I’ve studied writing at the Royal Court Theatre, National Film & Television School, and FilmFour. During that time, I’ve had many great mentors, feedback, and 1on1 advice from professional writers, editors, and producers. Not all good advice works for everyone, and not all of it sticks, but some can be game-changing.
Like any profession, you can have a natural talent for writing, but it can also be taught. No matter how good you are, you will get better through practice, experience, and sound advice. Here are the five pieces of writing advice which influenced me the most:
Write like you are talking to a friend
One of the most straightforward but compelling pieces of writing advice I received was to ‘imagine you are telling the story to a friend in a pub.’ When I first started writing, I’d just write. I never had a particular reader or audience in mind; I just wanted to tell a story. That’s not necessarily a bad way to write, but I found a lot of benefits in imagining I’m telling the story to someone.
Another way I’ve heard this is, ‘writing to no one in particular is writing to no one.’ Focusing on telling the story to a particular person helped me write more naturally. Imagining you are telling your story to a friend can be immediately relaxing and allows you to find your natural style and write with intimacy.
Focus on one page at a time
Forget the end of the story, forget the next scene, and write the moment. So often, I was overconcerned about how the scene would end or conscious of how each scene needed to connect. Learning to put that all to one side and focus on each scene, page, and moment, took my writing to a different level.
Every page deserves your full attention. There will be certain moments and plot points you need to be in a scene, and you don’t want things to meander and go off-topic, but you must trust your ability. Focus on getting the most out of a scene, allowing yourself to explore the characters and moments. You can tidy up the direction and find neat endings in later edits.
Write anything and write often
‘Inspiration comes from effort’. Someone constantly reminded me of this, encouraging me to write. It’s simple but effective. Like any skill, writing is something you will perfect by doing it. The more you write, the better you become.
Writing is the best cure for writer’s block or lack of inspiration. When you feel stuck, write a random scene with two random characters, or write a monologue for a character struggling to write. Not everything you write needs to be unique or inspirational, but the more you write, the more of it you will find.
Don’t start writing the 2nd draft before you’ve finished the 1st
I often rewrote my opening scene for the 10th time before I’ve written beyond the first act. It became a bad habit. Every time I sat down to write, I’d read the previous scene or even start from the beginning. I’d then find myself rewriting those scenes and not progressing.
This was one of my worst writing habits. I’d soon lose momentum for the story and sometimes never get to the end. Hearing award-winning writers tell you that a first draft is always bad, can help you understand the importance of completing that story before criticising and writing draft two. Your first and prime goal for a first draft is getting to the end.
Make friends with other writers
When I began writing, I saw it as a very personal thing and only shared my stories with a select few people; and only when I felt they were complete. One of the best pieces of advice I got was to join writing communities and make friends with other writers.
I’ve discovered as a writer, I’m even better when bouncing off others and gaining inspiration from talking and sharing honest feedback and thoughts. Having like-mind people you can share ideas with and swap feedback can be a game changer. Workshopping and brainstorming your stories with others can take them to another level. They are still your stories, and you still get to make the decisions, but sometimes it can help get direct inspiration and direction from others.
Bonus: Destroy your first draft and start again
This is one piece of advice I’ve always loved but honestly never been brave enough to try. One of my favourite writing teachers, Jan Fleischer, said once you finish your first draft, read it once, then destroy it. You’ll only remember the good stuff when you write the second draft.
It would take a courageous person to try this, especially after writing a 100+ page first draft. But maybe there’s something in it.
