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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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Into The Spec Pile: 12 Quick Tips On Making Your Submission Stand Out

Into The Spec Pile I’ve been diving into the spec pile of screenplays and novels for 20+ years now. ‘Spec’ is short for ‘speculative’, meaning no one in the industry has asked the writer to create that story. Instead, the writers have done it themselves ‘on spec’. I always call it the SPEC pile rather than the more common ‘slush pile’. To me, ‘spec pile’ is much more neutral, whereas ‘slush pile’ seems very derogatory. It is essential to remember that ANY story – script or novel – is someone’s hopes and dreams. However, I also like to shine a… Read More »Into The Spec Pile: 12 Quick Tips On Making Your Submission Stand Out

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3 Common Problems Writers Have Getting Words On The Page

Having Issues Getting Words On The Page? If you’re having issues getting words on the page, you’re not alone. It’s probably one of the most common laments I hear from screenwriters and authors. It’s so common as to be NORMAL, with even pro writers wrestling with the page too. The good news is, B2W can help – especially if you’ve found yourself thinking any of these … Ready? Let’s go! 1) “I don’t have enough time to write.” Do you have a day job, a disability, mental health issues, or neurodivergence, money problems, kids or other caring commitments (or maybe… Read More »3 Common Problems Writers Have Getting Words On The Page

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5 Tips To Crush Self Doubt & Get More Confident As A Writer

Self-Doubt Versus Confidence If you want to crush self-doubt and get more confident as a writer, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s some common beliefs of writers and how to crush them for good. Ready? Let’s go … 1) “I don’t know if my writing is good enough.” I remember having self-doubt about my own writing. I agonised for ages about whether I was ‘good enough’. Then someone said something very wise to me: ‘You don’t get to decide that.’  That person was absolutely right. It didn’t matter what I thought … it mattered what agents, producers, publishers, readers… Read More »5 Tips To Crush Self Doubt & Get More Confident As A Writer

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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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Getting Nowhere? 3 Top Tips To Help You In Your Writing Career

Getting Nowhere? Read On … I hear from writers all the time who feel frustrated, despondent and like they are getting nowhere. They may tell me they feel ‘locked out’, or perhaps they are getting ghosted by industry pros. Let me offer the view from the other side. Hardly a month goes by without me having to block a writer. Sometimes it’s multiple writers. Supersadface. I don’t want to. I want to help.  Whilst I have to make a living, I give oodles of my time and expertise away for NOTHING on the B2W platform. That’s why there’s so much… Read More »Getting Nowhere? 3 Top Tips To Help You In Your Writing Career

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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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7 Tips for Crafting Compelling Casino Scenes in Your Writing

All About Casinos Environment plays a vital role in the narrative, and few environments can match the thrill and excitement of a casino. Many stories are set in casinos or within the world of gambling. From movies like the Ocean’s 11 franchise through to Croupier (and of course Scorsese’s Casino!) to TV shows like Sneaky Pete and CSI: Las Vegas to classic novels such as Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, people can’t get enough of them! Crafting captivating casino scenes will not only pique your readers’ or viewers’ interest but also infuse your work with tension and depth. With… Read More »7 Tips for Crafting Compelling Casino Scenes in Your Writing

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Are You Schrödinger’s Writer? Here’s How To Break Out Of This Destructive Mindset

Schrödinger’s Cat Versus Writers Schrödinger’s Cat is a thought experiment devised by the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, which he designed to illustrate a paradox of quantum superposition. In this famous paradox, a hypothetical cat may be considered both alive and dead simultaneously because its fate is linked to a random event that may (or may not) occur. Over time, Schrodinger’s cat has been linked to any number of hypothetical situations – erroneously or not – in which something may or may not happen, concurrently or not. I found myself talking about ‘Schrodinger’s writer’ recently with a number of Bang2writers. During these… Read More »Are You Schrödinger’s Writer? Here’s How To Break Out Of This Destructive Mindset

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Top 10 Writers’ Resolutions for 2024 Writing Success

Your Writing Resolutions For The New Year So 2024 is around the corner … did you achieve everything you envisaged in 2023? I hate this question. There’s never any ‘right’ answer. If you didn’t, then it makes you feel bad. If you did, it invariably never feels ENOUGH. This is why I choose the following 10 resolutions, year on year. The resolutions are achievable and don’t require lots of equipment, money or time. I can do them, bit by bit and add to my writing craft and career as I do so. Low stakes cumulative build-up — what’s not to… Read More »Top 10 Writers’ Resolutions for 2024 Writing Success

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5 Ways You Can Help An Author … Without Even Buying Their Book!

In the interests of transparency, I’ve got a book out! It’s my debut novel at the age of 59 – which should give hope to all those ‘Am I too old?’ Bangers – and I’d love you to buy it. No, seriously: there is no substitute for getting readers to actually hand over their hard-earned cash for the thing you’ve slaved over. But that’s also the point. In these increasingly tough times, getting anyone to part with £16.99 for a hardback (other formats are available) is a big ask. I get it. So would it interest you to know that… Read More »5 Ways You Can Help An Author … Without Even Buying Their Book!

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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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