Irvine Welsh's Top Tips for writing your story
The bestselling author of Trainspotting, Filth and, most recently, Crime suggests ways to get started in writing your story.
Read Irvine's Days Like This story here
Inspiration
• If you can’t think about a specific day, think about some everyday objects, or look at old pictures.
• Read some of the Days Like This stories on the website to give you some ideas.
• You can also discuss it with a friend and ask what their special day would be – that might give you some ideas.
• Think of important people in your life – those long standing or perhaps people who came into your life momentarily. What memories come to mind?
• Think of the stories you find yourself telling friends or neighbours, stories that come up at a dinner or at the pub – write it down as you would tell it.
Getting started
• Tell your story to a friend and ask them to scribble it for you – you can then work on something rather than sit in front of an empty page.
• Try writing for 5 minutes about a day in your life without stopping to think. This might not be the beginning of your story, but it might show you that it is pretty easy to write about a day. Ideas might start flowing then.
• Get a bit of paper and make a mind map. Jot down all the things that come to mind about the day or event. Who was there, what happened, what was the weather like etc and build up a picture in words that you can then put into story form.
Style and language
• Style is not important, what matters is the content of the story – think of something that might surprise people, or might resonate with them.
• Feel free to use Scots language if you feel more comfortable writing in it – or just use it in dialogues if you want.
• Stories written in Gaelic or a foreign language can be translated.
• Please don’t use offensive language.
Writing a good story
• The story should be personal. Personal thoughts, ideas and experiences will make your story seem real. You should be the main character of the story.
• Feelings are important. Talk about whether you were happy, scared, sad etc., and how what happened made other people feel.
• Make sure you describe things using all your senses (smell, hearing, touch)
• Have a focus for your story.
• Don’t repeat words unless making a point.
• Try writing the story the way you speak. It sounds less formal and distant.
• Your story doesn’t have to be long.
• It can help to start with a strong first sentence.
• Think about how you will end your story. Will there be a twist? Will you be reflecting about what happened that day many years later? Will it be dramatic or funny?
Remember, everyone has a story to tell. Yours is as interesting as anyone else’s!
