Barbara Jane Mackie has worked in TV for 20 years, with five to 10 ten years in TV drama, and has since worked as a freelance scriptwriter. She has just finished her first novel. In this, the first of a five part series, she gives VB tips on how budding writers can get their pen to paper.
First: Get some practice
“Writing is a craft,” Barbara says, “If you’re going to write a novel, it’s useful to have done a few short stories. It’s good to build up.”
No matter how long the pieces are that you write, every word counts as practice. It is important to have a starting point.
“It’s about building writing confidence,” Barbara says, “a lot of people have done some writing, but they’ve done it in scraps and they haven’t really gathered their work together.”
Then get inspiration from other writers
When she writes, Barbara looks at different genres and well crafted stories for inspiration, she offers the same advice to pupils when she teaches three day courses at The Blacksheep Bar in Ryde.
“Read as much and as broadly as you can. You’re expanding your vocabulary and you’re getting different influences, seeing what different writers are doing.
“The more you read the better.”
Finally, write from your own experiences
When figuring out what to write about, Barbara advises people to write from what they know.
She says: “You’ve already done the research!”
Barbara J Mackie will be holding her next writing workshop at the Blacksheep Bar in Ryde on 21, 22, 23 September.
Image: Rennett Stowe under CC BY 2.0
