The Number One British Dream Is...Writing

LONDON, August 28 -- A recent YouGov poll has revealed that more Britons dream of being an author than aspire to be a rock star. Ten percent of the 2461 people polled wanted to write; being a sports personality or pilot came in second and third. But is it really true that everybody has a book in them?

“Yes,” says author and writing coach, Jurgen Wolff, “but it may be a very bad book.”

He says, “Because everybody can write a letter home to mother, they think they could also write a book without any training. And that illusion is reinforced by best-sellers that are ‘written’ by top models or sports celebrities—who in fact may have nothing to do with ‘their’ book.”

Since Wolff has written a book, “Your Writing Coach” (Nicholas Brealey Publishing), presumably he believes that writing well can be learned? “Absolutely,” he says, “just like learning to play an instrument or learning a new language but it’s probably easier. Anybody who has a story to tell can sit down and learn how to do it.”

Wolff has three top tips for people who want to be writers:

(1) Write what is meaningful to you, not just what you think will sell well

(2) Learn how to structure your novel or script, but don’t try to copy anybody else’s style, find your own

(3) Don’t let rejections bother you—most best-selling writers had lots of rejections before they went on to make their fortunes.

Wolff is an experienced writer himself, having written half a dozen books and more than 100 episodes of television series, including classics like “Benson” and “Family Ties,” and the feature film “The Real Howard Spitz,” starring Kelsey Grammer.

For additional information, contact Jurgen Wolff or visit www.yourwritingcoach.com.
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Contact Information

Jurgen Wolff

Director

Stagemanage Ltd.

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