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Art and Graft: Q & A with Elizabeth Delaney
I had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth Delaney at the TAPS weekend in Leeds a few weeks ago: a veteran of TV writing, Elizabeth has written for Doctors as well as a whopping forty episodes of Night and Day and fifty of Hollyoaks! I decided to ask her whether she'd answer a few questions for The Bang2Write Blog and lucky for us, she said yes! Enjoy...
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
All my life – well, as far back as I can remember – I've wanted to be a writer. I actually wanted to write books. I still do.
I've had plenty of day jobs – but always, always, however I've been earning my keep, I've always been working on a book or script and had a draft of something or other out at some publishers or production company somewhere 'for their perusal'…
I never intended to be a television writer – but, somehow, that's what's happened. So far…
Of all your TV commissions, which is your favourite piece and why?
Strangely enough, I don't have favourite. I don't know why this is. Perhaps it's because my favourite – my best work – is yet to come.
What has been your worst (or most annoying) experience writing-wise?
It's achingly frustrating to have your perfect script, your baby, messed about by people who weren't there at the conception - or the difficult birth. You have to come to terms with the very nature of TV: producers, directors, actors all want to have their say: it's an extremely collaborative process – and there comes a point where you have to, indeed, cut that fab scene, lose that line of dialogue it took you two days to get right, or change that character's arc etc.. You have to let your baby go. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch wrote in The Art of Writing (1916), "Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it – whole-heartedly – and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.” Or be prepared to have them murdered.
What screenwriting training have you had?
I have an MA in Screenwriting from the Northern Film School. It taught me the art and, indeed, the craft – and the graft – of screenwriting.
I don't think it's necessary to have a degree, though. My break came by answering an ad in the Yorkshire Post: TAPS were doing a Yorkshire showcase and were looking for script submissions: I submitted a script, got showcased at Yorkshire TV, got show reeled at BAFTA – and, while gawking about BAFTA's glitzy environs the day of the show reel, I met a producer who'd read some other scripts I'd submitted to his production company. It's lucky that I'd sent him stuff (that he'd liked) beforehand: so it's good to get a couple of 'calling card' scripts out there.
What's the worst piece of advice you've ever been given about writing?
'Write what you know.' This horrible piece of advice haunted me for years. A lot of (American) screenwriting gurus swear by it – but I believe that most (especially young) writers are extremely self aware and know that they know nothing. Ergo, you can't write anything.
I'm probably misinterpreting the phrase, somehow: thinking it means, 'Write what you've experienced.' If that's the case then I disagree entirely. 'Experience' in itself is rarely dramatic enough – in a 'sustaining an intriguing story' sense. I didn't realise that, though, when I was starting out as a writer, and I used to angst a lot that I hadn't yet 'suffered' enough to be a truly great wordsmith: butI've come to realise that, as that great poet Paul Weller said, 'Time is short and Life is cruel…' (Town Called Malice). And what I now know – for sure – is that Pain and Suffering will come and bite you on the bottom soon enough, so don't worry about it. Don't worry about anything. Just think up good stories. Let your imagination run riot. Do some decent research. And get the words on the page.
What are you working on at the moment - can you give us some "insider info"?
I'm writing a book. Not so long ago, my Dad died. He was too young (64). He had so many hopes and dreams. He was going to do so many things. But he died. And all his personal hopes and dreams died with him. My heart breaks. Watching him die snapped a whole load of things into perspective for me: Pursuing my original dream was one of them: So… I'm writing a novel. Doing what I've always wanted to do.
So, nope, I can't actually give you any TV insider info – although I'm also developing a couple of TV ideas of my own – but I can't tell you about them, either, 'cos y'know how TV execs are: always packing heat: and if I told you, yup – sure enough, they'd have to come and shoot… me.A lot of new writers want to "break into" TV - what advice would you give them to help them obtain that elusive commission?
Write, write, write. Every single day. I'm aware most uncommissioned writers have day jobs, children, chores: this is the stuff of all our precious lives. But try to write everyday: even if it's only for fifteen minutes. Words on the page. Words on the page. Words. On the page. And I know it sounds trite – and writers trying to break in will've heard this a thousand times, but: never give up. If you want to be aprofessional writer: you will be a professional writer. As I mentioned in an earlier question, I think it's a good idea to have a couple of good 'calling card' scripts up your sleeve to send out to production companies. I've found that producers want to see your own original work – NOT your brilliant idea for an episode of their existing TV show (for legal reasons, amongst other things, they probably wouldn't read such a script). They want to see that you can pull off a good story and create real characters/dialogue etc. One sixty minute script and one thirty minute script covers most bases.
Writing for 'Doctors' for the BBC was always considered one of the 'ways in' for new writers. It still is, to a degree. They've, this year, changed the way they deal with story submissions, though: they only accept story ideas from writers new to them for one month of the year – July, I think. If they like your idea, they'll get in touch: and if you get rejected, then try again – and again – with a bagful of ('Disease of the Day') stories.
Keep an eye out, as well, for writing opportunities, competitions and such: One of the most comprehensive websites I've found (and that I have absolutely no connection with whatsoever) is www.xerif.com. Go to the site, download 'Scriptunities' (on the left hand side) – and print it out (for free): you'll havea list of what's going on, training, competition and funding wise in the UK for new writers (– and it gets updated a few times a year).
Then… write.
And write some more.
Thanks Elizabeth! : )
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Absolutely Tony - write what you WANT, never what you KNOW...I know lots about nits for example, having a couple of kids, I'm not gonna write about 'em! ; )
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Thanks for this Lucy - very interesting and useful.
I was pleased to read her views on the oft-quoted cliche 'write what you know'. I've always thought this a daft idea, and Danny Stack has a great article on the subject in his blog (which I see you've already commented on!).
02/10/06 16:09
Great article and very encouraging.
El x