Doctor Who Magazine #400 features an interview with the outgoing primary writer and Executive Producer Russell T. Davies. I found one section to be particularly interesting, in which Davies talks about a specific scene he wrote for a 1990′s show that changed his writing forever:

“I used to be a very florid writer,” Davies is quoted as saying. “My God, you should watch The Grand. Talk about Baroque! But I’d had soap training, in which it’s every character’s job to stand there and tell us everything that they’re thinking, usually in lists of three adjectives. I knew that it wasn’t working. I knew that I was in a stylistic dead-end. Literally, I taught myself how to write better. In Episode 16 of The Grand, I had Steven, the posh son, finishing his engagement with posh Christina.”

“That scene was a massive breakthrough for me. they started that scene happy; five pages later, the engagement was off, and not once did either of them use the word ‘engagement’ or say ‘I love someone else’ or ‘it’s over.’ I pared back all those words and phrases, because they didn’t need saying. Both characters just knew what was happening. They realized it during the scene. Honestly, that scene changed the path of my whole career. I wrote better from that point on.”

There are at least two lessons to take away from Davies’ comments. First, avoid obvious dialog; find other ways for your characters to express themselves. By forbidding yourself to rely on shorthand, cliched phrases like “It’s over” you force yourself to communicate with an original voice.

Second, Davies didn’t have this epiphany as a struggling, amateur writer. He was already a professional cranking out paying work. You never stop learning. The more you write (or draw) the more you learn. And, there’s nothing like full-time work in your creative field to make bust through your walls.

Now, go back through what I’ve written and count the shorthand, cliched phrases. < sigh... >

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