By Alanya Smith

Do you remember having to find mandatory work experience in senior school? Begrudgingly looking for any opportunity available, typically finding yourself emailing your primary school for a placement even though you never even wanted to go into teaching. I found myself working at my local newspaper for five days in the hope of ÔÇ£breakingÔÇØ into the journalism industry, a fact I was adamant would happen by the end of the week. Instead, I found myself sat at a desk loathing the confines of office spaces and bursting with the hope that I would get to grab a story scoop. Only until Friday came was I sat down by the reporter I was shadowing, who sympathetically informed me that I had the spirit but not the confidence to make it as a professional journalist. My heart was broken; throughout the week I had meticulously crafted what I believed was the best match to their brief they could ask for, to later discover that my writing lacked the one thing I had plenty of; passion. 

In an attempt to emulate the work of my idols, what I was writing lacked everything of their work which I admired. Although IÔÇÖd spent years fawning over Brandon StantonÔÇÖs photography, Louis TherouxÔÇÖs interviewing and Victoria DerbyshireÔÇÖs composure, my work was starved of a single iota of what revived their content. I got so caught up pretending to write in a style that wasnÔÇÖt genuine to myself that I lost my own voice in the process. This was immediately recognised by the reporter, who sagely offered a now cherished piece of wisdom that continues to shape my writing. He stared at me deadpan, making me promise never to write how I think somebody wants me to, but how I write myself. It can often be tempting to fall into the trap of creating something to appease how you think someone else wants it to be written, but itÔÇÖs important to recognise that high quality writing organically occurs when you’re being true to yourself. When you believe in yourself, and develop your own unique style, your writing will become enriched in the process. Who knows, maybe one day your writing will be a role model for another writer.

By Francesca Salmon

There isnÔÇÖt one standout piece of advice that instigated a 360 degree turn on my stylistic approach to writing, but merely tools IÔÇÖve picked up along the way. The act of writing provokes continuous learning about the world and about ourselves. I think as a writer, you know what you want to say, but often the bigger issue is making it sound good. Something that had a profound impact on my writing is allowing my own consciousness to enter the page. If weÔÇÖve noticed something within our own lives such as a slight curl of the lip or a flicker of emotion that departs the face as quickly as it crosses it, how did it make us feel in those moments? How does this impact our understanding of human interaction and how can it be written into a scene? My point being that good writing involves a deeper understanding of how we operate as human beings, and that is only accessed from our own experience.

A statement I remember that resonated well with me was from a creative writing lecture at the start of the year. What was said was that ÔÇÿall writing is influenced by other writing.ÔÇÖ Our work is really just versions of something thatÔÇÖs already existing. This was for some reason quite reassuring to me. I think because it reduces the pressure to feel like you need to create something thatÔÇÖs never before been seen or imagined. It isnÔÇÖt true. There shouldnÔÇÖt be this overwhelming sense that in order to be successful, we need to create brand new material. All the famous writers we know and love are guaranteed to have taken inspiration from one literary source or another. We are diplomatic thieves within our own right.

Whilst I have gained a lot of writing knowledge from my tutors and other experts within the field, IÔÇÖve also learnt a lot autonomously. Some of the best advice you will ever receive is from yourself and learning from your mistakes. Despite being in my third year of university, IÔÇÖve only recently changed up my writing style by mingling lyrical prose with comedic realism and IÔÇÖve found it to really play up to my strengths. We feel most passionate when we know something is working, that progress is being made. So if you feel like youÔÇÖve reached a standstill or the dreaded ÔÇÿwriterÔÇÖs blockÔÇÖ, my advice is to experiment. If youÔÇÖre funny in real life, use that. If youÔÇÖre a musician, use that. As readers, we are most intrigued by what we donÔÇÖt know.