Lee Child has built an empire around his Jack Reacher series. He's written dozens of bestselling novels that spawned two Tom Cruise films and Prime Video's hit series starring Alan Ritchson. For screenwriters, his journey should offer encouragement. Child didn't publish his first novel until he was 40, after getting laid off from his television job. His background in TV includes writing commercials, news stories, and trailers under tight deadlines. This gave him creative instincts that translated to both novels and their eventual screen adaptations. (This just goes to show that skills from one medium often enhance another, and understanding how stories work can make you a better writer no matter where you're working.) Child recently joined BBC Maestro to put together a course on writing fiction, and a glimpse into his teachings can be seen in the video below. Here's what we can learn. - YouTube www.youtube.com Being a Reader is the Only Real Qualification You NeedChild emphasizes that formal education isn't necessary, but reading is essential. "If you are not a reader, you will never be a writer. And that is the fundamental qualification, really the only qualification, because if you are a reader then you've already built up a huge database of what works and what doesn't, what's good and what's bad."I was a script reader for over five years, and I can't emphasize enough how important that was for my education as a screenwriter. You need to be reading scripts. If you like a movie, try...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday