How to Write for a Living

325: The one story every writer needs to stop avoiding (with Amelia O'Loughlin)


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Season 3, episode 25 is here!

Amelia O’Loughlin joined me to talk about her journey from dance to screenwriting, how a chance encounter on South Bank led to representation, and why she’s building Table, a live event and podcast that surfaces exceptional scripts stuck in the graveyard.

She shared her approach to character-led writing, why AI concerns her but the offline renaissance gives her hope, and the one story every writer needs to stop avoiding.

We covered:

- How Amelia chased her literary hero down South Bank with Bill Nighy, convinced him to give her an email address through sheer determination

- Why she believes character always comes first in her writing process

- The kitchen table origin story of Table, a live event and podcast where actors perform excerpts from unproduced screenplays

- Her prediction that consumers will become as concerned about their digital diet as their food intake, and why she thinks the pendulum will swing back toward offline experiences and human-made art once the AI fascination fades

- Why hearing your dialogue performed by actors is both gratifying and requires letting go completely

- Her concern that the interim period before the pendulum swings could make it even harder for creators without trust funds to break into the arts

- Why procrastination for writers often means avoiding the story that’s really a thorn in your side, and why that uncomfortable script is actually your true gift



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How to Write for a LivingBy David McIlroy

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