjoy.  Maybe read two or three in a go.  The other reason was the challenge of condensing a whole narrative into so few words – it really makes every word count.  It’s very pure and I like that very much.

Where did the idea of approaching other authors and celebrities come in?

Yeech, I hate the word “celebrities”!  It sounds so contrived and pat.  I want everyone to be able to suggest words and titles but I thought it’d be fun to approach a few writers and actors I admire.  I’ve been honoured that many of them have been kind enough to donate words.

Such as?

Danny John-Jules (“Cat” in the Sci-Fi classic “Red Dwarf”) suggested “SmegForBrains”.  I’ve also had suggestions from screen writers and authors including Mike Wells, Jonathan Maberry, Eddie Robson (Doctor Who) and Robert Shearman (also Doctor Who – writer of the acclaimed Season One story “Dalek”).  I’m keeping quiet about future contributors.  But I’m always asking.  And I’m always looking for new words – anyone can suggest their own.  Hint.

Did you expect it to become this popular?

To be honest, I thought it’d get a couple of hits a day.  I started the site as a hobby, after all.  But within two weeks I was getting hundreds of visitors a day and thousands of hits a month.  It’s been wonderful to connect with people and hear that they’ve enjoyed each story.  That’s been the greatest pleasure.

You can read, contribute to and support Tim’s One Word, One Story project over at onewordonestory.org now.

 

 

Tim Austin On Kindle Publishing Christmas Tails.

Posted on by

Frost: You’ve written a book of short stories for Christmas – tell us a little about them.

Tim: I actually wrote the stories a few years back, as presents for friends and family. There are four stories and each has a different feel and genre. One is a children’s adventure in the style of Enid Blyton, one is a comic farce told in “net speak”, another is a Victorian ghost story.

Frost: But they’re all linked in some way?

Tim: They all contain Dogs, hence the Title; “Christmas Tails”.

Frost: What made you think of publishing them?

Tim: I was encouraged to share them by the people who I’d written them for and people who they had shown them to. The positive reaction took me by surprise, to be honest; I’ve written a few scripts here and there but nothing like this. It was quite flattering so I thought “why not?”
I initially did a short print run of one of the stories, “Dreams”, for local people in Yorkshire. It sold out. I was later told that it had been used in a high school assembly somewhere in Birmingham!

Frost: And now you’ve put the collection on the Kindle Bookstore?

Tim: Yes. It’s also available as a PDF from my website.

Frost: What made you go down the direct publishing route?

Tim: Time and cost, mainly. As an actor chasing work, I’ve little time to be running around after publishers – it’s a bit of a chore, frankly. I thought that publishing online would be the simplest and quickest way of getting the book out there.

Frost: And how have you found self-publishing? Successful? Tricky?

Tim: More difficult than I had expected, to be honest. The trouble with self-publishing is that you’re suddenly responsible for formatting and type-facing the book for use with e-readers (which is a steep learning curve!) as well as marketing the book itself. And the market for e-books is a little different to the market for paperbacks.

Frost: How so?

Tim: It seems to me, having now been poking around the forums and the dozens of e-book related sites on the net, that there is a new culture developing around e-books. The audience is pretty open to new works and new authors but they’re also pretty demanding – pricing is tricky, for example, and they’re not scared of telling you if something doesn’t work!
That said, I’ve found the publishers forum on Amazon very helpful and wonderfully supportive.

Frost: And what about your decision to give 50p per book to Children in Need?

Tim: Well, as much as the money would come in very handy, the important thing to me is having the book in people’s hands and enjoyed. I always feel the tiniest bit guilty that I’ve not been able to give as much as I’d like to the charity over the years and I want to make up for that. It’s a great charity and, with government support ebbing away from many of the causes that Children in Need supports, it just seems like the right thing to do.

Frost: Any future publishing plans?

Tim:
Not immediately. But who knows? If it sells well enough, there may – just may – be a sequel.

Frost: You read it here first.

To buy Christmas Tails, please visit Tim’s main site at www.tim-austin.co.uk or buy it from the Amazon Kindle Bookstore here; Christmas Tails

Has Hollywood Gone Potty for Limeys? How the Brits Conquered Hollywood.

Posted on by

A few weeks ago I attended a fantastic industry networking event in Manchester. Among the exhibitors was Industry Hollywood, a company whose sole aim is to help British actors to grow their exposure across the pond. They told me that UK talent is in real demand over in the “Land of the Free”.

So this got me thinking; is this actually true and, if so, why?

Take a gander at the casts of some of the most popular shows on American network TV and you’re sure to come across a fair few Brits. Archie Panjabi in The Good Wife, Linus Richie in Law and Order, Louise Lombard in CSI – this is just a small selection of Brits to “crack” the US drama scene.

The same can be said of many Hollywood movies, with the re-jigged Batman franchise, the upcoming Man of Steel, The Amazing Spider-Man and recent Oscar contenders such as The Social Network all featuring British performers taking roles that could easily be played by Americans.

So, on the surface at least, Hollywood has indeed gone potty for the “Limeys”. But why?

Could it be a cultural thing? In the UK, we have a long and noble theatre tradition, with actors cutting their teeth on stages across the nation before making the move to TV and onto film. In the US this tradition is often reversed. Might this create a different “style” of performance that is now “in vogue”?

In a 2007 interview for the Radio Times, Stephen Fry talked about the difference between American and British actors; “[Take] the supreme relaxed authenticity of a James Stewart or a George Clooney compared with the brittle contrivances of a Laurence Olivier or a Kenneth Branagh, marvellous as they are”

I would certainly agree that you can, at times, see a distinct difference in style when a British actor is dropped into an American TV drama. Take Christopher Eccleston’s short stint in Heroes – he sticks out like a sore thumb. There’s nothing wrong with his performance but it’s certainly different to those around him; he’s performing a role (brilliantly) while those around him are “inhabiting” their characters in a far more comfortable fashion. I’d say the same about the wonderful Hugh Laurie in House.

Now I’m a firm believer that good acting is good acting and I’m wary of the notion that we Brits are in any way “better” than our American cousins. But does our different tradition and altered style make us more attractive to US casting executives? Is there a fashion for “Brit style” acting at the moment?

Maybe not.

In an interview for the Caledonian Mercury, Scottish TV producer Andrea Calderwood, who now works in the US TV Industry, gives another theory; Cost.

“,… Producers are always on the look out for new talent which won’t break the budget. Enter stage right all those eager and ambitious British actors hungry for that Hollywood breakthrough.”

Are we really just “White Mexicans”, a phrase that is apparently doing the rounds in LA?

Toby Hemmingway, a British actor making huge strides in his career over in America, might have a few words to say about that. In a recent interview for the Guardian, he claimed that British actors benefitted from being more resilient.

“It’s the natural pessimism. Being a good loser. Americans think 15 minutes of fame and it’s all over or it’ll make you. Brits are more dogged and realistic”

It’s an interesting idea; that Brits are more tenacious in their attempts to find work. But is it true?

And, indeed, should we be complaining if we’re simply “cheaper” as long as it get us the work?

Let me know what you think in the comments below0.

This article was originally published at www.tim-austin.co.uk

Doctor Who: 'Closing Time' Review

Posted on by

,… or Two [Cyber]Men and a baby.

In my eyes Season 5 of the new Doctor Who was a weak and uninspiring slog, and easily poorest series since the show returned. But there was a real diamond in the rough; ‘The Lodger’.

Gareth Roberts’ adaptation of his own Doctor Who Magazine comic strip was a joyful, warm-hearted and spirited comedy episode that I loved to bits. So when it was announced that he would be penning a sequel I was pretty excited. But did he deliver? Well, yes and no,…

The Doctor is on a farewell tour, flitting around the universe to catch up on events and experiences that he’s missed out on over the years. He knows that death is on its way and he’s going to make the most of the time he’s got left. Which includes, it seems, a visit to his old mate Craig – now the proud but overwhelmed father of baby Alfie (or Stormageddon; Dark Lord of All, as he likes to be known).

But, this being Doctor Who, The Doctor’s flying visit is derailed by his discovery of Cybermen stalking around the ladies changing rooms at a local department store (ooer!) Cue slapstic monster fighting, Laurel and Hardy level bickering and frolics in the lingerie isle!

Now, for the most part, this episode is a fun and chucklesom romp; it’s Doctor Who; the Situation Comedy. All that’s needed is a wryly named coffee shop, a contractual visit to a bowling alley and a barely plausible laughter track and you’re away!

This isn’t, to my eyes, a bad thing; the programme has been many things in its time – Hammer Horror, surreal Buddhist morality tale, James Bond-esque action adventure – why not a sitcom? It wouldn’t work every week but I’d argue that the occasional flat-out funny episode is no bad thing. I mean it’s not Battlestar Galactica is it?

And it is, indeed, very funny! Matt Smith and James Corden have a brilliant chemistry, with Craig being the straight man to the Doctor’s geeky funnyman. The moment when Craig realises that they’ve been teleported to the Cybership is comedy gold, beautifully played by both. His ham-fisted interrogation of the shop girl had me in stitches.

However, the best lines were handed to young Stormageddon, ably translated by the Doctor – who speaks baby (yeah, right!) “and everybody else?,… Peasants. That’s unfortunate.”

It’s a great script of terrific comic moments and spanking dialogue.

And Cybermen. Damn, I knew you were going to bring them up.

This was not the Metal Men from Mondas’ finest hour. In fact the story would’ve probably worked better without them. All they do is stomp around the place looking mildly pathetic. Their presence is undermined by the revelation that they’re low on juice and low on spare parts. They’re not a fighting force, they’re Dads Army.

Which is a shame because they look wonderful. And the Cybermat is a welcome return from a classic series stalwart. But they’re entirely peripheral to the story and to throw away Doctor Who’s second biggest enemy as, essentially, comedy goons does nobody any favours, least of all the brilliant Gareth Roberts.

So, to me, the story didn’t deliver everything it promised; the comedy was brilliant but the action and threat were sorely lacking. Compared with Craig’s first outing, where his life, his relationship with the love of his life and, ultimately, the fate of the world was in jeopardy,… well this was a bit of a come down, really.

But as come-downs go, ‘Closing Time’ is one I’d watch again.

Dr Who Review: The God Complex

Posted on by

Hotels. Let’s face it, they’re creepy at the best of times. Pop one into Doctor Who, however, and you’re in a whole world of trouble.

As indeed are Rory, Amy and the Doctor when they check in to The God Complex, the 11th episode of series 6.

The complex of the title turns out to be a floating intergalactic prison that has, bizarrely, camouflaged itself to look like a 1980’s hotel. Inside lives a single alien prisoner resembling a Minotaur who feeds off of the faith of other races. In an effort to feed the prisoner, the complex abducts people from passing civilisations and challenges them with their greatest fears, forcing them to fall back on their core beliefs so that the Minotaur can gobble them up.
Riiiiiiiight.

Okay, as a premise this one barely hangs together… but then again, when has that ever stopped Doctor Who? Baby creatures made from excess body fat, flying sharks, 100ft tall steam-powered Cybermen; it’s all in a day’s work for the Timelord and his chums.

And in this case, it doesn’t matter a jot that the logic of this episode is a light breeze away from falling apart completely. Toby Whithouse’s script is a joyous combination of touching characterisation, creepy imagery, pithy dialogue and genuine emotional clout. It’s a great piece of work and everything I’ve come to expect from the creator of the sublime BBC3 series ‘Being Human’.

Rita and Gibbs are especially well-written and realised. Rita (played by the lovely Amara Karan) conveyed more humanity, sweetness and character in one episode than Amy managed in the whole of Series 5… so you knew she was going to get the chop. Which she did.
Drat.

And Gibbs was another great addition to the Whoniverse – a creature whose main aim in life is to be enslaved by the next passing alien race. “Our national Anthem is ‘Glory to Insert Name Here‘,” he explains. A fabulous idea brought to life by the ever-dependable David Walliams.

But it was the final denouement that really lifted this episode up with the best this season has had to offer. The Doctor finally letting Amy and Rory go after – lets face it – royally screwing with their lives. It was a poignant finale to a rather fabulous episode of Who and I challenge anyone not to have a lump in their throat after seeing Matt Smith all alone in the cavernous TARDIS – the “Lonely God” once more. Sob.

So who does he turn to? Why, Craig from ‘The Lodger’ of course! Next week sees the return of my favourite character from Season 5 (hurrah!) and Cybermen. Let the good times continue to roll…

Acting Up! Returning to a Life Less Ordinary

Posted on by

Well, it’s been a funny old year. About this time in 2010, I was sitting at a desk in a soulless office, writing websites, drinking coffee and watching my life and my ambitions swirl slowly down the drain. I’d only taken the job to pay for my wedding and already it had taken over my life, and not in a good way.

I was depressed. This wasn’t me. I’d been touring theatre and producing shows since I was 17. I was a performer, a creative thinker. Now here I was, getting fatter, grumpier and watching my life hit a brick wall in teeth-shattering slow motion.

So I stopped. One day I just walked into work and told my employers, in an embarrassingly polite, wet liberal way, where they could stick their job (“Sorry! I hope it’s not too inconvenient, I know you’re busy.”)

Some people said that I was insane. Mind-bogglingly, eye-wateringly insane. I’d just resigned from a secure, reasonably well paid job in the middle of a recession. Insane!

But there were others who said something quite, quite different.

They said “Well done”. They even used the word, and I’m embarrassed to repeat it because I still don’t really believe them, “brave”.

Truth be told, I’m not insane. I’m not particularly brave either. I just made a choice. Move sideways into another dead end job or move forward into a career that I actually enjoyed. Simple really.

But has it worked? Am I happier, more fulfilled, more engaged and more successful now that I’m back in on stage and screen?

Well over the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing my experiences, thoughts, triumphs and failures with the readers of Frost Magazine. There have been good times, bad times and just-plain-weird times. I’ll also be sharing a bit of the wisdom I’ve learnt from casting directors and actors along the way.

But first, I’ll leave you with a question; What is the most impulsive choice you’ve ever made,… and did it work?

You can find out more about Tim Austin at his WordPress page; http://actortim.wordpress.com.

Check back next Wednesday for more Acting Up!