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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Short Films

Short Film Mistakes Writing short films is exceptionally difficult. In recent years, many film festivals have started to prioritise short films that are ten minutes or under. Telling a story in such a short timeframe is a big challenge. As a script editor, I’ve spent a lot of time in the world of short films. In the past 20+ years I have been … Involved with numerous produced films, including award winners & nominated ones A judge for Shore Scripts’ Short Film Fund A mentor on numerous screen agency short film schemes, including BFI New Voices Part of the steering… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Short Films

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How Mystery Works: 7 Steps For Writing One In Your Screenplay or Novel

Writing A Mystery Writing a mystery is HARD. I’ve published ten novels now, many of them crime fiction. However, any genre in any medium can benefit from a mystery component. Police procedurals and domestic noir are the key subgenres that use mystery components. There have been over two hundred years of detective novels, plus modern psychological thrillers are super-popular with readers. On TV and in movies, there are frequently mysteries at the heart of thrillers, political or otherwise. We may see them in workplace shows (such as police, but also medical shows in which finding a diagnosis is key). They… Read More »How Mystery Works: 7 Steps For Writing One In Your Screenplay or Novel

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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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Why Your Screenwriting Career Is Stalling (And How To Fix It)

Feel like you’re stalling? If you feel like your screenwriting career is stalling, you’re not alone. The past ten years have created huge problems for the industry. Screenwriting circa 2026 is more challenging than it has ever been. Industry pros have left in record levels, with those that remain telling me it’s the worst they’ve ever seen it. But the point of this post is not to make you feel despondent. Instead, it’s designed to help you stop stalling and get your best chance of getting out of the spec script trenches. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Concept still sells!… Read More »Why Your Screenwriting Career Is Stalling (And How To Fix It)

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How 600 Seconds Can Kill Your Script DEAD

600 Seconds To Victory? NEWSFLASH: 600 seconds can mean the difference between a full read of your spec screenplay … or not. Why 600 seconds? Well, the received wisdom is that a page of script is equal to one minute of screen time*. If a minute is 60 seconds, then your first ten pages = 600 seconds. It really is simple as that. (*Of course, this measurement is not an exact science. Pages with lots of dialogue may be faster, whereas those with more visuals may be longer. But that’s a conversation for another time!). But First, The Elephant In… Read More »How 600 Seconds Can Kill Your Script DEAD

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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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5 Reasons Writers SHOULD Include Sex Scenes In Their Writing

Hey Writers: Include  Sex Scenes In Your Writing! Yeah I said what I said: I have argued for a LONG time that writers should include sex scenes in our writing. In the past twenty years I’ve seen sex scenes in the spec screenplay and unpublished novel pile DECREASE. But it’s not anti-feminist to include sex scenes in your novel or screenplay … plus modern storytelling is NOT porn, as Matt (below) points out. It’s a worrying trend that people KEEP making this accusation of stories on social media. Far from being progressive (as many insist), complaining that ‘all’ expressions of… Read More »5 Reasons Writers SHOULD Include Sex Scenes In Their Writing

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30 Years of Priscilla: What Can Writers Learn From This LGBTQ Classic?

All About The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert I remember the first time I saw Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I was a closeted bisexual teen in deep denial and I saw it in the middle of the night on TV. (If I recall correctly, it was on BBC2). To say it blew me away is an understatement. I lived in Devon, in the middle of nowhere, with no sniff of even so much as a Pride parade. (The closest I got back then were the ubiquitous rainbows on cans of Lynx body spray). A few years before… Read More »30 Years of Priscilla: What Can Writers Learn From This LGBTQ Classic?

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Why Your Draft Doesn’t Make Sense (Plus What To Do About It)

So, Your Draft Doesn’t Make Sense It’s the note every writer – new to professional – dreads: your draft doesn’t make sense. Eeek! When your draft doesn’t make sense, it can be very overwhelming. When we get the note our stories are hard to follow, it’s easy to sink into hopelessness and despair. Some of us may even take it as proof we’re ‘terrible writers’ too and spiral even more. Perhaps you’re confused, too? Maybe you don’t understand why your script editor, beta reader or peer reviewer finds your story so hard to follow. You may feel as if the… Read More »Why Your Draft Doesn’t Make Sense (Plus What To Do About It)

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5 Things Writers Can Expect When Your Screenplay Starts Filming

Congratulations! So … your project has been greenlit and the first day of principal photography (aka filming) is set. Yay! However, a lot of writers are unaware of what happens AFTER you’ve hit *send* on your “final-final-final” draft. It’s time to shed light on the production stages of your script and what happens during the filming stages … Right up to post-production! Here’s 5 things writers can expect once their project starts filming… ready? Let’s go! 1) Yet More Drafts Oh, you thought you were finished?? NOPE! Once your project is greenlit and you’re working towards the first day of… Read More »5 Things Writers Can Expect When Your Screenplay Starts Filming

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What Do I Do If My Book or Script Is A ‘Hard Sell’?

Help! What If My Story Is A ‘Hard Sell’? Every week I hear from Bang2writers who say their stories are a ‘hard sell’ and they don’t know what to do. That’s right … EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK! With this in mind, I broke down the process into steps to help. Ready? Let’s go … STEP 1: Get REAL First things first, what makes your story a ‘hard sell’? Do you know for certain … Or are you just guessing? I always find it very interesting (but not surprising) that lots of new writers pretend to themselves their story is a ‘hard… Read More »What Do I Do If My Book or Script Is A ‘Hard Sell’?

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5 Top Tips From The Black Phone Writers Can Learn

Watch & Read The Black Phone Now The Black Phone is a movie adaptation of the 2004 short story of the same title by Joe Hill. Directed by Scott Derrickson, the screenplay is written by Derrickson and his long-time collaborator C. Robert Cargill. I’m a HUGE fan of both Hill and this duo’s previous output including Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, so I was keen to watch the movie regardless. The logline for The Black Phone on imdb reads, “After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls… Read More »5 Top Tips From The Black Phone Writers Can Learn

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