COLLABORATE
It means writers also need to work collaboratively in the room. Journalist and novelist Malcolm Knox recently made the move into screenwriting when he joined the writers’ room of Stan’s reboot of Romper Stomper. The change in writing was a “revelation”, he says, for someone his age – he has worked as a writer for about 25 years.
Jane Allen
The “very obvious” difference in the process of writing a novel compared to being a writers’ room is that the latter is a collaborative engagement.
“When I'm writing a book, and I know that everybody's different, but I'm in an extreme solitary end of the spectrum. I don't tell anybody what I'm doing, I don't share it with anybody, I don't get people to read drafts along the way. I will normally work at a novel for maybe two to three years, before anybody else knows anything or sees anything of it.”
Knox realises that working collaboratively requires “a great sense of confidence in your writing” to receive input from others. However, he was able to abandon his sensitivity to feedback in the writers’ room.
“And that’s probably in part because the TV programs I've worked on have all been initiated by other people. And I come in with a sort of humility and I'm there to help those people bring to life their ideas so that's probably an explanation as to why I don't feel personally insecure about my ideas being shut down.”
For Knox, the shift from writing solo to being in a room full of people has been positive. “The exciting thing for me has been to meet great people and get the stimulation from other very creative individuals [when] I have always been quite a solo free writer. So it's been kind of a late discovery for me – the joys of the collaborative process.”
And while he finds the exchange of ideas invigorating, he admits that it’s exhausting. “You come out of a room completely washed out.”
Allen loves the collaborative nature of television. “I often find, going into a writers’ room that I don't know what I think about something until somebody challenges me on it, and then I have this response.”
She says it’s all about compromise. “If you have a singular vision and you don't want to get any input from anybody else, write a novel… And for me, the magic of what we create so often is, it's in the space between the people who are in the room. And that is exciting.”
Allen acknowledges that rooms can sometimes be combative, difficult places. “I don't find that a terribly productive way to work. Some people do find that conflict does actually [help]. It's kind of like the oyster in the sand creating the pearl. I would prefer to have a room which is playful and full of laughs, and that's my preferred way to make people feel safe and open, and to get things done.”
STORY
But ultimately, there is a shared goal – to tell good stories. For Knox, the differences between novel writing and screenwriting has taught him a lot about story. There are certain formulaic requirements for television; it’s a shift for a novelist who is not beholden to genre. But all story is ultimately about engagement with the audience – making dialogue count, for example.
“There's a kind of storytelling accountability that I like and I think I'm taking that across into novel writing now.”Malcolm Knox
Malcolm Knox
Walker believes that authenticity is crucial to a satisfying story; being relatable, for characters to be empathetic and authentic, for the story to encompass the writer’s truth, particularly with an increasingly discerning audience.
“Another thing is just making an emotional connection to somebody. I guess in television, too, there's an element where there needs to be a satisfying beginning, middle and end,” says Walker. “Leading through a story in a way that's really satisfying and making them feel like they've watched something that's meaningful and something that has had an emotional effect on them.”
And television is a more open space now. “Before, we would be looking for stories, and we would maybe fudge things a little bit more. We were less able to tell the truth, too, because it was a more conservative era, [and] sex and swearing and themes that were taboo or a little bit shocking weren't allowed to be properly explored.”
“I think what's probably changed is that everybody's much more willing to get in and try and find the truth of situations, and not shy away from the reality of people's sexuality or their psychology or whatever. We're far more diverse and interesting in the room these days, I think.”
Allen agrees, saying that television is “the village storyteller of the 21st century”. “We are the keepers of the culture. We are reflecting back to our community, who we are, and also, hopefully, being provocative and questioning who we are. I'm certainly interested in writing things that have something to say and are about something. And I'm not a great believer in politics by stealth. So, through something being entertaining, it's a chance to challenge ways of thinking and offer alternative ways of thinking, but without shoving it down people's throats.”
And there’s a greater diversity of voices to be heard. “We're getting to see things that are reflective of a broader view of society, but also voices which have been marginalised or silenced before now [are] being allowed to speak. So we are having shows that are about what it means to be black or queer or trans.”
There are also more female protagonists, says Allen. Although there is still a way to go, Allen is pleased that marginalised voices are finding their way into the space, but says the challenge is in their lack of experience. “That's tough because you do have to work with somebody who is experienced and who doesn't come from that background. But, that's an interesting thing too, that sort of sharing of experiences …”
It’s what Allen did working on ABC’s Cleverman, working with junior writers who had the requisite knowledge and understanding of the culture being represented on screen. As someone who began her career in her mid-30s, taking a job as a runner on Blue Heelers to break into the industry, Allen tries to pay it forward by working with and mentoring younger writers.
“There's always things that I can learn from people who are just starting out as well. So, it's not just me being bountiful and generous. That's a two-way street.”