Guests included Caroline Hollick (Chief Script Editor for RED productions) and local writer Jan McVerry (Clocking Off and The Forsyte Saga). The event was chaired by The Everyman & Playhouse's Literary Manager, Suzanne Bell.

Topics discussed on the night included the likes of in-house style to the creative process and submission procedures. The audience were able to ask their own questions, ranging from which if any genres were preferred to CV nit-picking!

What follows is a summation of advice that aspiring writers may find of use...

Sophie Okonedo in 'Clocking Off'

Fight your corner

When time and budget restrictions run into difficulties, many production companies prefer to cut the script. Not so with Red. They believe in making your script 'director-proof' and that it is the responsibility of the production crew to remain true to the writer's original vision. Be prepared to provide a reason for everything - from something as simple as character names to the most unlikely of plot expositions. If doubt is cast, prove them wrong.

It's a marathon, not a sprint

The most common mistake is for writers to dream of overnight recognition; toiling away on a single script, loathe to move on until the limo pulls up outside. Writing of any kind is a long-term investment. With Red, material is received, usually rejected, but always filed. Promising names are recalled and encouraged to re-try. Information is often exchanged with other production companies and writing teams by word of mouth. Be patient.

(l-r) Charlie Hunnam, Aidan Gillen and Craig Kelly in 'Queer as Folk'

Beware the bandwagon

At any one time, popular themes or topics from the media will start mushrooming in all corners. How many hospital dramas have you seen with a Jehova's Witness refusing treatment? Last year it was raucous call centre culture, and we still haven't seen the end of speed-dating. For reasons that remain a mystery, near-identical projects can be in development without anyone having deliberately 'stolen' from the other. It just shows that a gap in the market appears which those astute enough to recognise rush to fill.

Love television

Horses for courses perhaps, but if you want to write for television, then watch it. Study it. Make notes in your lap. Identify writers whose voice you admire. There's no point writing obtuse, poetic language for a soap opera that adheres to a gun-rattle patter of "Buh ah luv ya!" You might be better suited to the theatre, or fiction. Most of all think in visual terms. Television is about sight, after all. And if you're adapting a radio or play script, please remember to delete the stage directions…

Nicola Stephenson in 'Clocking Off'

Trim 'n slim

Write a speech for a character. Then cut it in half. Then cut it in half again. Boil down dialogue to the bare essentials, and keep in mind the sound, rhythm and words of real speech. Sit on buses, listen in to conversations. Successful American dramas along the lines of 'Six Feet Under' and 'The West Wing' deliver beautiful, witty, intelligent lines… that no-one would ever say in real life. Start small. Economise. Less is more. Pass it on.

Embrace feedback

You'll never know how right or wrong you are unless some sort of feedback is sought. Very few production companies are able to provide detailed analysis, but local writers groups and workshops can be useful, as can family and friends. Don't be afraid of criticism if constructive feedback is offered. Wholesale praise is of no help either (which discounts most Mums, then). Should you find someone willing to help you identify weak areas in an honest, positive fashion, keep them supplied with booze and chocolate.

Christopher Ecclestone in 'The Second Coming'

Think big

Don't be put off by thinking too far in advance about budget, casting possibilities and similar concerns that other people are paid to arrange anyway. Stick to your own job. While it's unlikely that your sci-fi, A-list, pyrotechnic CGI fantasy film trilogy will be commissioned straight out of the gate, if your style is original and infused with obvious passion then a reader or producer just might champion you in future. Write as if every script was your opus. Finish, put aside and start something new.

Discipline is everything

The ultimate horror - a blank screen or page. It's amazing how 'urgent' tasks will present themselves as you sit down to start writing, from re-tiling the bathroom to alphabeticizing your CD collection. Be realistic about what you can achieve, at least to start with. Ten minutes writing, fifteen minutes break. See how you go. Are you a morning person, or a night owl? Don't sit and screw your forehead for an indefinite amount of time. Decide in advance when to stop. Doodle. Copy poems. Turn song lyrics into movie synopses.

Write anything - it doesn't matter what!

For further advice on writing and the creative process, visit the BBC Writer's Room.