​One of the world’s most celebrated living playwrights, Sir Tom Stoppard, kicked off the 2015 PromaxBDA Europe Conference on Monday by reflecting on the earliest days of his career, his writing process, and what he sees as technology’s impact on the creative fields.

Sir Tom was joined on the stage of the InterContinental Hotel in Berlin by the British journalist and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup. He mentioned that he wrote the play that launched his fame—Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead—right there in Berlin.

He surprised some in the audience when discussing the relatively unstructured path his work takes to completion.

“I know what my play is about as late as possible. I’ve learned through the years that If you just start writing as an act of blind faith, you end up in better shape,” he said. “I don’t get into story or characters until I come up with a topic.”

In an age when many writers and creatives are clamoring for the next great technology or platform to help them tell their story, Sir Tom maintains a decidedly low-tech approach to his craft. He still writes all of his plays by hand.

“Technology becomes more about mastering a technology more than ideas. I don’t think I need anything technical to spark my life as a writer,” he said.

And he was crystal clear on the role that the arts can still play in a world increasingly dominated by tech and gadgetry.

“It takes artists and poets to convey that we have to be good to each other,” he said.

In a Twitter chat following his on-stage appearance, Sir Tom fielded questions that had been submitted by conference attendees and Twitter users on everything from his television habits to the rise of digital content.

As for the former: BBC Two’s Wolf Hall, “some” HBO, and House of Cards make the playwright’s TV list, along with news—particularly investigative reporting.

When asked whether the growth of digital made it easier or harder for writers in 2015, Sir Tom didn’t mince words.

“If you have the gift, there are always people longing for you in the digital or analog world,” he tweeted. “If you have it, you’re in a seller’s world. If you don’t, you’re fucked and have to be a producer.”

Photo: Tom Howard Photography

More From PromaxBDA Europe 2015:

Channel Brands: Lee Hunt Says ‘Move or Die’

PromaxBDA’s State of Our Art: Europe Edition

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