The writer of ‘Ex Machina’ offers storytelling tips
Good writing comes from a genuine interest in a topic, according to Alex Garland. Plus, creating a perfect writing space, why writing still requires humans, and a fascinating writer’s life.
Each week, Evan Peterson rounds up stories from across the Web that scribes of all stripes should check out. Tips from this week’s roundup: Get familiar with a legendary writer you’ve probably never heard of, remember to write what interests you and soundproof at least one room in your house.
Follow your interests: Alex Garland, who wrote and directed the film “Ex Machina” offered seven tips on storytelling to Fast Company. Thankfully, these are not the used-up “writing is rewriting” and “write every day” kind of advice. Each of his points could be applied to writers, but one in particular, about writing about what interests you, stands out: “It starts by being interested in a subject matter, and then a story arrived later on.”
“Following your interests” is sort of another way of saying “write what you know,” but let’s agree that some writing advice is timeless, and just needs to be slightly rebranded. Garland provides that here.
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