On Writing : The Book I Couldn't Have Written 10 Years Ago by Kat Spencer

I am 65 years old and write historical dramas. When I describe a battle, I need a detailed understanding of military leadership and a precise grasp of the chain of command. Historical stories generally require a certain level of maturity.

Yes — I couldn't have written my screenplay 10 years ago. I've also written a non-fiction book about Western films and equestrian culture; that, too, wouldn't have been possible back then.

I can relate to that, Ekrem. Some stories really do require more than research, they require time and life experience. Understanding military leadership, responsibility, and the weight of decisions in a battle is probably something that deepens as we get older and see more of life ourselves.

It's interesting that both your screenplay and your non-fiction book are projects you couldn't have tackled 10 years ago. That says a lot about how our experiences shape not only what we write, but how we write it.

Out of curiosity, was there a specific moment while working on your screenplay when you realized, "There's no way I could have written this version of the story ten years ago"?

I've been writing since I was 15, but I only started writing screenplays a year ago. Now I have a kind of calm that comes with life experience — an enormous amount of it — but I haven't lost my curiosity. Ten years ago, I couldn't have written screenplays at all. They would have been one-dimensional, without humor, and above all, not realistic enough.

All of them. 10 years ago I was blissfully happy working on the tarmac at Brisbane International Airport. I had no reason to write because I was already happy in my job. Then covid hit. My boys and I decided to write our family bedtime story and from there my life completely changed and now stories are my life.

This is me with literally every project lol it's almost embarrassing looking back on older projects because they have that unmistakable lack of gravitas that my current works have. Lunar Window in particular was supposed to be written about 7 years ago and I definitely couldn't have done it justice then (had to work my own issues out, go through my own character arc a couple times). I might finally do VISION proper justice because something about it just never landed right every time I wrote it...

You are absolutely right. Most of the books I have written that went on to achieve some success had the benefit of experience. But Kat, your question is making think about how the process of completing a book might also birth a screenplay adaptation, with the passage of time.

That's amazing Lauren Hackney!

Thank you Ekrem Kus , Ava Scott , Banafsheh Esmailzadeh , Lauren Hackney and Nehi Igbinijesu for your thoughtful responses. It's great to hear all of your journeys!

I was trying to write a sci-fi action novel 10 years ago. Started as a side project during grad school, which have been the mistake since grad school involved tons of writing and a destresser was not more writing. So it fizzled and spluttered and after years of outlining and writing the main story, I got the first two chapters in late summer 2018.

They were... meh, but it's what got me to study story mechanics more. So eventually, the meandering process of writing that story coalesced into my second screenplay.

In RPG terms, I had to level up enough before embarking on a certain quest.

“Write the scifi book you wanted to read when you were 13” that’s what my brother said after I wrote three action books. So I did, then wrote four more.

@Kat Spencer Absolutely. I tried writing my first screenplay at 19. It was all plot, no scars. Ten years later, after losing people, failing, rebuilding... now I understand what the characters are actually feeling.

The story didn’t change. I did.

That’s why I believe timing is everything in writing. You can’t fake lived experience.

100%. I'd say that the last two books I've drafted (they're waiting patiently on my hard drive for now) couldn't have been written by an earlier version of me.

A later version of me is going to write a book that a much earlier version of me could not possibly have written. But an earlier version of me would not believe or like the books I wrote so when I get older I’m going to bear that in mind.

Are you asking me now, or ten years ago? Currently involved in time warp theory.

Dear Kat,

My name is Yahaya Yirenkyi, a Ghanaian author and independent thinker with published works

exploring the deepest questions of human existence.

I am writing to introduce DEATH CHAIN — a 90-minute feature documentary that asks: if

everything in nature is prey to something, what are humans prey to? The film follows the food chain

from water to plant to animal to human, then pivots to the question that sits above us all.

The film is rooted in Africa and reaches toward a global audience — philosophical, visually

ambitious, and designed to leave viewers in a continuous state of productive questioning.

I would welcome the opportunity to share the full treatment at your convenience.

With respect, Yahaya Yirenkyi Ghana

Thank you for sharing this! What specific life experience unlocked that book for you?

I'm not a writer but have found writing about my experiences has helped process them. Ten years ago I couldn't have written what I know now because I hadn't experienced it. And, I wish I couldn't write it now. I am currently a hotel and restaurant owner conveniently located in the middle of nowhere national forest. Ten years ago I was making fishing swimsuit calendars and traveling the country. I thought that was drama. I was so wrong.

Not a book, but a script I wrote about the harrowing experience of a hospital childbirth. Would never have been able to write about that 10 years ago. Wouldn't have even been able to write it five years ago when it happened because I needed several years of therapy and distance before I could even think about expressing it on the page

There was one script I wrote when I first started, it was called Jack Alsatian, it was basically a Bluey ripoff and that taught me a lot of what I shouldn't do. Number one rule in writing: Taking inspiration and plagiarizing are two different thing