Lee Child, the mastermind behind the Jack Reacher series, shares invaluable insights for aspiring writers. His journey from television to bestselling author proves that it’s never too late to start writing.

This Writer Says You Should Ignore His Advice

Lee Child has built an empire around his Jack Reacher series. He’s written dozens of bestselling novels that spawned two Tom Cruise films and Prime Video’s hit series starring Alan Ritchson.

For screenwriters, his journey should offer encouragement. Child didn’t publish his first novel until he was 40, after getting laid off from his television job.

His background in TV includes writing commercials, news stories, and trailers under tight deadlines. This gave him creative instincts that translated to both novels and their eventual screen adaptations. (This just goes to show that skills from one medium often enhance another, and understanding how stories work can make you a better writer no matter where you’re working.)

Child recently joined BBC Maestro to put together a course on writing fiction, and a glimpse into his teachings can be seen in the video below. Here’s what we can learn.

Being a Reader is the Only Real Qualification You Need

Child emphasizes that formal education isn’t necessary, but reading is essential.

“If you are not a reader, you will never be a writer. And that is the fundamental qualification, really the only qualification, because if you are a reader then you’ve already built up a huge database of what works and what doesn’t, what’s good and what’s bad.”

I was a script reader for over five years, and I can’t emphasize enough how important that was for my education as a screenwriter. You need to be reading scripts. If you like a movie, try to find its screenplay and see how it looks on the page. We’ve got plenty here on the site to get you started.

You Don’t Need Formal Qualifications to Start Writing

Child offers encouragement about barriers to entry. As in, he thinks there aren’t any.

“You don’t need all that many qualifications. In fact, you don’t need any qualifications. You certainly don’t need to go to college or university. You don’t need to do a master’s degree in fine arts or literature or anything like that.”

We’re No Film School, so this is advice we definitely support. You’re a writer as soon as you call yourself a writer.

School won’t hurt, for sure—I took classes on different forms of writing and genres and had a great time, and that is knowledge I’ll always have. But if you’re self-motivated and know where to look, you can be self-taught. All you have to do is start!

Age is an Advantage, Not a Limitation

Child argues that life experience enhances writing.

“You don’t need to be young. In fact, it’s often better not to be. Writing is one of the things that not only can you, but you kind of should do, when you’re older. When you’ve seen some life, when the gas tank is full, when you’ve got something to say, when you’ve puzzled things out. Start as late as you like.”

Speaking of college, one of my first writing professors did give me the same advice once. I grew up pretty sheltered, so I endeavored to broaden my horizons and put more tools in my toolbox through experience.

Don’t Write What You Know

Child pushes back against the wisdom we’ve all heard about “writing what you know.” He calls it terrible advice.

“Do not write what you know because there are very few people in the world who know enough to make a story genuinely exciting. You’ve got to invent a lot of it … Write what you know will never be good enough. It’ll be boring.”

Instead, he says, “What you must do is write what you feel. Analyze your feelings. Take those feelings and blow them up huge.”

Trust Your Own Instincts Over Anyone’s Advice

Child encourages writers to think for themselves, even as he gives advice.

“Ignore my advice. Because for a book to work, it’s got to be vivid, alive. It’s got to have a beating heart of its own. It’s got to have some kind of organic vitality. That can only come if it is 100% the product of one imagination, i.e., yours. Not mine, yours.”

For writers drowning in craft books, writing workshops, and advice from industry pros, Child’s paradox might be liberating for you.

Listen, learn, then trust yourself to know what your story needs. Let us know what you think.