On Writing : Weird advice by Meriem Bouziani

That is weird advice for sure. The weirdest one I got was to write less Japanese characters and stories influenced by Japan, because I'm not Japanese. Because I'm Iranian, I ought to write characters who also are. Heard "advice" in that vein pretty often when I was a teenager and first getting into writing, and I thought it was weird and reductive then, and I still feel that way now.

Firstly, I am curious who gave you that advice? And how many publishing professionals did you secure time with? I am sorry those words of 'advice' tainted you slightly. I work in publishing and I'm heard some doozies as far as reasons not to go ahead. That sounds like that was what was on their personal radar - not the industries radar.

My advice moving forward - go global! Research as many traditional publishers first. Be careful of hybrid publishers - do your research. Join a writing group, and these can take time because you need to find your 'tribe'. But most of all - remember your voice and story is uniquely yours. Over time you will find someone who appreciates your work. Good luck!

Well, those weren’t really “advice” — they were attempts to silence curiosity and creativity.

You don’t have to be Japanese to write about Japan. You can write because you love their culture, values, or nature... What’s the problem with that?

It was the same for me. He told me not to write such topics, and even said that as a Moroccan I shouldn’t write stories set in the USA.

But I chose the USA because the experiment in my book required VR, sophisticated devices, and a strong neuroscience background.

That’s why I stopped sharing my ideas with people around me — I don’t want to receive more hurtful thoughts Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Thank you very much for your support and advice Lauren Hackney

He was my high school teacher.

I’ve moved on many negative comments about my work, and I’ve learned that I need to share my ideas only with people who appreciate my vision and imagination.

I was working in silence and developed many new concepts over the last two years.

Now that I’ve found this creative space, I’ve started sharing again — and I’m so happy for the encouragement I’ve received so far.

As for professional sessions, I’ve had one pitch session here on Stage 32 for my story The Silent PFC War.

She really liked the concept, but I had many issues with the pitching itself and with the screenwriting basics, because at that time I was still writing in a novel style.

I learned so much from her feedback, and I’ll try to do much better next time.

Hi, Meriem Bouziani. Hope you’re having a productive week too! I think the most unusual writing advice I've gotten is read my scripts backwards to catch typos (start with the last action line and work my way up to the first scene heading). It also helps me catch story issues. I haven't done it in a while though since it takes so much time. It's worth it though.

It’s truly a weird piece of advice. I think the idea behind it is that it forces you to focus more on small details and catch flaws in your writing, but it still feels confusing Maurice Vaughan

There’s another one as well, but this time from ChatGPT.

I was discussing with it whether The De-Evolution Game should be a movie or a TV series, and it said:

“Accept that not all your brilliance has to appear.”

It also advised me to deeply dissect the idea and the interpretation of its parallel universes.

I feel you Meriem Bouziani, some comments just hit you that little bit harder, bother you that little bit much more, and you want to just create for yourself. On a whole I haven’t shared most of my works with anyone because I know most people won’t get them (especially Petal, surrealism of that intensity, nevermind its setup, is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea). Ever since hearing that bit of “advice” I’ve done nothing but double down lol felt like it was my duty to ignore such noise and keep making my characters different because I write for me more than I write for anyone else. I knew since my teenage years, pretty much, that such comments were usually just projection; they themselves can’t do it (in this case, seeing beyond themselves), so it confuses them that you can.

It’s definitely tough to open up to other people seeing your art, but I’m sure you’ll find many people who will happily get what you’re going for <3

Mine: "You really do not need the first seven pages." - Of my 26 page short film. What was weird was that it really worked out either way. I mean,...either way. She was the only reader with those notes. I kept the seven pages. But I learned from her perspective.

Thank you very much for your words Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

It’s a hard life lesson, but each one of us has to learn it sooner or later.

That’s really strange David Austin Veal

7 Pages are far too much to delete at once.

I wonder what made her give you such an advice.

I could never follow the common advice to just start writing & don't edit as you go.

Hope everyone is having a productive week! For my two cents here... I once got the advice to cut a series of pages to speed up a sequence. Despite the fact that during these pages, which included an action scene, plot relevant details are revealed.

I know that advice Debbie Seagle

And actually, it works. I remember when I was writing The Disabled Puzzle — I got stuck in the first experiment. Every time I was about to finish it, I discovered a new twist, and I kept adding more instead of moving forward with the rest of the book.

Later, I started writing down the new twists separately and forced myself to continue the whole book first.

Then, when the draft was complete, I went back and rewrote everything again.

I understand that people see things from different perspectives,

but sometimes the slow development of events is absolutely part of the story’s internal logic.

It’s the same for my story The Silent PFC War. Michael Dzurak