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A Feminist Ranking of 10 Rom Com Heroines

Feminist Problems I sometimes feel like I’m betraying myself as a feminist with my rom com obsession. I live for the meet-cutes, Cinderella moments, and happily ever afters … All the unfiltered romance tropes that both make the genre so great and get it (unfairly) dismissed as superficial pap. But rom coms can and do offer a space in which feminist ideas can flourish. To prove it, I’m ranking some of my favourite leading ladies (not very feminist, but fun!) from least to most feminist. 10) Kathleen Kelly, You’ve Got Mail I enjoy a Nora Ephron rom-com as much as… Read More »A Feminist Ranking of 10 Rom Com Heroines

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6 Writing Tricks That Grab Readers’ Attention

How To Grab Readers’ Attention In any storytelling technique, the first word, phrase or sentence is usually what grabs the reader’s attention. This phenomenon is especially true in fiction where you have an opening that immediately draws the reader in. In content marketing (aka blogging!), this phenomenon is known as the ‘hook’ appeal. Hook appeal is what gets your potential readers or customers engaged – what hooks them into wanting to know more and buying your idea or products. The ‘hook’ is the point where you capture or lose your readers’ attention. For example, the title of this piece intrigued… Read More »6 Writing Tricks That Grab Readers’ Attention

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Oi Writers, This Is Not A ‘Real’ Publishing Deal

Want A Traditional Publishing Deal? If you want a publishing deal, you’re not alone. Loads of Bang2writers get in touch with me, asking about how they can get that elusive publishing deal with one of the ‘Big 5’. In the UK, these are usually considered to be … Penguin/Random House Hachette Book Group Harper Collins Simon and Schuster Macmillan Obviously, different countries will have different big publishers at the top. Traditional publishing deals can also be struck with smaller independent publishers that are not the ‘Big 5’. In addition, more authors than ever before are self publishing. Myself, I’m what’s… Read More »Oi Writers, This Is Not A ‘Real’ Publishing Deal

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4 Controversial Writing ‘Debates’ To Avoid This Year

All About Writing Debates I love writing debates online. They can act as really effective ‘water cooler moments’ for writers, especially whilst we are all working from home. Writing is our passion, so it makes sense we have strong opinions. Yet some writing debates are more valuable than others. Some are not only repetitive, they can mark you out as an amateur if you don’t stop to consider the facts over your feelings. When so much of writing success can depend on how we present ourselves (including online), then this can be a serious own goal. So here’s 4 controversial… Read More »4 Controversial Writing ‘Debates’ To Avoid This Year

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing Women

Writing Women Character development is a part of writing mined with lethal pitfalls even at the best of times. But for male authors writing women, or vice versa, the challenge is made more problematic by one pretty large obstacle: gaining insight into the opposite sex. So in a bid to see more authentic women grace our pages, I’m here to address five common pitfalls authors run into when writing women, and how you can circumvent them! 1) Substituting appearance for personality The problems tend to fall thick and fast within the first few pages. Lots of writers introduce a female… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing Women

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6 Genius Writers Share Their Writing Secrets

Genius Writers Do you have a favourite genius writer? Genius writers are those we admire. We may admire them for their craft, their work ethic, their perspective on life … Maybe all of this and more! I’ve always believed it’s a good idea to check out what others who’ve gone before us think … We can then decide ourselves if we agree, disagree or are neutral. In turn, this helps us work out how we see our own writing craft working. Look, before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, let’s get one thing cleared up. As every Bang2writer knows, there… Read More »6 Genius Writers Share Their Writing Secrets

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1 Pesky Word That Kills Your Loglines DEAD

Writing Loglines and Pitches Loglines can be pesky little things. For the uninitiated, loglines are those 1-2 sentence descriptions of your story (aka ‘short pitch’ if you’re a novelist). When I work with my Bang2writers, one thing I’ve noted is most really struggle with them. Yet being able to pitch our stories in just a sentence or two actively helps us SELL them to literary agents, publishers, producers, filmmakers, audiences or readers in … Cover letters Query Emails Pitchfests (both online & in real life) Meetings and networking events (‘What are you working on?’) Writing contests, schemes and initiatives Funding bids… Read More »1 Pesky Word That Kills Your Loglines DEAD

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6 Top Tips On Writing Characters of Colour

Writing Characters of Colour Lots of white Bang2writers say they want to write characters of colour, but are afraid of ‘getting it wrong’. So I am delighted to welcome eight talented black screenwriters to the site today to share their top writing tips. The writers below all appear in the curated list Highly Recommended Scripts by Black Screenwriters, curated by @avishaiw. If you are a producer or filmmaker, make sure you check the list out! If you are not, please pass it on by sharing it via your profiles and pages. Thanks! 1) ‘Be open to others’ thoughts’ ‘My best tip:… Read More »6 Top Tips On Writing Characters of Colour

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Plotters Versus Pantsers: What Type of Writer Are YOU?

Plotters Versus Pantsers The ‘plotters versus pantsers’ debate often rages between writers. Should we … … plot everything in advance, writing outlines and even populating spreadsheets with everything that will happen? Or should we fly ‘by the seats of our pants’ and surprise even ourselves AS we write? The  mighty Margaret Atwood and Stephen King count themselves as  pantsers. King even goes so far to say, ‘Outlines are the last resource of bad fiction writers who wish to God they were writing masters’ theses.’ EXCEPT not so fast hombre! With famous plotters including the likes of JK Rowling and John… Read More »Plotters Versus Pantsers: What Type of Writer Are YOU?

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5 Lessons From 50 Movie Reviews In 50 Days

All About Reviews Movie reviews: you can’t move for them online. So why on earth would I write fifty of the damn things? That’s right! FIFTY! It all started when I lost any motivation to write. I fell into a downward spiral of “I’m not a good writer… I wasn’t meant to write… it’s not for me… I’ll NEVER succeed in this industry”… I guess many of you have gone down that road, too. But how do we get out of those non-supportive thoughts?? We take ACTION. For me, I decided it was time to see how others did what… Read More »5 Lessons From 50 Movie Reviews In 50 Days

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Spotlight On Structure: The Story Circle by Dan Harmon

All About Dan Harmon Dan Harmon is an American writer, producer, and actor. Harmon created and produced the NBC sitcom Community; he also co-created the animated series Rick and Morty. He’s also an industry mover and shaker, having co-founded the alternative television network and website Channel 101. In other words, he’s not only a creative, but a guy who knows the whole caboodle! Harmon is also the creator of a structural visual representation he calls ‘The Story Circle’. One of the primary remits of B2W is writing craft, especially structure, so I thought I’d put it under the microscope like… Read More »Spotlight On Structure: The Story Circle by Dan Harmon

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6 Crucial Storytelling Tips You Will Thank Me For

Every Bang2writer knows storytelling is not easy. But whether you’re writing a novel, screenplay or any other kind of writing (including sales copy, blogs and other content), incorporating storytelling in your writing is a MUST! Ready? Let’s go … 1) Show, don’t tell Yes, this line has become a bit of a cliché throughout the writing industry. However, that doesn’t make it any less true. As we rush to meet deadlines or to push out new content, it’s one of the easiest habits to forget. The concept seems straightforward, but the subtle difference between the two can trip up writers… Read More »6 Crucial Storytelling Tips You Will Thank Me For

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