Around 12:30 am last night, Glen Mazzara (@glenmazzara), current showrunner of The Walking Dead and former writer on The Shield (amongst other shows), responded to tweeter @18MilesOut’s question “got any tips for a writer?” for 15 minutes with some great tips for aspiring writers out there.
I happened to check Twitter before logging off for the night, followed the whole thing, and decided to collect it here for myself as well as virtual posterity.
Thanks Mr. Mazzara!
Mazzara’s Advice:
- Everyone says write what you know. Bullshit. Write what you love.
- Write something that only YOU can write. That’s called Voice.
- Be bold. Commit to a point of view.
- Do not write for critics. Their job is to criticize.
- It’s never good enough. Revise.
- Write fast. Don’t censor yourself at first.
- Anxiety is good. All artists are anxious.
- You will never be Shakespeare so the pressure’s off.
- Tell a good story.
- Give your characters tough problems. Make it hard for them.
- Keep it simple. Read. Flashbacks are boring. Drama is conflict. Expect rejection. Write anyway.
