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3 Simple But Powerful Writing Exercises To Make Your Characters POP

Make Your Characters POP It’s not hard to understand why writers do so much work on their characters. Target readers and audiences value good characterisation very highly. Not working hard on yours can really cost you in the long run. However, lots of writers over-complicate this process and tie themselves up in knots. This is why I recommend these three very simple but high-yield writing exercises for yours. Ready? Then let’s go … Exercise 1: Traditional These steps can help you create a well-rounded and believable character. By taking the time to flesh out your characters, you’ll be able to… Read More »3 Simple But Powerful Writing Exercises To Make Your Characters POP

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A Masterclass In Secondary Characters (Or Why Trent Crimm Matters In TED LASSO)

Trent Crimm in Ted Lasso Trent Crimm is one of my favourite queer characters of the last five years or so. He has an incredible arc for a secondary character! So imagine my surprise – and indignation – when I saw Twitter pontificating Trent ‘serves no real purpose’ in Ted Lasso! (Yes, yes the finale was superb … we all know this, everybody loved it, now: RANT INCOMING!). The fact that anyone – least of all wannabe screenwriters! LE GASP – think Trent is ‘pointless’ shows how little people understand the purpose of secondary characters in screenwriting. Sure, they *think*… Read More »A Masterclass In Secondary Characters (Or Why Trent Crimm Matters In TED LASSO)

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Top 10 Myths about Sensitivity Readers (And Why They’re Wrong)

About Sensitivity Readers Sensitivity readers are never far from the news these days. There’s been countless articles and threads online decrying them, citing ‘cancel culture’ and ‘offended snowflakes’ supposedly ‘ruining’ writing in the 2020s. A sensitivity reader is someone who reads a literary work, looking for perceived offensive content, accidental stereotypes and bias. They then create a report for a writer, publisher or another industry pro with suggested changes. No more, no less. FYI, I actually don’t like the term ‘sensitivity reader’. I feel it plays into (some) writers’ belief the job is ‘pandering’ to various communities or cultures. These… Read More »Top 10 Myths about Sensitivity Readers (And Why They’re Wrong)

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Just For Boys? Why The Hero’s Journey Is NOT Just For Male Characters

The Hero’s Journey I’ve been researching The Hero’s Journey for about a decade now on this blog. When I wrote my Thriller Screenplays book back in 2013, it was a plot template that was ALL the rage. In fact, just ten short years ago, screenwriters were told it was pretty much the ‘only’ plotting archetype worth writing … and that if their characters did not change, their writing was ‘bad’!  Fast-forward to 2023 and these expectations have changed considerably. Audiences have started to tire of The Hero’s Journey and its ubiquity. Novels, indie film and even major blockbusters have started… Read More »Just For Boys? Why The Hero’s Journey Is NOT Just For Male Characters

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10 Quick Reasons Why Writers Should Become Script Readers

Script Readers Assemble! We’ve all heard that screenwriters should read scripts to get ahead … But what if you became an ACTUAL script reader? B2W has been training script readers since 2015 on my Breaking Into Script Reading course. I normally only hold this course once a year (and it last ran in February this year), but 2023 is shaping up to be historic for writers. Why? Two reasons … i) The US Writers’ Strike On May 2nd, 2023, The US Writers’ Strike began. When studios and networks rejected WGA proposals, 11,500 WGA writers  voted against working for struck companies.… Read More »10 Quick Reasons Why Writers Should Become Script Readers

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Top 7 Nice Guys In Comedy In TV and Movies

Nice Guys of Comedy Nice guys finish last?? Hardly! In a macho world, there’s just something about nice guys … and you can find plenty of genuinely nice guys in comedy right now! The ‘nice guy’ trope is most often part of the ‘EveryMan (aka ‘every person’)’ archetype, which is characterised by belonging, love and enjoyment. These characters love a good time, but they are just as eager to help out and support their friends or family. This is why comedy frequently has such characters, even in the age of the antihero right now. Here’s some of B2W’s favourites. Ready?… Read More »Top 7 Nice Guys In Comedy In TV and Movies

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Pitching Made Easy: A Foolproof Guide to Writing a Killer Pitch Deck

What Is A Pitch Deck? If you’ve been asked for a pitch deck and thought ‘WTAF is that??’, you’re not alone. One of the biggest issues with this screenwriting malarkey is the terminology seems to change every five bloody minutes. Put simply, a pitch deck is a short document that helps sell your story ‘off the page’. The idea is an agent, producer or script reader can assess your idea BEFORE they read your script. You may have seen them described online as … Series Bibles (for spec TV pilots) Treatment The Package (for spec and movies in production) A… Read More »Pitching Made Easy: A Foolproof Guide to Writing a Killer Pitch Deck

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A Feminist Ranking of 10 Moms from Movies, TV, and Literature

Top 10 Moms Often in the media, as in real life, moms are sidelined as supporting characters. But with such a diversity of different types of motherhood to learn from, these long-neglected characters deserve a little more attention. So let’s give moms some of that leading character spotlight. In this post, I’ll be bringing you the latest in Bang2Write’s feminist ranking series. I’ll run you through 10 iconic moms from movies, TV, and literature, and pointing out how their easily taken-for-granted acts of nurturing, leadership, and support are in fact hugely significant. 10) June George, Mean Girls Never have so… Read More »A Feminist Ranking of 10 Moms from Movies, TV, and Literature

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5 Ways You Can Help An Author … Without Even Buying Their Book!

In the interests of transparency, I’ve got a book out! It’s my debut novel at the age of 59 – which should give hope to all those ‘Am I too old?’ Bangers – and I’d love you to buy it. No, seriously: there is no substitute for getting readers to actually hand over their hard-earned cash for the thing you’ve slaved over. But that’s also the point. In these increasingly tough times, getting anyone to part with £16.99 for a hardback (other formats are available) is a big ask. I get it. So would it interest you to know that… Read More »5 Ways You Can Help An Author … Without Even Buying Their Book!

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Are you ALL IN? How To Know You’re A Professional Writer At Last

Are You A Professional Writer Yet? One question I get all the time is ‘How do I know if I am a professional writer?’ The writers asking will usually tell me that though they may have had books published or screenplays produced, they just don’t feel ‘there’ yet. Alternatively, writers may tell me they haven’t earned any $$$£££ yet, so ‘can’t’ be professionals yet. So, how DO you know if you’re a professional writer? Well check out these tips … let’s go. 1) You know it’s NOT About the money Look up the word ‘professional’ in the dictionary and you… Read More »Are you ALL IN? How To Know You’re A Professional Writer At Last

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Top 10 Authors Who Pivoted To A Screenwriting Career

Pivoting From Novel Writing To A Screenwriting Career If you want to pivot from novel writing to a screenwriting career, you’re not alone. Of course, you may just want to be a screenwriter full stop (and that’s okay too! Or maybe you want to write a novel of your script??). LOTS of novelists have tried their hand at a screenwriting career. Some have had more success than others! Here’s just 10 of them. Let’s go … 1) Roald Dahl Frequently left off lists like these, Roald Dahl boasts an impressive screenwriting career. As well as adapting his own classic book… Read More »Top 10 Authors Who Pivoted To A Screenwriting Career

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Go Woke, Go Broke? Yeah, Go Fuck Yourself (And More Adventures In Diverse Storytelling)

A Little Reminder You can say you ‘support diverse storytelling’ all you want, but if you ALSO say it’s ‘not bigotry’ to actively prefer white actors to BIPOC or LGBTQ ones?? Guess what: you DON’T support diverse storytelling!   C’mon, this is basic. Sigh.  Another week, yet another casting controversy … This time, it’s about Cleopatra being cast as a black actor in the upcoming Netflix drama in May. If you’re yet to catch up, here are just some of the various takes: VARIETY: ‘Queen Cleopatra Director Slams Criticism of Casting Black Cleopatra THE SPECTATOR: Why is Netflix Pretending That Cleopatra… Read More »Go Woke, Go Broke? Yeah, Go Fuck Yourself (And More Adventures In Diverse Storytelling)

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