Thinking About Being A Writer

This week we get a bit more practical with our thoughts as we consider ways that people might turn their writing into a career. We cover topics like building up solid sample scripts, how to get noticed, creating and maintaining contacts and the big doozy of money. Plus a good old existential discussion of how much it all matters at the end of the day.

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Mixing by Peter Thompson
Music by Chris Stamper 
Illustration by Matt Miles https://www.instagram.com/datmattmiles/
Design by Adam Smith

Transcript

Ello podifiers. We’ve done a fair bit of thinking about writing, haven’t we? And if you’re listening to this podcast and it’s not because you’re a loyal friend or blood relative of mine, hi mum and dad, then there’s a possibility you’re here because you’d like to be a writer. Now there’s a point of view that anyone who writes is a writer, and I do think that’s a lovely and valid statement, and I’ll have more such lovey dovey platitudes further on, so stay tuned for that and a group hug, but for the bulk of this episode let’s assume that by being a writer we mean that is your principle career and the main if not sole source of your income. So how does someone do that? That’s a difficult question, but here we are considering some of the ways and means. We’re going to think about portfolios of work, breaking in, making contacts and hopefully money. So slip on your writing shoes, remove that pen permanently stashed behind your ear so as to make copious notes and accompany me on some ways of thinking about writing.

Thinking About Writing - Basically Being A Writer

Hi, I’m Robin Taylor, comedy writer and script editor unextraordinaire, and this is thinking about writing, the podcast which endeavours to explore and demystify some of the terminology and techniques involved in script writing. It’s for anyone who’s writing or thinking about writing for radio, theatre, film and TV as well as anyone exploring alternative career options so they don’t have to go to work tomorrow. You’re being quite optimistic there, but let’s see what happens.

So yes, being a writer. This is a topic which was requested by Clare Gittins, an exciting aspiring writer, and if you had any subjects you’d like discussed then do be suggesting them, via twitter is your best bet @writing_pod. I must be frank with you friends, I was slightly reluctant to take on this topic because it can be quite an ethereal thing. There’s no one way to do it, we all travel different roads, some are significantly longer or bumpier than others and it can be frustrating to hear someone say “Just do this…” and you want to cry out “I am doing that! And it’s still not working” Also it can be hard either not to sound annoyingly, almost naively hopeful about people’s prospects of turning their writing into a career, nor to sound like a bitterly cynical dream crusher. Hopefully we’ll find a pragmatic middle ground. Because you do need hope to keep going through the setbacks and rejections everyone faces at some point, and acknowledging that it can be really tough hopefully helps with coping and persisting. And there should be some ideas, info and drive for you in this here episode. Fingers crossed. 

But let’s begin by taking that initial idea that anyone who writes is a writer and flip reverse it by acknowledging that to be a writer, you need to do some writing. So let’s assess the kind of work it can help to do before you begin the hopeful journey towards professional writer hood.

Thinking About, well, Writing

A recurring theme that’ll come up across this episode is that a lot of people want to be writers and anyone can claim their passion and enthusiasm for the craft, but it is also a matter of proving this. And the obvious place to begin that is by writing a script. Just having an idea alone is rarely going to cut it, especially if there is no proof that you have the drive and capability to execute it. Having a great idea is good, turning it into a script is much much better. So a sample script is more often than not essential. Ideally a strong sample script isn’t just a solid complete piece of work which proves you can sit down and finish something to a good standard, it’s also a showcase of you as a writer. It shouts out your style, perspective and essence so you appear interesting and exciting to whoever is reading your work. Therefore anything which is more generic or emulative is less likely to stand out. On a side bar it is interesting to note that in America a spec script is often an episode of an existing show, which isn’t really the done thing in the UK, and is more about proving you can do the thing. And indeed if trying to get a staff job on a continuing drama or the like, a well structured and competent sample is probably a better bet than your experimental opus. But even in writing to someone else’s style it is possible, desirable even, to bring your own personality to it. But when we’re talking about getting some initial attention, a distinctive, individual script is a great thing to have. So obviously it’s a case of determining what that script would be. And episodes of this good old pod on Ideas and Process may help you figure that out. 

I’d also say that it can be wise to try out different mediums and genres. Having a clear idea of what you want to write, such as TV comedy, can help with focus certainly, but being open to trying other options may produce surprising results. You may assume you’re not a radio or a drama writer for instance, then you have a go at writing such a script and surprise yourself. Or you could prove to yourself that you’re better sticking with what you know. But let’s acknowledge that opportunities are limited and some industries are harder to break into than others, so having versatility simply opens up more possibilities. And indeed, while having one sample is a good starting point, having a few, maybe even of different types, is even better. Say you manage to make contact with someone who works in a particular medium. Clearly it’s smart to tell them you’re really passionate about writing for that medium. If they then ask if you have a sample script and your response is no, well it could bring into question just how passionate you are, but also whipping out an appropriate script shows commitment and maintains momentum much more than asking if you can send it in a few months after you’ve put one together.

This does come with some caveats. If you do have a particular area that interests you such as comedy then it can be smart to show some focus and dedication towards that. Realistically other areas may simply not interest you, so there’s no need to punish yourself producing work in that medium or genre if you wouldn’t want a job in that area, even if it was a possibility. Also there can be a risk that if you’ve written something of everything with no particular emphasis in any one direction, you might perceived as still figuring out who you are as a writer. But that depends on the open mindedness of the person you’re dealing with.

And with all of this being said, one sample is of course still better than no sample and could get the ball rolling, particularly if you’ve got some accompanying ideas. I’ve said before that sometimes a response to a script may be that’s interesting but not right for us, what else have you got, at which point having something else is certainly useful. And maybe that’s just pitches, but having some fleshed out concepts and supporting documents again demonstrates you’re taking it seriously and not just winging it. In a similar vein, making sure you’ve really worked on your sample, have done some rewrites on it, had a bit of input, even if just from friends or family, means you’re not just taking a punt with a first draft. Maybe even persuade those friends and family to do a read through so you can hear it out loud and assess how well it works. Of course you might want to read books on writing technique, watch videos and talks, listen to podcasts, hello! All of these can help you consider your approach and skills, and consuming culture is obviously wise in terms of assessing what works and appeals to you in a script. Plus when you meet fellow creatives they love to talk about things they’ve recently enjoyed, or not, so having no awareness or perspective can be a disadvantage. 

And in the bigger picture getting a sense of yourself as a writer can be incredibly useful too - knowing what you want to write and why shows thoughtfulness and drive and recognises that you aren’t just selling the script as a product, you can often be selling yourself as a creator who is committed, diligent and passionate. In a sea of scripts with negligible differences between them it can often be the writer themselves who can sell a project by having a clear persona and perspective. Finally it’s worth pointing out that your first script may not be the one that captures who you are, we talk about finding our voice, and that can mean trying things out, evolving or strengthening your style, acknowledging what you like and are best suited to. So you shouldn’t feel pressure that the first thing you write is a prime example of your potential, but equally this may mean writing a few scripts before you land on one which is right to show the world. And getting that sense and understanding of your own work is another challenge on the road towards a writing career. Oh, and I’d also suggest caution if you’re thinking about writing a whole series worth of scripts. A second episode sometimes can help sharpen and demonstrate your vision, but if you’ve written, say ten episodes and then get some feedback which would fundamentally reshape the series as whole, those later episodes may become totally defunct, so it’s not really time well spent.

Before we move on, you might be wondering how much writing should you be doing? Should you be setting targets to churn out a certain number of words every day. Well if that works for you and drives you and is even achievable, have at it. I would point out that writing scripts is a very different process from writing a novel, where word count is critical, whereas with a script realistically it is possible to write one in a far shorter amount of time than a big old book. And for many writers the real work isn’t about generating the words but honing them afterwards, or is away from the keyboard, mulling over the idea. That being said the script does have to be written, of course. And for a lot of people it is hard to find the time and the energy to write, life is draining, work and responsibilities take up our time, we procrastinate, and it seems right to acknowledge that creating can be really daunting. What if what we write is no good or nobody likes it? This kind of thinking essentially creates barriers which need to be broken through. You need to get something on the page if you’re serious about this as a career. And if you’ve had terrible day at the office, rather than use that as justification for taking it easy, if you can, use that as motivation to write, so that maybe you can quit that job one day. Then you can have a terrible day of writing instead! I’m joking. Somewhat.

Once you’ve put in this groundwork of generating a body of work, the obvious question is what next.

Thinking About Getting Noticed

So let’s assume you’ve got some kick arse scripts sitting on your desktop and you’re raring to go. What’s next? Well one of the go to options is to submit your work to competitions and opportunities. And I talk about this a bit in the episode Thinking About Criticism, but that’s officially the least listened to episode of series one - I guess people don’t like criticism, justice for Thinking About Criticism! But if you’re not running off to listen to that episode now, let’s do a little recap. Are competitions worth entering? Yes, particularly when they’re free. They can give you a reason to work on or finish a script, you can get a sense of accomplishment in submitting, some developmental schemes provided support and opportunities to entrants, being short listed or reaching a certain percentile can be another means of distinguishing yourself from the herd of writers, and there’s a chance you could be chosen as a top entry. But it is a chance, and a somewhat slim one at that, as competitions can be incredibly competitive, (What are the chances!) with thousands of entries being whittled down to a handful if not one. And when it comes to competitions with a fee then prudence and research are wise. More focused initiatives with specific requirements, such as regional competitions or call outs for under-represented writers, may have better odds if you’re eligible, but pinning all of your efforts and hopes onto call outs can simply restrict your chances as a writer. And to prove this point, some schemes include interviews with shortlisted candidates, so even if you have a knock out script, if that’s all you have and there’s no other indications of efforts to get your work made, that could be a mark against you.

Here, again, it’s a matter of proving your enthusiasm and commitment. So how is that done? Well, one way is to get something of some description made in some form, and I’m purposefully being vague there because it could be anything at any level. Producing little sketches and shorts can provide a solid demonstration of your desire to create. And I acknowledge that yes, this is daunting, these things can cost money and take significant time and effort, but something incredibly low budget is better than nothing at all. I’d certainly dissuade you from sinking huge amounts of money into something, but investigating funding possibilities can be wise - again, a daunting prospect but hopefully we’ll be talking to people who know about such things in the future. As discussed in the recent chat with Gemma Arrowsmith, being able to show someone what you’ve made and not just ask them to add your script to a pile of scripts they already have to plow through can be very powerful. If you’re thinking it can be tricky to find an audience, well yes, absolutely, but this is more about showing your intention than becoming a TikTok superstar. Do you need a website and the like? Not necessarily, but it won’t hurt either if it’s viable for you.

When you meet someone and they ask what have you done to advance your writing career and your answer is that you’ve written a script and you really want to make it, that’s not quite as potent as saying I made this, I developed this, I had a read through of this. Basically any proof that you’re taking your writing seriously will make others inclined to take you seriously. And it can be anything, it doesn’t need to be specifically in the field you’re ultimately aiming for. It’s incredibly rare that someone decides they want to write for TV and then they get a job writing a TV show. They need to learn and gain experience through other means first. And producing a TV sample can be much more expensive than other options, even for a little teaser, when there are more budgetary requirements. Podcasts and audio content can be incredibly cheap to produce, which again is another reason to consider and explore multiple options. And theatre is seen as an accessible route in, so getting involved with local companies can be a game changer, check out the interview with Box of Tricks theatre to get an idea of how to go about doing that.

Indeed getting involved with local resources or writing groups has the added benefit that you can do that before you’ve managed to complete a script, to provide inspiration and support in your endeavours, as well as building up relevant experience. And it can also be the beginning of one of the most important parts of a writing career, building up networks and contacts.

Thinking About Contacts.

We’ve all heard the old expression “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” haven’t we? Have you not? Well you have now. And on the surface it can feel like a depressing adage, suggesting nepo babies and old school chums have a natural advantage in life. And let’s not pretend that isn’t often the case. But for us regular folks there is still a lesson in that saying, which is the importance of building up a network or community of fellow creatives is really important. As ever it’s easy to think of writing as a solitary activity, but if you want to build a career you will have to work with others, it is a collaborative industry, and that’s a beautiful thing. So building relationships with producers, directors, performers and the other myriad of people who work in the arts is incredibly beneficial. It can be slightly awkward for some writers who do prefer to be solitary creatures, thanks very much, and break out into a cold sweat at the idea of networking events and working the room. But it is important to try to meet or connect with people, instigate conversations, follow up, maintain relationships. Ask for things! That can be intimidating, sure, but the worst that can happen is the person says no, whereas if you never ask, you won’t get it anyway. Often successful people are the ones who are bold, overcome their fears and seek out what they want, because in reality people aren’t likely to come and find you and ask if you happen to have a script they could read, you need to help them find you by popping up in their face.

The goal is ultimately to identify people on your wavelength who enjoy your writing and may seek opportunities to work with you. How do you do that? Well, go to events and talks, find the courage to introduce yourself to people, then ask if you can speak further in the future. Email and social media is an option for instigating communication, but they’re rarely as impactful as meeting in person. Also recognise that there can be an interconnectedness to this, one person you meet may suggest you talk to someone else who then gets you in touch with another who then turns out to be the one you build a working relationship with. And indeed referral is a powerful tool, saying so and so suggested I get in touch can help you feel like less of an unknown entity. A big part of a writing career can be getting an agent to help make connections and overcome the fact that many organisations don’t accept unsolicited material, and even getting an agent can be helped by being referred to contact them. This is a big old subject we’ll hopefully be covering next series as I’m working on lining up an agent to make a guest appearance, using contacts and referrals! It’s taking persistence, a case in point! 

But there can be a chicken and the egg element to all of this - how do you meet a producer if you don’t have an agent? How do you get an agent if you don’t have a credit? And how can you get a credit if you don’t know any producers? This is why it’s again worth considering a multi-pronged approach, trying as many routes as you can manage. Putting all of your hopeful eggs into one basket naturally lowers the chance of success, whereas multiple options includes the chances of someone giving you that first opening which will lead to more paths becoming available. So focusing solely on one script, on one contact, on one route in may lead to limitation. And if an opportunity arises which is appealing and viable, generally take it. If someone says lets chat some time, follow it up, send them a project if they’ve expressed an interest. Don’t just assume they’re being nice or that the script isn’t good enough. Natural doubts and insecurities can be one of the biggest restrictions a writer faces, so fight those demons!

Maintaining relationships can obviously be hard as everyone is generally overwhelmed with communication these days, but it’s important not to let things slide. This is something I personally struggle with, not wanting to be a nuisance so thinking “I’ll give them some time and space” then next thing I know four months have gone past. Getting in touch with an intention obviously helps rather than just saying hello. “I’ve got a new script I was hoping you might look at” or “I was wondering about blah” or if you know they’ve had good news getting in touch to congratulate them. But it’s important to recognise the need to knock at a lot of doors multiple times and not to hastily take a lack of response as a knock back which makes you give up, as busy people sometimes do need reminders. Obviously don’t harass people and call their home at two in the morning, I’m not advocating that. And be smart enough to recognise if a contact isn’t necessarily going anywhere and focus elsewhere. But that person might still reemerge in the future, so you don’t want to be burning bridges either.

There’s a similar level of commitment required in building up community. If you go to a new writing theatre and say you want to put on a play and they tell you all their slots are currently taken so you leave and never go back then you’re clearly never going to get anywhere. Whereas staying involved and showing your enthusiasm will make you more ingrained and bring advantages, because people tend to like working with someone committed, passionate and supportive. If you’re a youngling listening to this and wanting to write then get involved with drama groups at school or university. If you’re not a youngling, find any creative group in your area or online and get stuck in. And really it’s important to give back too, support and uplift your fellow creatives, do unto others as you’d hope to have done unto you. It can be tempting to look at fellow writers as your competition when really there should be camaraderie, these people understand you and your experiences and you could ultimately end up working together or creating supportive networks if you develop that fellowship. Obviously I’d hope you wouldn’t take this as mercenary advice, telling you to fake niceness in case someone can get you a job. Hopefully it’ll come from a genuine passion for creating, collaborating and supporting artistry. Because loving what you do can be really vital in an industry which, frankly isn’t always incredibly lucrative. And with that in mind, let’s talk about those inevitable financial considerations.

Thinking About Money

Ah, the sordid topic of coin. No doubt it’s very appealing to look at incredibly successful writers and think one day too I can lie on a bed made of cash and dedicate my time to airing my divisive opinions on Twitter. But for maybe jobbing writers it’s not that luxurious. It requires constant manoeuvring and marketing to get things read let alone made, hoping to get a gig, maybe an episode here or there. There can be feast and famine fluctuations where you’re making coins for a few months then the rest of the year is dead. Many people supplement their writing earnings with additional jobs or standard careers. Some may find work in the industry, which could be writing focused such as script editing, script reading or script supervising. Or it could be something more technical, like being a runner, which comes with the added hope that you’re again building your network by meeting people who may be able to tell you about opportunities or offer your work. Hence such jobs are incredibly sought over and not necessarily well paid. So how do you get them? Erk, look for vacancies, follow people on twitter who are good at declaring them, ask your contacts if they know of anything. And there may be a need to take a punt, even if you worry you’re not quite right for a job, because persistence has more chance of paying off than not trying at all. Many writers have non-industry jobs and any writing work they get is supplemental income, again demonstrating the need to find time to write when other things are demanding your time and energy.

In terms of the kind of money a writer may earn, there’s some terminology I can explain, exciting. There can be an option which is where a producer essentially takes up exclusivity of your idea for a limited amount of time, so that they may try to sell it and have it produced. This is usually a small amount of money, and often the bigger benefit is an indication of commitment from the producer, but obviously a bit of cash is good too. But it can mean writing and working on the idea without any further payment in the hopes interest can be generated. Above this is a commission where the writer is paid to write the script, with a fee often split in half upon accepting the offer and delivering a completed project, which could mean multiple drafts. And there’s no guarantee that something commissioned will get made, in fact they very often aren’t. There can be developmental funds, money to support you while completing a project, but these are rare things. And if working in a writers room or contributing to story lining or rewriting someone else’s script etc, that should really be paid work too. Frankly it can be quite an achievement to get paid anything for your writing. And while a first pay cheque may be a pittance it can also be a major milestone for new writers, a bit of recognition and impetus to keep going and certainly worth celebrating. 

The innate imbalance between supply and demand when it comes to aspiring writers can mean that a lot of work which can be expected from a writer may be offered as low paid or even unpaid.   And this can again lead to wealthy or supported folk who can afford to do such things to take them on. We can often see experienced writers insisting that writers know their worth and should be paid fairly for their work, but it’s wise not to be naive and recognise the harsh reality that if someone with no credentials is asked to do something for free and they say not unless they get paid, the person offering that work could simply say “Ok, don’t do it then.” And maybe you are better off avoiding situations like that, but it’s really tough when you’re seeking a break of any kind. There are some occasions when writers at the start of their career, needing to prove themselves and build up the credits as we discussed earlier do have to take on jobs where the pay is minimal or non-existent. Ultimately it’s about weighing up the benefits. If you get a solid product, credit, reference or experience out of it, or perhaps even just enjoy doing it, then maybe there’s enough positives to justify it. It’s important not be exploited though with excessive and inconsiderate expectations on your time and effort. But yes, certainly push to make sure the work you are doing is suitably reimbursed. Ideally have a contract setting out boundaries, your fee and your rights and ownership of the material. While researching these kinds of issues I was checking out the wise words of the Writers Guild of Great Britain, and guess what, they’ll be a guest on next week’s episode to cover some of these issues! 

The fact is there can be a very insidious attitude that writers are lucky to be given the opportunity to do the thing they love and should be grateful for simply doing the job, let alone getting paid, ignoring the fact that without writers the creative industry would basically fall apart. But this can lead us to the big question about writing as a profession.

Do you want to be a writer? Or do you simply enjoy writing?

So excuse me for getting a bit pretentious again, but writing is a beautiful thing. If you enjoy writing and it gives you an opportunity to be creative, express yourself and make things then that’s amazing and wonderful and can be a self-contained worthwhile pursuit in itself. Like many things in life, once it becomes a job, your relationship with it can shift. What was once a recreational hobby and means of escape may become a duty and the way you make money, which obviously brings pressures with it. You may have to take on more commercial considerations in terms of what might sell instead of what you just fancy writing. And we can argue you should only write what you love, but that can be easier said than done if you’re struggling to get interest in what you love and you’re worried about keeping the lights on. So if writing is a means of escapism it could be worth deciding if it’s better staying as such, or alternatively as a side project you pursue as a secondary concern, rather than how you get food on the table.

Saying that, if you can turn something you love into your career, that can be a beautiful thing too, following a calling and a dream. But within this we’d recognise that it is a job, not some artistic non-job. Sure, you don’t have to commute and deal with people microwaving fish in the communal kitchen, but the removal of a traditional work setup can mean it’s difficult to switch off or have clear boundaries on your work hours. And writing requires hard work and perseverance, there will be knock backs and many moments of doubt. And on top of that it can feel hard to stand out, be heard and take up some of the limited space and opportunities. It can take years to get a break, and nothing is ever guaranteed. The industry can chew people up and spit them out, people can burn out and move on, that’s reality. And there isn’t a natural logical progression to things, one day you can be nobody then the next minute you’re the talk of the town, and vice versa. You can do all the things we’ve talked about and write great scripts, but that still doesn’t guarantee success, which can be hard to wrap your head around.

Now I’m not trying to deter anyone from writing, this show is called Thinking About Writing, not Thinking About Not Bloody Bothering Writing. I think if you can hear all of this and still think yes I want to try, yes I believe I can handle that, then in many ways that’s a major part of the battle won. Of course it also means working on your craft, developing and evolving as a writer, and that’s what every other episode of the pod is about. But clearly some people who aren’t the greatest writers in the world have successful careers, no I’m not naming names, so it’s evident that being skilled at working the system can be a major boon on top of the pure dazzling talent I’m sure you all have.

It’s also worth evaluating what success means in this context. We might think that it means winning loads of awards and making tons of cash, but that’s a very prescriptive definition. If you want to be a writer for clout and money, it might happen, but there are probably less competitive and uncertain means of achieving that. But if it’s about the love of writing, then success is far more obtainable if we recognise it more willingly. If you’ve written something, that’s a success, if you produce it in some form, that’s a success, if you have a script read out to a room of people or even share it with one friend, that’s success. That’s sharing your creativity with others and creating a response. Life’s short and you should find happiness where you can rather than worrying purely about legacy and profit. But if you have drive, energy and commitment then who knows where that could take you? And that’s why all of these factors are absolutely worth thinking about. Yeah yeah, it’s the end of the episode, you’ve figured out my tricks by now, haven’t you? You clever little things.

Outro

Well there we go, we thought about some of the elements of being a writer. A slightly more serious episode than usual, I’ll make a lot more stupid jokes next time. Sometimes we need a motivational boost or to not give ourselves such a hard time, so I hope this might have helped in some capacity. If there’s anything else you’d like to discuss or declare is all well and good to say but in reality, etc etc, then get in touch on Twitter, why am I openly inviting hostility? @writing_pod or write a review of the pod saying it’s deeply unhelpful - I don’t do myself in favours, do I?

Join us again next time where we’ll be mulling over further intricacies of the writing craft. And in the mean time… embrace your enthusiasm for writing. If you write something it’s a success, if you produce something… I’ve already done this bit. Rousing though, weren’t it? Was it? Okay take care bye bye.