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#1 Quick Tip For Leveling Up your Plotting In Less Than 60 Seconds

How To Get Better At Plotting What if you could get better at plotting in less than 60 seconds? Authors and screenwriters are forever looking for the secret to plotting. They buy books, sign up for courses, or watch endless YouTube videos. Meanwhile, one of the best plotting lessons around is hiding in plain sight before your favourite TV show even starts. But what is this secret sauce that can unlock our plots?? I’m talking about the “Previously On…” 60 second recaps Seriously! Whether you’re watching Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, BBC, ITV or whatever else is currently eating up your evenings,… Read More »#1 Quick Tip For Leveling Up your Plotting In Less Than 60 Seconds

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Overwhelmed With Writing? Stop Screwing Around and Do These 3 Things

Feeling Overwhelmed With Writing? If you’re feeling overwhelmed with writing right now, you’re not alone. But let’s cut the crap. If you’re a writer saying things like: “I have so many ideas, but I can’t commit to just one.”  “I just don’t know which idea will help my career the most.”  “I start writing, then realise I hate my story.” Then you do NOT have a special, rare creative problem. All of the above is NORMAL. So here’s a response that might make you mad AF at me, but here goes … … You have AVOIDANCE Avoidance is probably the… Read More »Overwhelmed With Writing? Stop Screwing Around and Do These 3 Things

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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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5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

How To Write Romantasy That Bites Back I was at London Screenwriters Festival this weekend just past, where I did a masterclass on writing romantasy. This subgenre has exploded in the past three or four years across all media, yet many people get it wrong on why it’s so popular. Romantasy is NOT just fantasy with some kissing. The romance angle powers the story, while giving us brutal worlds, high stakes and love that complicates everything. It is all about danger and desire, fused. Ultimately, good romantasy is all about that core promise: if it doesn’t hurt, it’s not romantasy.… Read More »5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

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The Curse of Plot Armour: Why Some Characters Can’t Die (and Why It Matters)

What Is Plot Armour? Plot armour is when a character cannot die in a story, no matter what happens to them. It’s … The smooth-talking hero who survives falling off skyscrapers, cliffs, out of planes without a parachute Villains who appear to be dead, yet inexplicably come back to life Kickass hotties who can stop bullets hitting them by being super-fast Characters with supernatural or scientific abilities that stop them dying (including superheroes) Hitmen who have a ‘bulletproof suit’  (hello, literal plot armour in John Wick 4!) Plot armour is most obvious in horror, fantasy or science fiction, though it… Read More »The Curse of Plot Armour: Why Some Characters Can’t Die (and Why It Matters)

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5 Pitch Deck FAILS That Make Industry Pros Say, ‘I’m Out’

Pitch Deck FAILS I’ve seen a LOT of pitch deck fails in my time as a script editor here at B2W. And whether it’s film funds, script labs or co-production markets, the same problems show up again and again. Here are 5 red flags that make professionals quietly close your deck before you’ve even got to the good bits. Ready? Let’s go! 1) Opening with a bloody quote Look, I get it: you love storytelling. You’re deep, poetic, meaningful. Maybe even a bit mystical. But that’s not what your pitch deck is for!! Agents, investors, broadcasters, producers want clarity and… Read More »5 Pitch Deck FAILS That Make Industry Pros Say, ‘I’m Out’

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#1 Error That Kills Interest In Your Pitch 100% Of The Time

#1 Error That Kills Your Pitch Obviously there are lots of ways to kill your pitch, but there’s a #1 error I see most often. This error is so widespread and so simple, you’ll kick yourself once you see it … … HIDING your story behind intangible, thematic stuff. In other words, writers go for VIBES over the actual events of the story. Instead of being overt about what literally happens, the writer will fall back on that #1 pitching error like this … A retired bodyguard faces his demons from his traumatic past as he guides a kidnapped girl… Read More »#1 Error That Kills Interest In Your Pitch 100% Of The Time

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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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Fantasy Vs. Science Fiction: What’s The Difference?

Fantasy Vs. Science Fiction One of the most searched-for terms leading to this blog is ‘fantasy vs. science fiction’. Since so many writers seem to want to know the difference, I thought I’d round some up. Fantasy and science fiction are two VERY popular genres in the spec pile, screenplay or novel. I seem to read them all the time. These genres have some similarities, but also some distinct differences as well. Without further ado, here’s my breakdown of  fantasy vs. science fiction … Ready? Let’s go! 1) Setting First up on fantasy vs. science fiction is setting. Whether urban… Read More »Fantasy Vs. Science Fiction: What’s The Difference?

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Their Fantasy Stories

How NOT to Write Fantasy Stories Fantasy stories are brilliant because technically, we can write whatever we want … but the bad news is, we can write whatever we want! For a lot of writers this can lead to feeling overwhelmed, which in turn can mean big mistakes. So if we can do whatever we want, perhaps it’s better to concentrate on what NOT to do?? Here’s my advice on how NOT to write fantasy stories (whether screenplay or novel). Ready? Let’s go … 1) Lack of Originality Yes, we don’t want anything TOO original … we need to be able… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Their Fantasy Stories

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No, Your Characters DON’T Have To Change In Your Novel Or Screenplay. Here’s Why

Do Characters ‘Have’ To Change? In any conversation online about characterisation, it’s never long before somebody pops up proclaiming characters HAVE to change. They may even insist that a character who doesn’t change has ‘no arc’. Calling the department of WRONG! No, characters do NOT have to change. I can’t stress this enough. In fact, sometimes it’s desirable they DON’T change. Have I blown your mind? If I have, I’m not surprised. Writing gurus – especially in screenwriting circles – have been SO didactic about this topic in the last thirty or forty years. As a result, generations of writers… Read More »No, Your Characters DON’T Have To Change In Your Novel Or Screenplay. Here’s Why

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Your Ultimate Guide To Getting Representation As A Writer

Want Representation? Then Read THIS … One thing writers ask B2W about A LOT is how to get representation as a writer. Then Tom Vaughan popped up in my timeline recently with these gold nuggets below.  I particularly love his points about being ‘pre-scrutinised’. It’s SO true that relationships are the lifeblood of the industry. I just had to ask Tom if I could republish his pointers here on the main site. Luckily Tom agreed … and make sure you sign up for his awesome newsletter, HERE. Over to you, Tom! ‘How Do I Get Representation As A Writer?’ It’s… Read More »Your Ultimate Guide To Getting Representation As A Writer

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