Put All the Writing Advice Aside

Every day I see a post from a writer seeking advice. They peruse writer interviews and all the social platforms for tips by talented professionals in the writing community. That's fantastic. I applaud all who actively seek to distill the truth from the myth.

But when is it time to stop listening to the writing experts?

I’ve spoken with countless pro writers and managers over the years, and one thing is always the same—every one of them has a different opinion. Just when you think you found “the answer,” you open a screenwriting book or step into a conference session and there it is ... another contradiction.

Even on this site, we have purposely brought on contributors we know will challenge each other.

Some swear by the beats of Save the Cat, while others say never to outline, but instead, let your characters speak to you and decide their own fate. I’ve even heard of one guru tell the entire audience that none of them will ever make it as professional writers while the very next speaker preached they will all break in as long as they don’t quit.

Personally, I love a variety of opinions, but some days, my head begs to explode.

I’m not suggesting to ignore advice from professionals with inside knowledge, nor to stop reading books or furthering your education. Just the opposite. Do your research, learn different structure techniques, and understand the perspectives of the people who know this industry and craft better than you. But the ultimate goal should be to find the expert’s advice that speaks to you—the one that intuitively clicks with your own unique, creative mind and makes you say, “Now, I get it!”

Let's face it, some tips go right over our heads when we're baby writers. But if we read that same advice years later, we'd now understand their points. Whether we'd agree with that advice is another question. Why? Because we have actual experience putting words on the page, as well as experience being rejected. Over and over again.

Every story we write and every rejection we get offers a new lesson on how to improve.

Once you understand the rules, then shake them up. Take one rule from one expert, three rules from another, and a handful from someone else and create a system of writing that works for you.

And for all that is holy, please stop comparing yourself to other writers! No writer's process matches another. Just because someone declares you must write everyday or you'll never succeed, doesn't make that statement true. That's simply what works for them. You need to find a schedule and process that works for you.

Trust your gut. Be original. Write the way only you can write.

Therein lies the “secret” to success—at some point, you must push the books aside and sit your ass in the chair and write. Don’t just vomit out words; write them with your own unique writing voice. Make them sing on the page. Make it impossible for someone to put down.

Because I promise you, when someone is engrossed in your story, they don’t even think about Save the Cat, The Hero’s Two Journeys, Robert McKee’s Story or anything else. All they can think about is having to turn the page to discover what happens next.

I keep coming back to one response when asked for my advice: You can master networking and querying, but if you don’t have an exceptionally written story, you’ll never get your foot in the door.

Never.

You can take every webinar, read writing books a thousand times over, and create an enormous network, but it won’t mean a thing if you don't have the writing talent to back up your pitch.

I'd also argue that the kind of talent execs look for starts in the heart, not the head.

Put that outline and beat sheet aside. A great script starts with your passion for the project. Be connected to it. It will show. If you are just writing something because you think it’s commercial, you’re lack of passion will be evident. If you aren’t passionate about it, you’ll never get an executive to be either.

That passion keeps you motivated to dive back in over and over and over again for rewrites, inspires you to keep pitching it, and keeps your head in the game, unwilling to quit.

And the one thing no writing expert can teach you is passion. That comes from within you and only you. With that emotional connection, you’ll discover your unique writer’s voice and be able to channel your inner Greta Gerwig or Eric Roth ... or whomever's style you adore.

Bottom-line, don’t let anyone box you into thinking there’s only one way to write that stand-out script. There are as many ways to break in as there are people who have broken in.

Finally, here's one piece of advice I bet every writing expert could agree with: If you don’t love your work, no one else will. And if you love it, it will show in the writing ... and your passion will become infectious.

It seems simple, but the real problem is so many writers are afraid to write that passion project. It requires opening up your own wounds and bleeding on the page. It demands being vulnerable.

I'm challenging you ... begging you ... to write the story that scares the crap out of you. Seriously. Do it.

No expert can teach you how to be brave enough to be vulnerable. That's up to you.

*Feature image by fran_kie (Adobe)