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Diversity

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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Dorothy Koomson: ‘No one Is Being Censored or Stopped From Writing’

About Dorothy Koomson Dorothy Koomson is a British novelist who has been described as “Britain’s biggest selling black author of adult fiction”. She’s also the writer of a whopping sixteen books! CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE. I think I’ve read a good chunk of Dorothy’s books (my faves are The Ice Cream Girls and The Brighton Mermaid). I was thrilled when she agreed to chat to B2W about writing. Check out her top tips for writers! 1) Emotion is key Dorothy calls her books ‘emotional thrillers’. The crime is secondary – it’s more about HOW the crime affects the characters. ‘So many whodunnits… Read More »Dorothy Koomson: ‘No one Is Being Censored or Stopped From Writing’

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KILLING EVE’s Luke Jennings: ‘You Adore Villanelle, Or You’re Appalled.’

About Luke Jennings Luke Jennings is an author and journalist. Bang2writers will know him best as the writer of the Killing Eve novels, the basis for the hit TV series. In case you’ve been hiding under a rock though, the novels follow the obsessive duel between Villanelle, an elite assassin and Eve Polastri, the MI6 agent tasked with hunting her down. What you may not know is Luke had established himself before Killing Eve, writing a number of novels including the Booker prize-nominated Atlantic. He’s also written for The Observer, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. In addition, he’s also… Read More »KILLING EVE’s Luke Jennings: ‘You Adore Villanelle, Or You’re Appalled.’

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No, Diverse Characters DON’T Have To Drive The Plot

Diversity Drive Calm down Doris I have not lost the plot! The drive for more diversity (*cough* variety) in all stories is still very much part of this website. Obviously B2W would never advocate ‘ignoring’ the politics of characterisation. It’s literally this blog’s remit … I wrote an entire book about this subject, FFS!  So, what am I banging on about? Well, there’s a common misconception writers have about diversity in storytelling … They think diverse characters can ONLY exist for **plot reasons**. I’m here to say NOPE. Here’s why.  A Quick History Lesson Not so long ago, diverse characters… Read More »No, Diverse Characters DON’T Have To Drive The Plot

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How To Watch And Break Down A TV Show Episode

Watch & Learn Lots of my Bang2writers say they’re going to watch TV shows ‘for work’ … but then don’t do any work! They just enjoy them. Tsk. Naughty writers! But seriously, you CAN watch whatever you like *and* learn from these produced TV shows at the same time. I’m going to show you how to do this, using the free B2W plotting worksheet, which you can download HERE. By the way, you can watch stuff if you’re a novelist too! Everything I know about novel writing, I learned from watching movies and TV shows. Similarly, you can watch different… Read More »How To Watch And Break Down A TV Show Episode

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Rethinking Masculinity: How To Write A Memorable Male Character

How Can A Character’s Masculinity Make Them Memorable? We are hopefully moving to a world where the main characters are not male by default. But rather than limiting roles for men, this can make masculinity an important character trait. Here are some Alpha Male-style protagonists and antagonists whose masculinity makes them both memorable and engaging. Let’s go … 1) Negan from The Walking Dead Negan is a sports teacher turned post-apocalyptic gang leader who sells himself as the great protector, even calling his group ‘The Saviours.’ He also  sets himself up as a playboy, with a harem of wives, and… Read More »Rethinking Masculinity: How To Write A Memorable Male Character

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Flow Chart – How To Write A Diverse Character Right

How To Write A Diverse Character It’s a fact that audiences want a greater variety of characters in movies and television that feel both fresh AND authentic. But as writers, we are also told to ‘write what we know’ …  And we can’t KNOW EVERYTHING. Supersadface. This is why so many Bang2writers say they would LOVE to write more diverse stories and characters BUT … … They ‘don’t know where to start’ and … They’re ‘afraid of getting it wrong’ So now what??? Well, start here with the B2W flow chart … And to avoid ‘getting it wrong’, pay close… Read More »Flow Chart – How To Write A Diverse Character Right

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Top 10 Diverse Male Characters In Movies And TV

Diverse Male Characters When Lucy asked me to compile my top 10 diverse male characters, I said, ‘Only 10??’  There are so many great diverse characters, so getting it down to ten was incredibly difficult. In no particular order then, here are my Top Ten Diverse Male Characters from stories I have enjoyed over the years. Which are your favourites? Make sure you share in the comments … 1) Pray Tell, Pose  Pray Tell from the TV series Pose, is a ball emcee and fashion designer. The love of his life is taken by aids, his close friend tests positive for HIV,… Read More »Top 10 Diverse Male Characters In Movies And TV

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5 Ways PACIFIC RIM’s Raleigh Beckett Is An Unusual Hero

Raleigh Beckett from PACIFIC RIM Pacific Rim is a film full of surprises. A big silly monsters-vs-robots movie that’s actually about failure, grief, cooperation, and how much we need one another. An action movie with no real villains. And most of all, a movie with two co-leads who are emotional, vulnerable, and equal. Raleigh Beckett, one of those two leads, is perhaps the most unconventional male lead in a big studio action movie to date. Why? Check these reasons out for size … 1) He’s vulnerable …  and that’s a GOOD thing Piloting a monster-killing robot requires its two pilots… Read More »5 Ways PACIFIC RIM’s Raleigh Beckett Is An Unusual Hero

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Why Bias Against Male Secondary Characters Is Super Revealing

Wives & Girlfriends The standard in storytelling is the male character gets to be the protagonist AND the antagonist … Very often, a good portion of the group will be male too. As I’ve mentioned multiple times on this blog and in my writing books, female secondary characters are frequently sidelined to ‘The Girl Character’ or even worse, the dreaded ‘WAG’ – wives and girlfriends. However, it should be noted the role function of being the Wife or Girlfriend is not AUTOMATICALLY a problem. There have been some fantastic, nuanced female characters that have also been WAGs over the years. Consider… Read More »Why Bias Against Male Secondary Characters Is Super Revealing

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Brit Marling Is Wrong On ‘Strong Female Characters’. Here’s Why

All About Brit Marling I’ll confess I hadn’t heard of Brit Marling before last weekend. Like a good portion of blogging writers, the first I knew of her was her opinion piece in the NY Times, ‘I Don’t Want To Be the Strong Female Lead’. It’s fair to say this article really lit up social media. Since B2W is known for its own commentary on female characterisation, I thought I’d throw my own thoughts out on it. But first, credit where it’s due. Brit Marling is an American actress and screenwriter. She’s starred in films such as Sound of My Voice (2011), Another… Read More »Brit Marling Is Wrong On ‘Strong Female Characters’. Here’s Why

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10 Lessons On Writing Women From Phoebe Waller-Bridge

About Phoebe Waller-Bridge If you’ve never heard of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, my first question is where have you been???  She is, of course, the English actress and writer who created, wrote, and starred in the BBC tragicomedy series Fleabag. Phoebe was also the showrunner and executive producer for the first series of the BBC America thriller series Killing Eve. More recently, she signed on to ‘spice up’ the new James Bond movie, No Time To Die. So it’s fair to say this is a creative who knows her stuff! With all this in mind, Bang2write took a look at her thoughts on… Read More »10 Lessons On Writing Women From Phoebe Waller-Bridge

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