"Go down swinging on stuff you believe in": Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan shares a helpful message for aspiring writers

Breaking Bad! The very title conjures up a universe of clever turns, unforgettable personalities, and storytelling that completely hooks the audience without a single chance to blink. One message that the author of this iconic show, Vince Gilligan, communicated to the new writers is quite straightforward: fight to the end for the issues that are most important to you.

In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz Clips, he said,

"And uh yeah, I mean you just you just for the writers in the room, the folks who who want to who want to do this job, more power to you and go down swinging on stuff you believe in because there is more failure than success."

Since the very beginning of Breaking Bad, Gilligan showed how one can be loyal to a vision. The decision to transform a timid, unassuming chemistry teacher into a drug lord was a gamble, and it was not a proposal that the channels readily accepted. Still, Gilligan believed in the story, made it his project, and counted on the public to feel similarly as he did in terms of truthfulness.

This is a major lesson to would-be writers: it is usually necessary to stick to a vision, even when doubt or skepticism sets in.

Here is the interview for your reference:

Believe in your ideas, even when they feel risky

Complete faith in ideas is one of the most recurrent tips that Vince Gilligan offers. As per NoFilmSchool, Gilligan, in his guide to screenwriting tips, advises that to achieve a project, you have to be committed to it. The show Breaking Bad, in itself, is a flawless example of a show that could easily have failed due to its unusual premise.

However, it was thanks to his belief that Gilligan was able to forge on and assume that good storytelling and character development would eventually appeal to the audience. The lesson that aspiring writers can learn is that big ideas, even though they look daunting, usually do pay off to chase.

Learn to accept failure in the process

Gilligan also said in the interviews that you should go down swinging on something significant, but that comes with setbacks, and setbacks are part of growing. The Breaking Bad project was itself met with reluctance by studios and critics when it was being developed, but perseverance turned it into a show that is widely hailed as a critical success.

To the writer, the ability to learn through failure is as important as having a good idea in the first place.

Long-term vision and patience

Another major advice from Gilligan is patience. As he writes, it is not often a fast process. Breaking Bad did not become a phenomenon instantly; each season, each episode, and each character were drawn out through meticulous brainstorming.

The combination of patience and insight in the case of the would-be writers can transform even the riskiest idea into a fully mature and impactful plot.

Character-driven storytelling

Gilligan's conviction is closely associated with real and thoroughly carved out characters. He went through the character's motivations, envisioning natural storytelling. One of the reasons for Breaking Bad's enormous success is that characters such as Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, and others are extremely well-developed and have been making choices that appear so true to the narrative they are part of.

Gilligan explains that he simply instructed the writers to allow the characters to dictate the plot's direction according to their beliefs, and what occurs is both amazing and yet seems to be natural. It is the employment of real characters that makes the audience become emotionally attached and makes the stories unforgettable, walking the tightrope between risk and discipline.

Although Gilligan is very supportive of the idea generation, he still insists on discipline. Every plot twist, ethical question, and visual in Breaking Bad has a reason behind it. Writers are said to find a midpoint between innovation and structure: for the former, trusting your narrative should be imaginative, whereas for the latter, thorough implementation guarantees comprehension and keeps the audience intrigued.

Trust your voice

One of the main things Gilligan has always advised us is to trust our own voice. Aspiring writers are normally pressured to follow the trend or the outside influence, but he encourages the opposite. Breaking Bad found success by being an articulation of Gilligan's private vision, rife with moral contention and tension.

Those writers who cultivate their own voice instead of imitating a fashionable style are more likely to come up with a powerful story that will last.

According to Gilligan, scriptwriting is a cycle. Storylines change, new drafts are made, and the characters develop, sometimes very surprisingly. Eventual writers are notified that the process itself is part of the craft: toughness, examination, and continuing improvement can make the work stronger.

The easy and deep advice of Vince Gilligan is to stay dedicated to ideas, take risks, and don’t be afraid of failure. Breaking Bad is a classic example of such concepts, where the impact of Vision, Patience, and Character-driven narration together can create a relatable work for people.

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It is the lesson for aspiring writers: be committed to the most essential thing and fight till the end, be loyal to their vision, master the art with patience and discipline, and thus they can produce stories that last like Breaking Bad for the global audience.

Also read: These Breaking Bad episodes prove it’s the greatest TV show ever made

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