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How Intercut Can Help Tell Your Story In Just 8 pictures

All About Intercut Whether you’re writing a screenplay or a novel, intercut can help you tell your story. An intercut is a storytelling technique used to rapidly switch back and forth between two different locations. This might be during a phone call, text message conversation, or parallel action. An intercut frequently plays around with the sense of time in your story, too. They may reference something that has happened in the past. However, intercuts can also reference to the future, to different versions of ‘now’ (whatever that means), or even thoughts and feelings. When Intercuts Go Wrong While intercuts are… Read More »How Intercut Can Help Tell Your Story In Just 8 pictures

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#1 Quick Tip For Leveling Up your Plotting In Less Than 60 Seconds

How To Get Better At Plotting What if you could get better at plotting in less than 60 seconds? Authors and screenwriters are forever looking for the secret to plotting. They buy books, sign up for courses, or watch endless YouTube videos. Meanwhile, one of the best plotting lessons around is hiding in plain sight before your favourite TV show even starts. But what is this secret sauce that can unlock our plots?? I’m talking about the “Previously On…” 60 second recaps Seriously! Whether you’re watching Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, BBC, ITV or whatever else is currently eating up your evenings,… Read More »#1 Quick Tip For Leveling Up your Plotting In Less Than 60 Seconds

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5 Reasons Your Spec TV Pilot Should Contain A Show-Stopping Central Character

The Problem With Spec TV Pilots One of the biggest issues I see in speculative (not commissioned) TV pilots is a lack of a show-stopping central character. But why is this an issue? Well, if we want our spec TV pilot to be read and/or commissioned by industry pros, a show-stopping central character is non-negotiable. It’s common sense our own TV pilots need to be storytelling catnip for that commissioner. One of the ways we can do this is by creating a show-stopping character. A character so interesting and compelling, big-name and talented actors will want to attach. All About Show-Stopping Central… Read More »5 Reasons Your Spec TV Pilot Should Contain A Show-Stopping Central Character

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How To Write An Interrogation Scene (And What Most Writers Get Wrong)

All About Interrogation Scenes Interrogation scenes can be exceptionally powerful in our stories. They can be tense, adding to cause and effect, escalating the story towards the showdown. They can also be the moment one character – on either side of the table! – can move from one state of being to another (whatever that means for the story). When writers hear the word “interrogation”, most of us immediately think of police procedurals. Detectives sitting under fluorescent lights trying to get a suspect to crack. Yet interrogation scenes crop up in virtually every genre and type of story imaginable! Such… Read More »How To Write An Interrogation Scene (And What Most Writers Get Wrong)

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How Your Story’s Opening Tells Audiences What To Expect (And Why It’s SO Important)

Your Story’s Promise To Your Target Viewers Or Readers Most spec screenplays don’t have a strong opener Instead, they open with generic scenes that could belong to literally any story. Yet *produced* movies and TV shows tell us exactly what we’re in for from the very first moments. All we have to do is really LOOK. 1) Opening With Your Genre Check out these stills I’ve taken of NowTV’s FROM, starring Harold Perrineau. From left to right, top to bottom: 1) The first image is of evergreen trees This shows we are in a rural area, near a forest. It’s… Read More »How Your Story’s Opening Tells Audiences What To Expect (And Why It’s SO Important)

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What Writers Can Learn From The Short Film That Launched a $1 Billion Franchise

Selling, Not Selling Out ‘Write me a low-budget screenplay that launches a $1 billion dollar franchise.’  A producer said this in a room full of writers I was in, back at the very beginning of my career. To say it landed with me BIG TIME is an understatement. It made me realise that story is not the only thing writers must contend with. As a collaborative medium, it’s also our job to come up with ideas that SELL. Of course, this is where writers might say: ‘But I don’t want to sell out!’ I totally get this. It can seem… Read More »What Writers Can Learn From The Short Film That Launched a $1 Billion Franchise

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How 600 Seconds Can Kill Your Script DEAD

600 Seconds To Victory? NEWSFLASH: 600 seconds can mean the difference between a full read of your spec screenplay … or not. Why 600 seconds? Well, the received wisdom is that a page of script is equal to one minute of screen time*. If a minute is 60 seconds, then your first ten pages = 600 seconds. It really is simple as that. (*Of course, this measurement is not an exact science. Pages with lots of dialogue may be faster, whereas those with more visuals may be longer. But that’s a conversation for another time!). But First, The Elephant In… Read More »How 600 Seconds Can Kill Your Script DEAD

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Boy Meets Girl: How To Write Romance That Impacts Your Reader

All About Boy Meets Girl ‘Boy Meets Girl’ is a plotting archetype that underpins probably 90% of romance stories. Across all subgenres and cross-genres of romance, we can see it in action because that’s what our readers and viewers WANT. I thought I would trace this powerful archetype and what makes it hit so hard. Ready? Let’s go … ‘Boy Meets Girl’, Beat for Beat 1)  The Set Up Like all stories across all mediums and genres, this archetype begins with the set up. We join the protagonist in their normal life and understand what missing there on an emotional… Read More »Boy Meets Girl: How To Write Romance That Impacts Your Reader

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5 Reasons Why You Should Build Fear Into Your Story’s Turning Points

Why You Should Build Fear into Your Turning Points When it comes to storytelling, fear is more than a feeling; it’s an underlying force that runs through multiple story elements. Influencing plot, character arc and development, conflict, and theme, fear draws readers in and makes the story feel human and authentic. This emotion is at its most potent when plot and character arc dovetail to create the question readers most want to answer: Will the character surrender to their fear or master it? Using Turning Points to Plot a Character’s Fear Journey Turning points – those pivotal events or complications… Read More »5 Reasons Why You Should Build Fear Into Your Story’s Turning Points

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5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

How To Write Romantasy That Bites Back I was at London Screenwriters Festival this weekend just past, where I did a masterclass on writing romantasy. This subgenre has exploded in the past three or four years across all media, yet many people get it wrong on why it’s so popular. Romantasy is NOT just fantasy with some kissing. The romance angle powers the story, while giving us brutal worlds, high stakes and love that complicates everything. It is all about danger and desire, fused. Ultimately, good romantasy is all about that core promise: if it doesn’t hurt, it’s not romantasy.… Read More »5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

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Self-Editing Your Draft: From “WTAF?” to “Hell Yes, I Wrote That!”

All About Self-Editing Your Draft Whether you’re writing a novel or a screenplay, self-editing is key. Yet many writers don’t realise self-editing is even a thing! They may get in contact with a script editor like me to tell them what to do. Yet as I always say on this blog and the B2W social media, self-editing is a great idea. Doing this first is always going to get you better, more robust results than going straight to paid-for feedback-givers like B2W. It’s also A LOT cheaper! But how, exactly, do writers self-edit? Here’s my checklist, step by step. Ready?… Read More »Self-Editing Your Draft: From “WTAF?” to “Hell Yes, I Wrote That!”

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6 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads Who Made Their Mark On Storytelling

All About Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads It’s fair to say female leads have come a LONG way in the past 15-20 years. This is never more obvious in fantasy and sci-fi. From romantasy to sci-fi – and everything in between – these female leads exemplify sacrifice, bravery, skill and fierce independence. As a huge fan of both fantasy and sci-fi, I thought I’d put 6 of my fave modern protagonists from these genres under the microscope. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Bella Swann, The Twilight Saga A fish out of water when she stays with her father Charlie in… Read More »6 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads Who Made Their Mark On Storytelling

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