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6 Ways Writing Flash Fiction Will Help Your Craft

As any Bang2writer knows, I LOVE short stories (aka “flash fiction”, dependant on word count), which is why I threw my hat in the ring over at www.create50.com for its “Twisted” initiative! (Read my short story for Vol 1- THE RETRIBUTION OF ELSIE BUCKLE, here. Plus you can also check out my entry for Vol 2, SUPER NITS). So Gay Degani has some GREAT advice if you’d like to join me over at @Create50 – or indeed enter any other short story contest … Lawks knows there’s PLENTY OF THEM! You can get a free PDF of 25 of my… Read More »6 Ways Writing Flash Fiction Will Help Your Craft

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5 Ways Of Bringing Real Life Into Storytelling

For our latest venture at Broken Leg Theatre, the company I co-direct with Anna Jefferson, we spoke to a huge variety of women all over the UK. From a group of midwives in London, to a group of elderly women in Leeds (the oldest of whom was 102!), their real-life stories and experiences formed the inspiration for our new play, Three Generations of Women, which tours next month. These discussions, and our interactive online platform, provided us with some confessional and deeply personal stories. The response was overwhelming, flattering, and very humbling. At the end of the research process, Anna… Read More »5 Ways Of Bringing Real Life Into Storytelling

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5 Reasons To Write **Where** You Know

Everyone’s familiar with the writing adage “Write WHAT You Know”, but not everyone thinks about how WHERE they know can help their writing, too. So when Richard suggested looking at storyworld in this way, I jumped at the chance for a guest post … Over to you, Richard! Reason Number 1: The setting is your story’s principal supporting character Traditional writing wisdom says writers should write **what** they know. ‘What’ you know informs the storyline of what you write. But that maxim overlooks the fact that the action (and the inaction) of any story occurs in a setting. That setting often… Read More »5 Reasons To Write **Where** You Know

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Writing Adages Explained: ‘Show, Don’t Tell’

Show, Don’t Tell “Show, Don’t Tell” gets a bad rap as far as writing advice goes. This is because frequently it becomes a “catch-all” for just about anything a feedback-giver feels is “bad”. As a result, this note can end up being frustrating, rather than illuminating. However, at its heart, it IS good stuff. It basically describes the sensation in the reader of feeling “placed away” from the events in the story. This is not dramatic, because the writer is not INVOLVING us *in* the story. It ends up feeling a bit, “And then … And then … And then… Read More »Writing Adages Explained: ‘Show, Don’t Tell’

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3 Questions Your Writing MUST Answer

Bang2writers sometimes write to me, asking if I can tell them whether it’s “worth” them continuing with a project, or even writing altogether. But my answer is always the same: if YOU feel it’s “worth” it? THEN IT IS. If you don’t, then it’s not! Simple, really. But often, those writers don’t really mean the above. What they mean is, “How can I TELL if my project or my writing *could* get any traction with agents, publishers, producers [and so on]?” Well, it’s good news. You totally CAN tell “upfront” if your writing is “worth” pursuing and all it takes… Read More »3 Questions Your Writing MUST Answer

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A Look In The Spec Pile: 5 Winning Screenplays (@ShoreScripts Screenwriting Competition 2015)

B2W was asked to be a judge for the Shore Scripts Screenwriting Competition this year. Bang2writers talk highly of this competition, plus Shore Scripts wrote a great post on last year’s entries for this site, so I was happy to accept. As a judge, I didn’t read ALL the submissions – just the final five, all winners. All five are good scripts, plucked from a pile of 1800 screenplays and scored for their concepts and craft. My job as judge then was to read those winning scripts and decide which ORDER I feel they should come in, 1-5. First up though,… Read More »A Look In The Spec Pile: 5 Winning Screenplays (@ShoreScripts Screenwriting Competition 2015)

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Is Your Screenplay Ready? AKA 12 Qs To Ask Of Your Writing by Philip Gladwin

I’ve read a LOT of scripts (screenplays, novels AND pitch material) and try and demystify the spec pile for writers whenever I can … So when script editor Philip Gladwin asked to write a guest post on getting your script ready for his competition Screenwriting Goldmine, I of course said yes! Enjoy and good luck! What did reading 1,000 scripts teach me?  In the last two years I’ve been a production script editor on two primetime TV shows, and I’ve been a head of development looking for new writers and new projects. I’ve also been running the Screenwriting Goldmine Awards… Read More »Is Your Screenplay Ready? AKA 12 Qs To Ask Of Your Writing by Philip Gladwin

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5 Key Questions To Help Edit Your Own Writing

As writers, it’s really hard not to get too close to your work. And it should be! If you’re not getting too close to it then there’s no blood going to it, either. But there are some things that we find it incredibly hard to spot in our own writing because in our heads all the work is done already. Sharing your work is absolutely essential. My writing group, Kites and Violence, has been running for nearly four years now and these are some of the notes that get given out time and time again (including to me!): 1) Are… Read More »5 Key Questions To Help Edit Your Own Writing

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Q: Is GOOD Screenwriting About GREAT dialogue? >> YES!

When Glyn Carter got in touch with this blog, my first response to him was, “Are you on drugs? You KNOW my thoughts on dialogue!” Then I got thinking: what if I were to run a two-post weekend, based around a question? In this case it would be, “Is Good Screenwriting About GREAT Dialogue?” Glyn could then argue the case for YES. So here’s Glyn with his case FOR dialogue … Tomorrow, I’ll be writing MY take on this emotive issue for screenwriters with NO, so watch out for it! YES, says Glyn Carter (@StoriesIn2light) I’ve been getting feedback on… Read More »Q: Is GOOD Screenwriting About GREAT dialogue? >> YES!

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Writing Fantasy: 10 Dos And Don’ts From Author Lucy Hounsom (Starborn)

Tips From Fantasy Author Lucy Hounsom I was lucky enough to meet fantasy author Lucy Hounsom at the recent Tiverton Literary Festival in my hometown in Devon. She spoke so well about the genre on her panel, I thought Bang2writers would like hear some of her top tips as well. Enjoy! Over to you, Lucy Hounsom … 10 DOs and DON’Ts Writing Fantasy Although the same general ‘rules’ of writing apply to fantasy, i.e. character creation, exposition, structuring, crafting dialogue, fantasy is a genre with roots in the ancient world and it’s important to be aware of its established themes,… Read More »Writing Fantasy: 10 Dos And Don’ts From Author Lucy Hounsom (Starborn)

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8 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Sci Fi Screenplay DEAD

I get a LOT of Science Fiction at B2W … It’s a genre that’s been cool for a good while now, especially in spec TV pilots. In addition, it’s a fab genre for writers to really show off how BIG they can think in their feature scripts, especially as samples but also for those writers wanting to crack the US studio system. Also, just because  Science Fiction is high concept doesn’t mean it *can’t* be low budget either, so it can work for short film too. In short, Sci Fi has got plenty going for it for spec writers. Yet… Read More »8 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Sci Fi Screenplay DEAD

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8 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Horror Screenplay DEAD

Horror is a high concept genre that can lend itself easily to low budget filmmaking (both feature and short film), so it’s no wonder I get so many of them across my desk via B2W and my industry clients. What’s more, audiences’ gore tolerance is on the UP, so television can be considerably more scary and violent than it used to be as well. Yet just there ARE some classic clangers scribes can fall into when attempting the horror genre, so check this out for size because they will kill your Horror screenplay DEAD: 1) Just write a string of… Read More »8 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Horror Screenplay DEAD

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