Vol. 1 | Issue 14

Here in the UK we have a system for new drivers using magnetic plates to attach to your car (that are never magnetic enough); L is for Learners and P is for those recently passed (Probationary). Both are used to inform the world around them to be more patient and accepting of mistakes.

I'm using this analogy this week to highlight how the industry might see you as a writer, as knowing where you sit makes a big impact on how you approach opportunities, rejection, and other industry players.

Before we even get in a car, we have to learn the rules of the road, and sit our theory test. And this is where all writers start. Learning the craft, observing other writers, watching films, tv, theatre etc, understanding why the stopping distance changes when you're writing a short film or what tyre pressure a genre needs to be for that genre.

You can't skip this stage, and truly, this is something you never stop developing. I've mentioned before about never trusting a skinny baker; if you want to write tv you need to watch tv. If you want to write genre, you need to watch genre.

I can't tell you how many writers I meet who want to be the next Sally Wainwright or Edgar Wright who don't actively watch the genre or medium they are writing in!

Whatever you write, you really need to understand why you write what you write, more on this another time…

So you watch the genre and the medium you write in, you've learned a bit of theory. Now you are given the keys to a car.

But as most of us who can either remember learning to drive or are teaching the next generation to drive wishing you'd not agreed to do it in the family car, will know knowing is not the same as doing.

Early writers will constantly receive the advice to go forth and make something. A short usually. On your phone, a 48hr film challenge, sell a kidney and hire a crew.

Most of us will enter a competition and apply for funding. The former is pot luck. The latter is much harder.

But however you reach your first production, it is important you understand everything that goes into making even a five minute short. It will change the way you write forever.

Most importantly you learn that this is a collaborative enterprise, you only need to look at the length of end credits to see this, and the more you make room for those who specialise in costume, lighting, sound etc the richer your story becomes.

I am going to get on my soap box here.

I'm often asked why I don't direct my own work.

First and foremost, I love the creativity that collaboration brings.

But fundamentally, I see directing as a skill set in and of its own. Just as I do screenwriting. Yes, by all means, dip your toe in. See what it's about. But appreciate that it has its own theory, its own practice, and its own entry requirements.

If your goal is to become a professional screenwriter, be aware that directing is a separate profession and can become a distraction.

And directors who write? Again, there are some very accomplished examples out there. But it is a different skill set. I've pre-selected a lot of shorts that visually look and feel amazing, but the story is empty or lacking.

Commission a writer.

Commission a director.

Collaborate.

That is all.

So you've made a short or two. Maybe had a run at a play. So what?

You now sit in this liminal space where you need to prove the impact of your work.

Festivals, YouTube/Vimeo stats, the opportunities that build on that. Last week I shared my career goals, and you can see they incrementally build on each other. Being trusted with larger budgets, working with bigger/well known people.

All of this matters.

When reputation, money, time are all on the line you want to work with someone who can appreciate timelines, stakeholder input, understand the market and how working to a budget bracket impacts your writing, the craft and the theory of what they're writing, be collaborative, receive notes well, and have self belief and confidence in their work.

If that's not you (yet) move back one space.

I'll say it again, no one is going to hand you the keys to a Ferrari just because you wrote a whole script.

This is a really tricky stage, and at times can feel like treading water. And heaven knows I'm still tempted to grab at every floating branch that comes my way. But the further you go down stream, the more savvy you need to be about which branches form a raft and which ones won’t.

This is where the driving analogy ends.

The truth is, as a writer, you're sitting a test every time you produce something, whether that's a script, a short film, a play, or a TV episode. Every project asks something different of you.

Keep layering your work. It's what stops you becoming a one trick pony. Relationships take time to build, careers rarely move in a straight line, and opportunities often arrive long after you've forgotten you planted the seed.

One day you'll look back and realise the engine has been running for a while, and the lights ahead are finally turning from amber to green.

The industry is wide enough for all of us who are Resilient - yes that word, we hear it a lot. It is, for me at least, less about how I deal with rejection and more about how I find and build on my next opportunity, nurture relationships, and keep improving my work.

I was talking to a producer the other day about an opportunity they'd put out, they had been very specific about the level of experience that they needed in the writer - mostly to meet stakeholder and budget expectations. And the number of responses that started with "I haven't any credits in…” or “I've not anything made but…” And kudos to them for putting themselves out there, but unfortunately, this kind of approach only exposes a lack of understanding of the industry you want to work in.

Answering a call for writers is no different from applying for a job to that same pay bracket. For example, if the opportunity has a potential for you to earn £40k plus, you wouldn't fire off a whatsapp message starting with all the reasons why they shouldn't consider you.

Writers are life long learners, and this doesn't just apply to the craft.

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Stay inspired. Be curious.

Helen

Next up… Finding Your Voice as a Writer

© Helen Tompson 2026 | Feel free to share this newsletter with other writers. If you'd like to reproduce or quote larger sections, just drop me a message first.