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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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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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Inside The Spec Pile: Novel No-Nos To Avoid In Your First 3 Chapters

Novel No-Nos To Avoid The first three chapters are the main event when it comes to your novel submissions. (Want to know what else you should submit with your first three chapters? CLICK HERE). Yet as any script reader, sifter, intern or agent’s assistant can tell you, the average first three chapters simply don’t hit the mark. These ‘novel no-nos’ can be varied, so I’m going to list the most common here with links to help. Ready? Then let’s go … 1) Starting with the weather Uh oh! This is one of classic author Elmore Leonard’s Top 10 Writing Rules. Remember:… Read More »Inside The Spec Pile: Novel No-Nos To Avoid In Your First 3 Chapters

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Top 10 Fillers To Delete From Your Screenplay Or Novel Right Now

Delete Delete Delete! If you’re editing your draft right now, then the delete key is your friend … especially when it comes to storytelling fillers. But what are these? Well, fillers are those moments in your story that seem like action, but serve no real storytelling purpose. When it comes to storytelling, actions and behaviour are king (or queen … or monarch!). Simply put, every little thing that happens in your story has to do two things … i) reveal character (WHO are they? WHAT is their role here? WHY are we investing in their journey?) ii) Push the story… Read More »Top 10 Fillers To Delete From Your Screenplay Or Novel Right Now

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Next Level Dialogue: How to Make Your Characters Speak With Power & Purpose

NEWSFLASH: Dialogue Needs Power & Purpose! The purpose of dialogue is consistently underestimated by writers. This in turn saps its power in many spec screenplays and unpublished novels. Yet dialogue is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s arsenal when done right. But too often it’s done wrong … This means dialogue may end up feeling cheesy, expositional or even downright cringey. So, how to avoid this on our novels and screenplays? I’ve dug deep to put dialogue under the microscope … ready? Let’s go! 1)  Understand The Purpose Of Dialogue Many authors and screenwriters misunderstand the purpose… Read More »Next Level Dialogue: How to Make Your Characters Speak With Power & Purpose

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10 Quick Tips To Self-Edit Your Screenplay Or Novel

How To Self-Edit Your Screenplay Or Novel I’m a big believer in the self-edit for my drafts. I don’t see the point in sending my novels or screenplays out – even just to peer reviewers – without giving my writing a good polish first. I also recommend Bang2writers self-edit before paying for feedback, too! However, I’ve worked with writers now for over twenty years. I’ve noticed that many writers don’t know what an effective self-edit entails. They’ll tend to hyper-focus on itty-bitty things that don’t matter. Then they’ll move words around the page randomly. Waaaah. So, if you’re keen to… Read More »10 Quick Tips To Self-Edit Your Screenplay Or Novel

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Top 10 Reasons Your Spec Screenplay Is Being Sent To Trash

Is Your Script Being Sent To Trash? If you suspect your spec screenplay is being sent to trash, you’re not alone. I started script reading so long ago, most of the submissions I received were ON PAPER. No, I wasn’t born in prehistoric times with dinosaurs running all over the place … it was just twenty years ago. (Cheeky). But these days, most spec screenplays are PDFs and attached to emails, or sent via portals like Submittable. However, this does mean they’re easier than ever to overlook, or get sent to trash. All overworked readers have to do is highlight… Read More »Top 10 Reasons Your Spec Screenplay Is Being Sent To Trash

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7 Tips for Crafting Compelling Casino Scenes in Your Writing

All About Casinos Environment plays a vital role in the narrative, and few environments can match the thrill and excitement of a casino. Many stories are set in casinos or within the world of gambling. From movies like the Ocean’s 11 franchise through to Croupier (and of course Scorsese’s Casino!) to TV shows like Sneaky Pete and CSI: Las Vegas to classic novels such as Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, people can’t get enough of them! Crafting captivating casino scenes will not only pique your readers’ or viewers’ interest but also infuse your work with tension and depth. With… Read More »7 Tips for Crafting Compelling Casino Scenes in Your Writing

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The #1 Question Writers Need To Ask Of Their Writing (Do It!!)

The Question You Need To Ask So a couple of weeks ago, I published an article, Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make On Their Page 1 Of Their Screenplays. In the article I gave two examples of (fake) screenplays that had issues. I also posted these script examples to the B2W social media, asking the Bang2writers ‘What’s wrong with THIS page 1?’ (below). Here’s what the Bangers said … ‘Not enough details about Katie – is she the protagonist? If so, what is she wearing? What music is she listening to?’ ‘Missing character descriptions’ ‘It says INT when it should be… Read More »The #1 Question Writers Need To Ask Of Their Writing (Do It!!)

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make On Page 1 Of Their Screenplays

The Page 1 Test Page 1 is THE most important page in your entire screenplay. You have to start as you mean to go on. Most spec screenwriters know they have up to 10 pages to impress the script reader … but few realise it’s page 1 that really needs to rock FIRST. So, to make sure your first page doesn’t sink your chances, read on. Let’s go! 1) Starting with something DULL on page 1 Dull is in the eye of the beholder of course … but there’s plenty of pitfalls we can commit with the very first sentence… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make On Page 1 Of Their Screenplays

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Barbie Doesn’t Have An Arc?? Puhlease! Stop Revealing Your Lack Of Craft

Barbie At The Oscars So Barbie got a single Oscar win in 2024. After weeks of speculation and outcry online, I think the most surprising thing – for me, anyway –  is WHICH song it got the gong for … ‘What Am I Made For?’ by Billie Eilish. (I don’t know about you, but I barely remember this song in the movie, whereas ‘I’m Just Ken’ is still a banger IMHO). Since being released in the summer of 2023, Barbie has inspired countless ‘think pieces’ online. Inevitably, there were lots of calls from right-wingers about Barbie‘s supposed treatment of male… Read More »Barbie Doesn’t Have An Arc?? Puhlease! Stop Revealing Your Lack Of Craft

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