10 Writing Tips From Me (A Bestselling Author)

Writing a book, screenplay, heck, even a blog post takes time, research and often many drafts so you can make creative changes to aid the story, and are able to proof read. A career or even a hobby writing, is usually a life long commitment to honing your voice and endless learning. c

I wanted to share some more tips (as it’s been a while) that have helped me write two bestselling books: a non fiction book titled Mumboss (listed as one of the top 10 business books written by women by The Independent) and my recent children’s book Greek Myths, Folktales and Legends, for 8-12 year olds, respectively which was recommended in The Sunday Times last week!

Here are my tips:  

1. Consistency is key. When it comes to writing books, I set myself a goal of writing 500 words a day where possible (as a busy working mum of three with a broadcast and creator career). With my Greek Myths book, I would write three myths over two months for example, spreading out the workload, so you can also set yourself targets over a period of time if that works for you. Deadlines are important as they motivate you to get writing. The more you write, the more you write. It really is that simple. It’s like exercising a muscle. If you feel stuck, start writing Morning Pages: Dorethea Brande’s invention as described in her famous book, Becoming a Writer, published in 1934, advising you to write each morning upon waking, allowing a stream of consciousness to flow from you, so as to help to normalise the craft. You must not read your work back but simply write. 
2. Take yourself seriously. Some say, ‘fake it until you make it’ but you’re not faking it when you are doing the work and writing! So refer to yourself as a writer please. Taking yourself seriously means you will approach your work professionally and this attitude coupled with hitting your daily or monthly deadlines will allow you to grow in confidence. 
3. Research methodically. When you have an idea for a screenplay or book, begin by dedicating time to research whether that’s reading widely on the subject matter, meeting and interviewing those who could help you understand the characters and story you are portraying or even travelling to a country or town you are depicting, try where possible to dig as deeply as possibly and respectfully (within your financial means of course) to support your work. Libraries are a super resource so spend time there.
4. Write detailed character studies. Character leads to plot so begin there. Write everything you can about the characters in your story. Split the studies into categories: their physical appearance, emotional mindset and where they are presently. Behave like a psychologist and learn about the inner workings of your characters. Include their childhood, education, jobs, relationships, absolutely everything you can think of in these written character studies. 
5. Next comes the plot. Work out what journey your characters will go on and how they will change from the start until the end, with a climax towards the end. There will be turning points throughout your story and you might want to include a subplot which feeds into the main narrative. Work out what message you want to say, what your overall theme is too. 
6. Once you have a finished first draft, don’t show it to just anyone you can think of. Choose one of two people max. whose opinion you trust and ask for their feedback, ensuring they know this is a first draft with many more to come. Be strong with your vision but not pedantic and precious. Serve the story, not your ego. 
7. The films that you see and the novels you read will have gone through a multitude of drafts, sometimes up to 50 or more. Writing is all in the rewriting. It is important to add though that at some point, you will have to accept the story is as finished as it can be. As creatives, we can find it hard to walk away from a project because nothing creative is ever truly finished to us. It’s important to know when a piece works and doesn’t require another draft! 
8. Seeking representation is ideal if you want to follow a traditional publishing route (and not self publish for eg). Research literary agents you feel will resonate with your work. You can follow lots on Instagram (just search) who are usually generous with their advice and in sharing what they’re looking for when it comes to submissions (guidelines are on their websites). This is the first step. Often you will meet an interested agent in person, they will offer feedback on your manuscripts or ideas and they will work with you to get it into the best shape before they approach publishers. A screenplay can take a lot longer to go from script to screen than a book being published. When I worked in the film industry it could be anything from 2-7 years or more, as once the screenplay is optioned, new screenwriters can be brought on (which differs from publishing on the whole) and even if that doesn’t happen, to see the film make it to production is often down to the cast who become attached to it, and the finance it requires, which can take a long time. 
9. Don’t expect your first book or screenplay to be picked up either. Many acclaimed writers have written several books or screenplays that never got commissioned before they finally saw their work published or greenlit. Nothing is ever wasted, you are constantly learning and evolving and it’s important to remember that you must live life in order to be inspired to write. 
10. If you don’t have a degree or master’s which relates to creative writing, screenwriting or English, it’s never too late to apply and learn. There are many part time courses available over a 2 year period for example you could couple with a job, or even online courses for flexibility. Publishers often run courses which are well worth investigating. Good luck and please don’t doubt yourself and begin! You deserve to see your work out there!