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5 Important Reasons Writers Should Break Story

Why You Should Break Story I often say Bang2writers should ‘break story’ … But what does this mean and how do we do it? Well, I used to be quite disorganised when I approached new projects. I was all over the place, hoping ‘inspiration’ would strike … and too often it wouldn’t! Supersadface. Today, I follow a simple 5 step process to ‘Break Story’.  To do this, I use ‘The 5 Ws’ – WHO/ WHAT/ WHERE/ WHEN / WHY. (Check out my infographic at the bottom of the post!). Over time, I’ve streamlined process to breaking story and believe it… Read More »5 Important Reasons Writers Should Break Story

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1 Pesky Word That Kills Your Loglines DEAD

Writing Loglines and Pitches Loglines can be pesky little things. For the uninitiated, loglines are those 1-2 sentence descriptions of your story (aka ‘short pitch’ if you’re a novelist). When I work with my Bang2writers, one thing I’ve noted is most really struggle with them. Yet being able to pitch our stories in just a sentence or two actively helps us SELL them to literary agents, publishers, producers, filmmakers, audiences or readers in … Cover letters Query Emails Pitchfests (both online & in real life) Meetings and networking events (‘What are you working on?’) Writing contests, schemes and initiatives Funding bids… Read More »1 Pesky Word That Kills Your Loglines DEAD

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Why A Vague Logline Kills Your Pitch DEAD

  Vague, A Definition Newsflash: a vague logline kills your pitch … But then we know this. Every Bang2writer paying attention knows a logline (aka short pitch) should have CLARITY. It’s one of what B2W calls ‘The 3 Cs’ (clarity, conflict, clarity). Without clarity, we got nothin’. So why then, are there SO MANY vague loglines flying about?  First, it’s helpful to consider what we mean by ‘vague’. Here’s the dictionary definition of vague, below. Check out those keywords and synonyms … uncertain indefinite unclear hazy cloudy For the purposes of this post then, when we say a logline is… Read More »Why A Vague Logline Kills Your Pitch DEAD

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Be Honest, Writers – Do You REALLY Have A Story?

Gotta Be Honest Bang2write is known for being honest in its feedback. Note that doesn’t mean brutal, vitriolic or cavalier. Writing is tough and writers have to make all kinds of sacrifices to get words on the page. Nothing winds me up more than readers and feedback-givers who don’t exercise due care. Every piece of work is an expression of someone’s hopes and dreams. I take this very seriously. But I do have to be honest. I would be failing in my remit as a script editor if I do not put honest notes at the very heart of what… Read More »Be Honest, Writers – Do You REALLY Have A Story?

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10 Quick Tips On Entering Screenplay Competitions

Ann Marie Williams is the author of Screenplay Competitions: Tools and Insights to Help You Choose the Best Screenwriting Contests for You and Your Script. I read this book recently and was impressed by its detail and strategies. Please check out her book at the bottom of the post and grab your B2W discount. Over to you, Ann Marie — Here’s 10 quick tips on entering screenplay competitions. 1) Decide what you want out of the competition process Before you start researching screenwriting competitions, decide what you hope to gain from entering.  Do you want a competition that will launch your… Read More »10 Quick Tips On Entering Screenplay Competitions

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Why FRIENDS Has An Awesome Pilot (And What It Can Teach Writers)

Rise of the Spec TV Pilot Every screenwriter alive wants to write a great pilot episode of their own, if the spec pile is anything go by. When I started B2W back in the day, I hardly ever saw spec TV pilot episodes of any kind. Fast-forward fifteen years and I would venture I read more spec TV pilot episodes than anything else! It also means THE most popular article on this entire site is How To Write TV Series Bibles – over 130K+ unique hits now. Wow! That said, spec TV pilot episodes are notoriously difficult to write. Whilst… Read More »Why FRIENDS Has An Awesome Pilot (And What It Can Teach Writers)

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Top 10 Links To Make Sure Your Idea Kicks Ass

All About Your Idea Your Idea, Premise, Concept, ‘Seed of the story’ … What is this? Why do we need it? How to we make sure our idea kicks ass? So many writers start a project thinking they have a killer concept only to find out it’s a fun idea at best. What’s even more distressing is that they usually find this out halfway through a project. Ouch. Bon Appétit, recycling bin! Here’s a round-up of everything you need to know about concept and ensure your idea kicks ass. Ready? Let’s go … 1) How Your Concept Can Kill Your Writing… Read More »Top 10 Links To Make Sure Your Idea Kicks Ass

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Top 5 Concept Mistakes Writers Make

Concept IS Story Concept aka ‘premise’, ‘controlling idea’, ‘seed of the story’. Whatever you want to call it, that concept is the FOUNDATION of your story, whether you’re writing a novel or screenplay. Contrary to the popular belief amongst ‘aspiring’ screenwriters on social media that it’s ‘the execution that counts’ (newsflash: it’s NOT), concept is actually the MOST IMPORTANT BIT. Why? Because if your concept does not sound interesting from pitch level UP, then no one will invest their time or money in your work – whether they are agents, producers, publishers, viewers or readers.  It’s not rocket science!!! Concept… Read More »Top 5 Concept Mistakes Writers Make

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38 Good Reasons Your Script Might Get Rejected

Has Your Script Been Rejected? If your script has been rejected, you may be feeling confused and despondent right now. Often it’s hard to know why your script did not advance … especially when we compare our scripts to friends’ work, or produced stuff. You may remember this infographic from when it was doing the rounds three or four years back. I thought I’d revisit it and see if anything has radically changed in how I view it from B2W’s POV as a script reader and script editor. Since this blog always posits there’s no ‘right’ way to write (just… Read More »38 Good Reasons Your Script Might Get Rejected

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THIS Is The Difference Between Amateur And Pro Writers

Amateur Concepts I’m not a big fan of the notion of ‘the amateur or aspiring writer’, or professionals only being counted if they earn money from their writing. As far as I am concerned, if you write, you are a writer. End of. But every now and again I will see a writer post about their work in progress, asking for feedback for their story/concept. It might be a novel or a screenplay. Hell, it might even be a half-decent pitch in terms of actual layout, language. Probably because of this, my heart will sink even further for them. Why?… Read More »THIS Is The Difference Between Amateur And Pro Writers

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An Epic Rant On Why You NEED Writing Craft

Rules, Schmules Writing craft gets a bad rap. After all, it’s  just ‘rules’ right?? And rules are made to be broken! NO. A million times, multiplied by infinity crossed with eternity into Dante’s 7 circles of Hell — NO!! Writing craft is NOT about rules. Hell, writing craft is not even about guidelines. These things are non-negotiables and frankly, THE VERY LEAST YOU CAN DO. But do YOU know which parts of craft you’re missing, under-utilising or plain misunderstanding in terms of your writing craft? Do you know what to do about it? Do you understand how thee craft elements… Read More »An Epic Rant On Why You NEED Writing Craft

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Help! My Story Is Unclear – What Do I Do???

Every week I come across a writer who is confused and despondent about their draft. This is more often than not because their story is unclear on the actual page, yet it’s clear in their head. There will be a disconnect between what they want to write and it hitting the ‘bull’s eye’ for the reader. Supersadface. Nine times out of ten, a draft’s story is unclear because the writer has some kind of craft problem. This will usually relate to concept, character and structure. Basically, these are the ‘holy trinity’ in terms of making your potential audience UNDERSTAND what… Read More »Help! My Story Is Unclear – What Do I Do???

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