In our final push towards submissions, we collected questions from you to share with a Bruntwood Prize-winning playwright. How do you find your story, engage your creative flow and come back to a piece of writing after a break away…? All is answered here in this advice column from the last winner of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, Nathan Queeley-Dennis, who won the Prize in 2022 for his play BULLRING TECHNO MAKEOUT JAMZ.

How do you find the story you NEED to write?  

The stories we bring to life as writers have to be something that really excites you and moves you, why do you want to tell this story and why now? Only you’ll know and, in a way, you can’t always find the “right” story – in the end I think it’ll always find you. 

I would say don’t force it, but even if you do, I think the story will end up changing into something that is right if you take the correct approach. A need is often something that comes from within, so to find the story you need, the first place to look is inward. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and be able to confront yourself so that the innermost parts of yourself can genuinely resonate. Be open to change and a different understanding and enjoy that journey. It’s sort of like falling in love. 

How do you get into your own creative flow & do you have any tips that might help me find mine?  

I try to never force any creative flow, personally I do things that are far away from the work and mainly things that bring me joy. Seeing friends, going back home, going out-out, exercising or watching other plays. I think you never lose your creative flow, it’s always within you, it’s just hard to approach with a shrouded mind. Try to cultivate a clear and happy mind so you’re open to creativity.  

When going away from a piece of writing for a while (say, a few months) and then coming back to it, I sometimes find I’ve lost the voice of the characters and form I originally intended, and that any additional writing from this point onwards feels detached and unharmonious with my initial work. What can I do to ensure that I re-find my intended voice and allow my work to be congruent after long gaps in my writing process?    

As writers, and people, we change massively throughout life. Mentally, you can be in a completely different place to where you were 6 months ago or even last week – for better or worse. However, I don’t think that is a bad position to be in; I think it’s a strength. Instead of viewing the detachment as a burden, try and use it to your advantage. Let the break inform the next part of your writing process. Stories are the best when they’re alive and move with fluidity, and that can’t really happen if we don’t have a break from them.  

With that in mind, for me, most stories start with a spark – that’s usually the foundation that builds your story and world in the first place. It could be a quote, book, album, tv show or another play – with me it’s usually a quote. If I ever find myself having taken a break before diving back in, I go back to the beginning and read my quote to remember why I started. 

With some projects I also find building a sonic world helpful – this could be an album or a playlist for your story to sit in. Revisiting this before you start writing again, or as you’re writing again, is so useful. Music is a great medium for storytelling, and holding your characters and their stories in a specific soundscape means when you do choose to take a break that they’re never too far away when you find the space to revisit them. 

I always struggle coming up with a quick synopsis for the projects I write. I’d love any advice on how to crystallise my ideas so that they’re more tangible throughout the writing process and so that I can better explain my work to others?  

To me plays and stories are living, breathing things: they can inform you, move you and surprise you – but most importantly they grow over time. In the writing process, especially in the early phases try not to feel the need to have everything crystallised. I don’t think there are many writers who know exactly what they’re going to write in the first instance.  

Also, don’t worry about how to explain it to others – but if you do, don’t feel like you need a set elevator pitch, just tell them what you believe your story is. Often, they may have thoughts on what you’ve said that can then help you begin to crystalise your idea.  

You need time and space with the characters to understand them and how they may react in different scenarios – you won’t know that straight away, and that’s a beautiful thing. Allow yourself the freedom to explore and have ownership over your own creativity and art: it’s one of the best things about being a writer.  

I think that my writing is being held back by my characters not being three-dimensional enough – how can I get better at developing my characters?  

At drama school I had a tutor who would always bark on at me about specificity. I was 18 at the time so didn’t really get what he meant – or chose to not understand it. It only really started to make clear sense as I started writing. I think with character we can get too drawn into their complexities – but only within the veil of the story. Know your characters lives away from the play. With every play we just see these people at that specific time – but they had a whole life before it and, depending on what you’re writing, will have one afterwards too. 

What do they do for fun? What’s their favourite food? What’s their order at Nando’s and why etc. All of this really helps to build out your character from a person in a story to a fully-fledged human. You probably won’t end up using any of this in the play, but having a full understanding of your characters – to the most irrelevant of details – will have a tremendous impact in making them feel layered and textured. Also, I find it quite fun. 

To link back to the random drama school bit at the beginning: we used to do a character exercise where we had to answer questions about our character. We started with Uta Hagen’s 9 Questions – which is very much so scene work for actors – but then we did a much broader 70 questions afterwards which I find helpful for writers. I can’t find the link or the name for that but no joke most recently I used Vogue’s 73 Questions. The questions are great and really fun for delving into characters. 

Do you have any advice on how to deal with writer’s block or that moment when you start thinking ‘does any of this actually make any sense’?! 

Either out of fear or stubbornness, or somewhere between the two, I don’t take writer’s block seriously. I don’t let it have power, or let it be this shadow lurking on my shoulder. I think writer’s block is an attention seeker or a toxic ex who wants to constantly be around and doesn’t want you to forget about it. Sometimes you can win if you fight it, but you can also strengthen its resolve for when it tries to come back… However, if you ignore it, eventually it starts to dwindle – the feeling realises it’s wasting its own time. 

If I feel like I come to a standstill or a moment where I’m questioning my writing, I immediately distance myself. Don’t feel the need to push through! Take your time, it’s a process, and we must trust that process – if we imagine a wonderful world where deadlines don’t exist!  

Go back to why you started writing this specific story. Change the environment you’ve been writing in if you’re able to do so. Consume art that is completely different to the subject matter you’re working on. And most importantly, look after yourself. Writing can sometimes be a very isolated practice. Be kind to yourself, and if you’re able to, allow yourself space to rest and recharge.