Skip to content

exercise

5 Weird Tricks To Help You With Your Grammar & Punctuation

Weird Tricks For The Win Grammar and punctuation can be dry AF, which is why I always tell my ‘Bang2writers’ to use these weird tricks. They are memorable and fun, plus they’re quick to do. So, without further ado, here’s a list of 5 wonderfully weird tricks writers can use to fix their grammar and punctuation in their screenplays and novels. Ready? Let’s go … 1) The Vampire Comma Test Good for: Novels, Short Stories and Screenplays (dialogue & scene description) Remember The Count in Sesame Street? ‘One … ah, ah, ah … two … ah, ah, ah’ AND SO… Read More »5 Weird Tricks To Help You With Your Grammar & Punctuation

Share this:

5 Things You Can Do If Writing Becomes Overwhelming

When Writing Becomes Overwhelming Has writing become overwhelming and got you stressed out? We hear you. While you might have initially pursued writing as a career because it’s something you love, that doesn’t mean that it’s always fun and games. When you are a little too devoted to something, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and place too much pressure on yourself to succeed. So, if you’re feeling like writing is overwhelming and you just can’t anymore, this article is for you! We’ve got some helpful tips to get you out of your funk and get those creative ideas flowing again.… Read More »5 Things You Can Do If Writing Becomes Overwhelming

Share this:

5 Things I Learned About Plotting From THE SERPENT on BBC1

The Serpent on BBC1 The Serpent is a 2021 BBC limited series about a real-life serial killer Charles Sobhraj who befriended, robbed and murdered dozens of young western backpackers in Asia in the 1970s. Its eight 60 minute episodes got 6-8m views when it first aired in 2021 and it seems to be developing a cult following. It spans decades, crosses continents, and involves multiple cases of mistaken and stolen identities. It could so easily be baffling,  yet it is effortlessly bingeable and often has an almost hypnotic, dreamlike feel. Five examples of top-class craft in the pilot episode of… Read More »5 Things I Learned About Plotting From THE SERPENT on BBC1

Share this:

10 Ways Tarot Archetypes Can Help You Write Your Story

Many thanks to writer and B2W Academy member Pamela PerryGoulardt who has written today’s post about Tarot archetypes … AND created these fantastic cards herself. Wow! I am blown away by how gorgeous the images are. The lady is a talent! Writers often ask me ‘how’ to write great characters visually, so when Pamela suggested Tarot I was all ears. Whilst I have been aware of the practice for decades, I’d never thought of using Tarot cards as a writing aid. So, over to you Pamela! Write Stories That Are Off The Charts! Tarot is a detailed system of numbers… Read More »10 Ways Tarot Archetypes Can Help You Write Your Story

Share this:

1 Weird Trick To Avoid Using The Passive Voice In Your Writing

What Is The Passive Voice? The passive voice is a grammatical construction in which the subject of a sentence is acted upon by the verb, rather than performing the action itself. This results in a less direct, often more ambiguous sentence structure. This does NOT mean the passive voice is automatically ‘wrong’, but when it comes to writing fiction, it might not be desirable. But what does it look like? Here you go … Passive Voice example: The book was written by Lucy V Hay (By the way, it’s not tense-dependent. It would still be passive if it said, ‘The… Read More »1 Weird Trick To Avoid Using The Passive Voice In Your Writing

Share this:

#1 Concept Mistake So Many Writers Make (Plus What To Do About It)

No Research = Concept Problems So often a writer will pitch me their concept and I say, ‘Oh, so like XYZ?’ They’ll look at me, totally blank. These won’t be obscure titles either. They will be big-time movies, TV shows, novels … it doesn’t matter. The writer has not done his, her – or their! – research and road-tested their idea. It always shocks me how so many writers don’t read books, or watch TV or film … then think they can write something with zero problems?? Total madness! If we don’t know what the concept is at grassroots level… Read More »#1 Concept Mistake So Many Writers Make (Plus What To Do About It)

Share this:

11 Awesome Tips To Beat Writer’s Block

B2W’s Quick Tips To Beat Writer’s Block  Need to beat writer’s block? I feel ya … It can seem like the hydra, ready to rear one of its seven heads when you least expect it! Supersadface. But what if I told you that you CAN beat writer’s block and it’s easier than you think?? Try these quick tips for size … 1) Try Free Writing Lots of writers get blocked because they’re trying to be perfect … but perfectionism is a disease! Like the infographic suggests, avoid it by trying free writing. This is when you set a timer and… Read More »11 Awesome Tips To Beat Writer’s Block

Share this:

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

Share this:

8 Steps To Analyse A Successful Story

To Analyse: A Definition Bang2writers have been asking me how to analyse a story to help their writing. It’s something I recommend, because it gets us into the analytical frame of mind. This in turn helps us think about our own stories and what they need. You can read all my #B2WReviews here.  But how do we get into this mindset? It’s worth remembering that emotion and anticipation go together. This means, the more you know (or thinkyou know), the more likely you are to be disappointed by a story. It’s just the way it goes. Disappointment can breed negativity and that’s rarely productive for… Read More »8 Steps To Analyse A Successful Story

Share this:

INFOGRAPHIC: Why Writing Can Be Therapeutic

Therapeutic Writing If you believe writing can be therapeutic, you’re not alone. As writers we can often be very tough on ourselves. We strive to meet deadlines or send out pitches. We scrutinise every piece of work,wondering if we will ever  get published/produced, or reach our readers and viewers in the ways we wish. But how often do we throw off the shackles of our own or others’ expectations and just write whatever we feel like writing? What if we could write for self-reflection and contemplation rather than writing for others? Would that be too indulgent? Therapeutic writing allows us to explore… Read More »INFOGRAPHIC: Why Writing Can Be Therapeutic

Share this:

How To Write Fast Like A Pro

1) Set a DEADLINE ‘I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by,’ said uber-author Douglas Adams, but seriously? If you want to get stuff done – and done FAST – set yourself one. I always advocate looking ahead at the calendar, breaking down what’s possible in what time and having THREE deadlines: one ‘likely finish’; one ‘hopeful finish’ and one ‘unlikely finish’. Try it! 2) Work out your BEST TIME I work best mid-morning till lunchtime on my own writing. This is because first thing in the morning I’m doing admin and social media… Read More »How To Write Fast Like A Pro

Share this:

Top 10 Words That Will Kill Your Writing DEAD

So I read screenplays for a living, plus I spend a huuuuuuge part of my life reading FOR FUN (wtaf!), so I’ve discovered there are certain words that crop up again and again and again which threaten to TORPEDO writers’ narrative efforts. I call these ‘crutch words’ (quiet at the back). Crutch words are those we may rely on in EARLY DRAFTS, which we need to seek out with a torpedo of our own and DESTROY in the edit process. Whether you’re a screenwriter or novelist (trad or self published), look out for these suckers … 1) ‘Suddenly’ The actual… Read More »Top 10 Words That Will Kill Your Writing DEAD

Share this: