To be honest, of all the non-fiction writing I’ve done doing radio was the toughest. It wasn’t just a matter of keeping things short and to the point, but also crafting a good flow and cadence. Tough work, but worth it.

Screen-writing is also interesting in that it trains you to develop ‘personas’ and think in terms of who you’re writing for.

Many years ago I knew a screenwriter in the states. She used to say that the writing was easy, but it was the edits that really made you work.

It’s all about cutting, removing, refining the text – without interrupting the storyline.

Quite a challenge!

Ivan
from a v cold Beijing