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Research or Die # 5: Medical

NHS Direct – encyclopediac site that covers just about everything medical! NHS Careers – another great site, this time about medical jobs Guide To Medical Jargon How to Deliver A Baby Safely Without A Doctor or Midwife A Week by Week Pregnancy Guide Demonstration of Mouth To Mouth Resuscitation – sign in required for this video The Recovery Position – with pictures, step by step What To Do When Someone Has An Epileptic Fit What To Do When Someone Has A Heart Attack How To Stop Excessive Bleeding Guide To Types of Wounds Created By Blades Methods of Injury and… Read More »Research or Die # 5: Medical

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Research or Die # 4: Times & Money

On This Day – fantastic BBC site that recounts everything that has happened on any day’s date On This Day In History – as above, but MSN’s version Today In Literature – similar to the above sites, but in literature (subscription required) Today In Music – musical history On This Day – another site that lists ALL historical events, including music, literature, war, etc Crazy Fads – everything that’s popular from decades past 20th Century History – useful timelines here The People History – useful links to the decades and individual information about computers, money, how much things used to… Read More »Research or Die # 4: Times & Money

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Research or Die # 3: Language

The History of The English Language – an amazing site dedicated to English through the ages, including Ye Olde English! English Language Usage Dictionary of Slang and Colloquialliams used in the UK Slang Used In The US A Short Lexicon of UK Teen Speak Teen Talk – The Lowdown – includes some useful text/instant msg speak The Urban Dictionary Common Errors in English – really useful if one of your characters is supposed to be a non-native English Speaker An Elizabethan English Dictionary Differences in Language In The UK, US and Australia Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang Machine Translation –… Read More »Research or Die # 3: Language

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Good Luck

A great philosopher once said: “The best kind of luck is the kind you make yourself.” Okay, it was The Care Bears. But it’s true. When you’re a screenwriter, it’s easy to fall into the thinking the THE WORLD HAS IT IN FOR YOU. Initiatives don’t shortlist you? They must hate you. Agents don’t want to read more of your work? They must be trying to destroy you. You haven’t won a contest or got an option? Why, that is blatant sabotage. It’s hard, after multiple knockbacks, to not wallow in self pity and/or stick a fork in your leg.… Read More »Good Luck

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Because You Never Know When You Might Need Random Info

So I’m mega busy and most of you lot are off to the SWF (damn you), so now seems the perfect time to indulge my love of lists and links and random stuff. I’m not a big fan of the whole “Write What You Know” thang: too much background info distracts from your story and it can be great to sacrifice facts for drama at times – but I’m always surprised by how crazy scripts can be – and it’s usually the *small* details that can let the whole story down, like a slow puncture in a beach ball. The… Read More »Because You Never Know When You Might Need Random Info

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Research Or Die # 1: Politics & War

How The UK Government Works How The US Senate Works How Elections Work In The UK How Elections Work In The US Intelligence Organisations In The UK [PDF] British Police Acronyms, Rank & Phonetic Alphabet How To Behave In Polite Society (Now, with an emphasis on Teens) and in Victorian Times How To Take Over The World The Northern Ireland “Troubles” The War On Terror [PDF] World War One: basic summary including dates and more in-depth research site World War Two Vietnam The Falklands War (The UK vs. Argentina) The American War For Independence The Spanish War For Independence The… Read More »Research Or Die # 1: Politics & War

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Do Your Preparation: How To Write Outlines, Beat Sheets And Treatments

You should do your preparation! Bang2writers often ask me what is the “best” way to go about writing a screenplay or novel. My answer? There is no “best” way. But it’s definitely going to help if you’ve done your preparation first in the form of an outline, beat sheet and/or treatment. Here’s why preparation work helps you get rid of all the obvious pitfalls and crap FIRST, as it … GIVES your brain time to “breathe” and work out all the machinations of the plot and the character motivations and themes etc concurrently STOPS you writing a load of junk… Read More »Do Your Preparation: How To Write Outlines, Beat Sheets And Treatments

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How To Use Plot Devices – Voiceover, Flashback, Montage, Intercut and Dream Sequence

Plot Devices With A Bad Name … There are lots of plot devices in scriptwriting we hear are “frowned on”. We shouldn’t use voiceover or flashback is the usual (or voiceover WITH flashback!). I’ve also heard montage maligned in a similar fashion, as well as intercut and dream sequence. This is a load of rot as far as I’m concerned. You can use what you like. These accusations we see levied like “flashback is a lazy way of telling a story” is just another generalisation. Flashback can be an amazingly dramatic way to tell a story. … For A REASON!!… Read More »How To Use Plot Devices – Voiceover, Flashback, Montage, Intercut and Dream Sequence

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