Alan Moore's motivational wisdom | BBC Maestro

Listen to Alan Moore, author of Watchmen and V for Vendetta, share his wisdom for aspiring writers. Here, he covers the importance of versatile reading, how to tackle writer's block, and how to keep your work exciting over time.
Timestamps:
2:31 - reading to become a better writer
6:35 - developing your writing over time
9:39 - confronting writer’s block
12:05 - write responsibly
Useful links:
See Alan Moore’s BBC Maestro course on Storytelling here - bbcm.co/3PWktWo
Find out more:
From poetry and fiction writing to screenwriting and songwriting, see our collection of writing courses - bbcm.co/3U9EtY3

Пікірлер: 140

  • @theendarkenedilluminatus4342
    @theendarkenedilluminatus4342Ай бұрын

    The world needs so much more of Alan Moore talking about absolutely anything.

  • @hammerheadcorvette4

    @hammerheadcorvette4

    20 күн бұрын

    Well, In actuality Alan Moore is telling us what the world needs. It's us. A Better Us ! and he's telling us what tools to use.

  • @theendarkenedilluminatus4342

    @theendarkenedilluminatus4342

    20 күн бұрын

    @@hammerheadcorvette4 agreed. 100%

  • @hammerheadcorvette4

    @hammerheadcorvette4

    20 күн бұрын

    @@theendarkenedilluminatus4342 So let's read more and write more ! I'm sure some of us would solve many of our own problems, if we could read and write more.

  • @costelinha1867

    @costelinha1867

    13 күн бұрын

    @@hammerheadcorvette4 As individuals? absolutely not, but the knowledge we get from reading and writing can help us figure out how to organize ourselves as a collective force that can help solve said problems. I mean, humans are great alone, but we are at our peak together, we're social creatures after all!

  • @hammerheadcorvette4

    @hammerheadcorvette4

    13 күн бұрын

    @@costelinha1867 Agreed ! I like the fact he encourages people to write as well. We all need to read more and write more. Honestly, writing can be a form of personal ownership/employment as well.

  • @lisprn-tt1tu
    @lisprn-tt1tuАй бұрын

    "Read terrible books as well because they can be more inspiring than the good books." Absolutely.

  • @franminanicollier9431

    @franminanicollier9431

    25 күн бұрын

    The thing I love about "bad" media is that it's so outside of the tradition that it can offer new and surreal experiences, new takes on the world. Bad movies and books are a gift and can be just as entertaining as excellent art.

  • @keithparker1346

    @keithparker1346

    23 күн бұрын

    That's why everyone should read Moores Neonomicom...utter crap

  • @lisprn-tt1tu

    @lisprn-tt1tu

    23 күн бұрын

    @@keithparker1346 H. P. Lovecraft was the kind of writer who found his own style through writing terribly...but yeah, he did it better when dealing with Jack the Ripper's more horrible works.

  • @te9591

    @te9591

    14 күн бұрын

    Bad ideas can sometimes boost your imagination and ego because it then gets you dreaming about what you could have done with the material. Whereas if you see a really great film it can sort of both inspire you but also psyche you out wondering how you could ever top it.

  • @franminanicollier9431

    @franminanicollier9431

    14 күн бұрын

    @@te9591 I often watch movies on MST3K and think "they really had something here with this film, it could have been so good"

  • @VikingVertigo
    @VikingVertigo28 күн бұрын

    I feel like his advice extends to any art form, not just writing.

  • @ahobimo732
    @ahobimo73213 күн бұрын

    Alan Moore is one of the few writers whom I can honestly say has fundamentally changed how I see the world. He's one of the greatest storytellers that's ever lived. I challenge anyone to try to argue with that.

  • @l4zrh4wk
    @l4zrh4wk12 күн бұрын

    I remember seeing Alan Moore when I was at Northampton uni back the mid-late 2000s. Dude was walking through Northampton town centre wearing a long black jacket and the most metal rings/claws I’ve ever seen. Great talk Alan!

  • @TomsManCave
    @TomsManCave24 күн бұрын

    Going to play this for my year 10 class tomorrow. What a legend.

  • @OnlyNexus0911
    @OnlyNexus0911Ай бұрын

    What I've been learning from Alan Moore: Becoming a writer is a journey of self - discovery and creativity. It requires courage to share your thoughts and emotions with the world through words. Remember, every great writer started as a beginner, facing challenges and doubts along the way. Embrace the process, trust your unique voice, and allow your passion for storytelling to guide you. Write with authenticity, pour your heart into every word, and never underestimate the power of your story to inspire, connect, and make a difference. Believe in yourself, persevere through the inevitable rejections and setbacks, and keep honing your craft. The world is waiting for your story - so pick up that pen, unleash your imagination, and let your words soar.

  • @hammerheadcorvette4

    @hammerheadcorvette4

    20 күн бұрын

    Thanks for the first sentence. "What I've been learning from Alan Moore: Becoming a writer is a journey of self - discovery and creativity." I wrote that in my Zettlekasten today !

  • @unmappedinsights4787

    @unmappedinsights4787

    5 күн бұрын

    Uplifting and inspirational words! Thanks & Cheers! 🦘

  • @swedishclix7248
    @swedishclix724816 күн бұрын

    Wow. I have heard so much of Alan Moore and loves his work, but never actually seen him talk. I thought that he was a weird, brooding, and in some ways eletistic old man. Really could not have imagined such a straight forward, easy going and likeable Guy he turned out to be.

  • @costelinha1867
    @costelinha186713 күн бұрын

    Honestly, with a powerful voice like that, part of me wish we could get a glimpse of an alternate universe where he became a voice actor. Imagine an antagonist with Moore's voice, instant massive intimidation factor right there. He's so lovely.

  • @batitony
    @batitony16 күн бұрын

    "It's not just for me and people with my AMAZING haricut" LOL Can he get any more loveable than that? This guy is truly a prophet of prose.

  • @markkuykendall5475
    @markkuykendall547524 күн бұрын

    Potentially the English-speaking world's greatest living magus!

  • @K_E_Robin
    @K_E_Robin18 күн бұрын

    I had become a bit fatiqued by my own prose writing, but I found tabletop roleplaying games and game design to be an endlessly enjoyable medium to create fantastical fiction. I'm working on my own Dungeons & Dragons Heartbreaker, and my game is the real f***ing deal! 🐲🛡⚔

  • @dewulfe9913
    @dewulfe991327 күн бұрын

    First time seeing any interview/video with him - given his body of work, I probably shouldn't be surprised he's as awesome as this short convo shows him to be!!

  • @stocktonjoans

    @stocktonjoans

    15 күн бұрын

    you need to take a deep dive in to videos of Mr Moore on this site, that man is always an absolute pleasure to listen to

  • @GlazeonthewickeR
    @GlazeonthewickeR9 күн бұрын

    I really wish this had millions of views because it’s by far of the most life-affirming things I’ve seen in a long time.

  • @TheAlkhemiaStudio
    @TheAlkhemiaStudio23 күн бұрын

    I am a fulltime artist who tends to procastinate and i cannot validate enough mr. moore's commentary on procastination. Sitting down and starting to work is the hardest thing to do, but once you start, the rest is a breeze. Long live the procastinators.

  • @pnptcn
    @pnptcnАй бұрын

    Read Moore Comics

  • @hammerheadcorvette4

    @hammerheadcorvette4

    20 күн бұрын

    Even the bad ones. . . Like the ones coming out of DC & Marvel right now. The Indie scene seems more hopeful right now.

  • @j.manuelmendivilm.5039

    @j.manuelmendivilm.5039

    13 күн бұрын

    ​@hammerheadcorvette4 the indie scene has always been more hopeful

  • @JasonSum1979
    @JasonSum197911 күн бұрын

    Alan Moore is such a true genius in every possible way! He’s the last of a dying bread! The world was lucky enough to be given us Mr. Moore

  • @p.d.stanhope7088
    @p.d.stanhope70887 күн бұрын

    The world needs Great Readers especially in a Post-literate World.

  • @oguzhankocalioglu3180
    @oguzhankocalioglu318018 күн бұрын

    A true prophet. What a refreshing style of talking.

  • @FlippingFumetti
    @FlippingFumetti14 сағат бұрын

    His intellectual honesty is as high as his talent.

  • @GoreVidalComicbooks
    @GoreVidalComicbooksАй бұрын

    It's unlikely I will ever meet him, but it would be a great honor to one day shake his hand and tell him how important his work has been to me.

  • @spoongootjoo
    @spoongootjooАй бұрын

    i am studying a field in college that is heavily reliant on writing but it isn’t fiction. i want to be a story teller and my current trajectory will turn me into a bureaucrat. i hope to use what i learn about society and become a better writer and create a better world or worlds. everyone’s life is a story and i am tired of letting mine become a cheap knockoff of great stories. i hope to feel truly fulfilled by the end of it and that i expressed myself to the absolute best of my abilities.

  • @andenacar
    @andenacar13 күн бұрын

    The BEST writing advice I've ever heard. Thank you Sir

  • @warlockofwordschannel7901
    @warlockofwordschannel7901Ай бұрын

    There's so many great insights & observations in this course, as a long-term AM reader I can see that even if he tends to abandon certain techniques, the gritty deconstruction of superheroes, the frequent use of captions after Swamp Thing, etc, there are still timeless thematic elements that remain throughout his works.

  • @VisualPanther17
    @VisualPanther1714 күн бұрын

    This is so what I needed right now. Thank you sir.

  • @george7333
    @george733327 күн бұрын

    One of the greatest videos of our time

  • @CarlosBe
    @CarlosBeАй бұрын

    Thank you very much, Maestro!

  • @lorivaldorocha7520
    @lorivaldorocha7520Күн бұрын

    Alan Moore é o nosso Sábio da Montanha, sua voz barítona é um conforto para meus ouvidos. Quando eu "sair" deste mundo, farei um agradecimento à Existência por ter vivido na mesma época que Carlos Castañeda, Caetano Veloso, Paulo Leminski e Alan Moore. Agradeço à todos por dignificar o que seria uma existência medíocre, mas eles elevaram a minha alma.

  • @user-vh5dj2op4q
    @user-vh5dj2op4q19 күн бұрын

    Genius Man A real Gent and truthful to the end !! Salutations and a tip of a hat to you Mr Alan Moore !!

  • @WayneTully1
    @WayneTully117 күн бұрын

    Love to hear Alan talk about writing and the creative arts! He’s that voice to help! that you need to get you working!

  • @rosysulla
    @rosysulla17 күн бұрын

    Thank you, Alan.

  • @carlosnicolini1719
    @carlosnicolini1719Ай бұрын

    Great talk. Thanks, Alan!

  • @johnransom1146
    @johnransom114613 күн бұрын

    Love this guy. Reminds me of a great English teacher I had.

  • @midianpoet
    @midianpoetАй бұрын

    Thank You ,Mr.Moore. Thanks to You, I am living an incredible story, You know it, personally. Good luck with everything, Maestro, greetings from Czech

  • @holycrapIambehind
    @holycrapIambehind11 күн бұрын

    This is the greatest advice I have ever received. I’ve never been inclined to write but I have read some books that have pulled me in. I really find it inspiring to think I could be a writer even if I am a totally shit writer. I think it would be fun to be a totally shot writer.

  • @SexyMEFFER
    @SexyMEFFERАй бұрын

    Guy is a genius!

  • @HunterKiller-
    @HunterKiller-17 күн бұрын

    Thank you so much master!

  • @Tbonetiger21
    @Tbonetiger2117 күн бұрын

    Thankyou Allan Moore ❤

  • @llauram3650
    @llauram365014 күн бұрын

    great to see him looking so well!! 8)

  • @ruperterskin2117
    @ruperterskin211711 күн бұрын

    Appreciate ya. Thanks for sharing.

  • @daviecrocket9160
    @daviecrocket916013 күн бұрын

    Well articulated end message

  • @thealexprime
    @thealexprime27 күн бұрын

    Que legal ! Vou guardar essas palavras de sabedoria!

  • @blackbird5634
    @blackbird563418 күн бұрын

    🥰LOVE Alan Moore!🥰

  • @bervync
    @bervync14 күн бұрын

    Thank you Story Santa

  • @vilhelmlarsen9565
    @vilhelmlarsen956528 күн бұрын

    amazing video

  • @profjeff9
    @profjeff92 күн бұрын

    Beautiful outro

  • @juanmarcogiambenedetti7574
    @juanmarcogiambenedetti757416 күн бұрын

    Im watching this while procrastinating

  • @nunyanunya4147
    @nunyanunya414711 күн бұрын

    thank you for all the great stories. I'm sorry the world tried to improve upon them with CGI.

  • @BenjamminClark
    @BenjamminClark15 күн бұрын

    hes a genius

  • @McCrapweasel
    @McCrapweasel15 күн бұрын

    More. I want more. Is there an extended version of this?

  • @Len0Grady

    @Len0Grady

    14 күн бұрын

    This is a part of a full streaming course from BBC Maestro, their equivalent of Masterclass

  • @pocketacessuited
    @pocketacessuited12 күн бұрын

    Damn, this is good.

  • @buzzawuzza3743
    @buzzawuzza3743Ай бұрын

    The Magus knows best.

  • @neilthornely9713
    @neilthornely971312 күн бұрын

    Alan Moore is a beacon of common sense in a world gone tits up.

  • @RichardMcSweeney
    @RichardMcSweeney28 күн бұрын

    Very enjoyable! Thank you. :) "道可道非常道" {道德經 一}

  • @SlickDissident
    @SlickDissident12 күн бұрын

    Inner Rioters everywhere are hearbuy deeply moved.

  • @godofspacetime333
    @godofspacetime333Күн бұрын

    I feel good knowing that one of the all-time great roiters says that I can roit too 😊

  • @geinikan1kan
    @geinikan1kanАй бұрын

    Oi suggest . . . What a postmodern freak (the 1960s definition) we love you.

  • @Wingedmagician
    @WingedmagicianАй бұрын

    I’m here for the stuff on writing and story but.. his procrastination advice! “know that you’re procrastinating. and then get over it” 11:09 😂

  • @BBCMaestro

    @BBCMaestro

    Ай бұрын

    we love that too!

  • @SeniorAdrian
    @SeniorAdrian27 күн бұрын

    Hey BBC, please make the course on your website available in Romania. It says "Sorry, BBC Maestro is not yet available in your location". I want to see more of Alan's videos or just upload them here.

  • @peteraaronbaron1702
    @peteraaronbaron170212 күн бұрын

    The Bible is a great book to read particularly Revelation is organized as a chiasm. Brilliant Chiastic Literary Structure.

  • @stoatystoat174
    @stoatystoat17415 күн бұрын

    Viz ❤

  • @agucci
    @agucci29 күн бұрын

    Oh, he's still alive! ❤

  • @finnhaverkamp
    @finnhaverkamp12 күн бұрын

    He wrote some of my favorite comics, including From Hell and Swamp Things. But i actually haven't looked into his more recent work. How's that going?

  • @charlessmyth
    @charlessmyth16 күн бұрын

    Yesterday, by coincidence, I read Soldier by Harlan Ellison from The Outer Limits Vol. 01 and was dismayed over his lack of rigour with with regard to viewpoint Spoiled it no end. This man called himself a writer ??? :-) Again, by coincidence, I revisited Our Lady Of Darkness by Fritz Leiber. That guy could write !!! "We're not worthy" :-)

  • @unrealnews
    @unrealnewsАй бұрын

    I gotta say I think he's right about everything except the bit about devices. You shouldn't abandon a device merely because you used it before and you recognize that you're using it. You should see it as a tool and that as a tool, it has certain kinds of effects that are can be modulated to change meaning. A device is effective when it does what it's supposed to do, but it is doubly effective when it supports what is being said. The word "said" there is tricky. I mean said from above, as in what the writer is telling you outside of what is happening in the story. It's probably best not to get too wrapped up in these things until the story is complete, then you can fool around with which device does what where and what makes a piece cohesive/coherent and so on. I haven't achieved the status of Alan Moore, but that shouldn't stop you from evaluating his advice to determine if it really works for you. I think it's great that he's used his platform to help people make good art.

  • @juicedgoose

    @juicedgoose

    27 күн бұрын

    The idea is to keep exploring new territory so you don't end up getting creatively stuck. For the time being you may as well take his advice. You'll always have your old ideas to fall back on if you find your imagination has reached its limit.

  • @lucasmattos5727
    @lucasmattos572711 күн бұрын

    🖤

  • @leonardomattarmonteiro2824
    @leonardomattarmonteiro2824Ай бұрын

    SENSEI Supreme ALAN MOORE oozes TRUTH & WISDOM

  • @jorgeluismartinez9871
    @jorgeluismartinez987126 күн бұрын

    LA PALABRA DEL SEÑOR

  • @CastleHassall
    @CastleHassall14 күн бұрын

    you sound like you are from where my dad is from.. did you know any of the Hassalls?

  • @elrapido5150
    @elrapido515013 күн бұрын

    I forgot this guy was still alive.

  • @CastleHassall
    @CastleHassall14 күн бұрын

    Viz!!!.. class! :)

  • @scoon2117
    @scoon21172 күн бұрын

    Thanks Santa

  • @AClassOldie
    @AClassOldie27 күн бұрын

    Has anyone seen Deborah Meaden and Alan Moore in the same room?

  • @stocktonjoans

    @stocktonjoans

    15 күн бұрын

    wait, you think the working class hero, who still lives in the same ex-council house in his home town he always has, is secretly leading a double life as an ultra-capitalist elitist? You take that back! then wash your mouth out with soap, then apologise to Mr Moore

  • @FisherKing9633
    @FisherKing9633Ай бұрын

    5:28 Terrible books are more inspiring than good books. Basically the only reason to read Ayn Rand.

  • @TeddScheckler
    @TeddScheckler15 күн бұрын

    Is he talking about Reuters, the news agency?

  • @matthewtopping2061
    @matthewtopping206112 күн бұрын

    Huh. Didn't know that I needed more wroiting in my loife.

  • @justinoconnor9516
    @justinoconnor951624 күн бұрын

    @5:51 😂

  • @PankajSingh-xc1tz
    @PankajSingh-xc1tzАй бұрын

    Jai bhole baba!

  • @big.word.energy8569
    @big.word.energy856912 күн бұрын

    Somebody please turn Alan Moore onto the idea of writing and narrating a podcast... PLEASE.

  • @azraeljc
    @azraeljcАй бұрын

    I think tom king and Geoff jhons should see this vídeo

  • @thedeadd.c.207

    @thedeadd.c.207

    Ай бұрын

    Nice burn

  • @colossusrevolt3543
    @colossusrevolt3543Ай бұрын

    The last bit was historical all the way.

  • @arkmist3270
    @arkmist327019 күн бұрын

    I think Alan Moore waited his whole life to look the way he looks nowadays

  • @stocktonjoans

    @stocktonjoans

    15 күн бұрын

    TBF he's looked like for for a while now

  • @stocktonjoans

    @stocktonjoans

    15 күн бұрын

    Now, am _I_ waiting until I look that way? well, that's another matter entirely

  • @costelinha1867
    @costelinha186713 күн бұрын

    "Now I want you to write ME a better world, because this one is COMPLETELY FUCKED" Yeah, I want someone to write me a better world too, preferably one where there's capybaras and velociraptors living together...... I'll probably have to write that one myself tho... I guess.

  • @xavierpaquin
    @xavierpaquin13 күн бұрын

    If Gandalf was in Motörhead

  • @costelinha1867
    @costelinha186713 күн бұрын

    "It's not just for me, or people with my amazing haircut" When a god is aware of his divine power, the world trembles.

  • @thetriumphofthethrill2457
    @thetriumphofthethrill24579 күн бұрын

    The Bob Dylan of comics. He brought a depth and intelligence to the Graphic Novel that elevated it to one of the great art forms.

  • @BathedInMilk
    @BathedInMilk28 күн бұрын

    My absolute favourite. Love this man and his work.

  • @cohenlabe1
    @cohenlabe1Ай бұрын

    So if I become a writer will be a meditation technique for me but I will be published so just thinking of the story without putting pants of paper but simply the act of creating in my own mind is it not the same thing for the unpublished author

  • @arghyadas6331
    @arghyadas633127 күн бұрын

    Is that Rick Rubin with an accent?

  • @stocktonjoans

    @stocktonjoans

    15 күн бұрын

    Nope, It's Rasputin without one

  • @isaacthewebcomiccreator9750
    @isaacthewebcomiccreator9750Ай бұрын

    Does it count if I’m analyzing the difference between good movies and bad movies?

  • @G.S.Goldenberg

    @G.S.Goldenberg

    Ай бұрын

    Absolutely. This kind of advice is universal, can be translated to basically any other art medium.

  • @isaacthewebcomiccreator9750

    @isaacthewebcomiccreator9750

    Ай бұрын

    @@G.S.Goldenberg Thank you

  • @stocktonjoans

    @stocktonjoans

    15 күн бұрын

    art is art

  • @Erdnase23
    @Erdnase2313 күн бұрын

    This is what the license fee should be paying for.

  • @jmgmarcus808
    @jmgmarcus80822 күн бұрын

    Rioting will be your best friend. Ok, got it.

  • @HenryCasillas
    @HenryCasillas12 күн бұрын

    ❄️

  • @TheBeetleOwl
    @TheBeetleOwl15 күн бұрын

    Rasputin Santa has spoken

  • @myownprivateglasgow280
    @myownprivateglasgow28014 күн бұрын

    'Upcycled masturbation', that's what writing is, truly ;) Real men walk.

  • @mrplatink
    @mrplatink28 күн бұрын

    I pray everyday, "Jesus Christ, I could write this s---. Amen."

  • @charlessmyth
    @charlessmyth16 күн бұрын

    When you're reading Raymond Chandler and mentally performing the distractions of on-the-fly modifications to the prose . . . Maybe it's time to quit with the analysis :-)

  • @theakkiqueen4655
    @theakkiqueen465516 күн бұрын

    Wait I've been growing my hair out like this for nothing?

  • @stocktonjoans

    @stocktonjoans

    15 күн бұрын

    it's cool, it still looks bad-ass, whether or not it buff's your creativity stat

  • @user-wm2sz8eg7h
    @user-wm2sz8eg7h9 күн бұрын

    Alan Moore said go read manga, western comics are dead, its so over

  • @monoyamono

    @monoyamono

    3 күн бұрын

    I love Alan Moore but that's nonsense. There's good and bad stuff in both. When did he say that? It was maybe true before Alan started having an influence.

  • @ArcaneCowboy
    @ArcaneCowboy11 күн бұрын

    Great guy once get past the sexism, racism, and Islamophobia.