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Playing The Long Game: 12 Movies Writers Can Learn From

Playing The Long Game No doubt you’ve been advised to ‘play the long game’ when it comes to  making movies, but what does this mean? Well, it’s gone down in screenwriting folklore that it took writer-producer Allan Scott 30 years to get his Netflix smash hit The Queen’s Gambit made. Walter Tevis’s chess novel was published in 1983 – and Scott optioned it immediately, buying the exclusive film rights in 1993. Over the ensuing years he concentrated on trying to get a movie version made (“I won’t embarrass all the directors with whom we didn’t make the movie but I… Read More »Playing The Long Game: 12 Movies Writers Can Learn From

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7 Ways To Beat Self-Sabotage As A Writer

What Does Self-Sabotage Look Like? Self-sabotage is the enemy of writers everywhere. Whilst it might seem like the odds are against you getting anywhere in this industry, there’s actually an even bigger obstacle we need to overcome … OURSELVES! Self belief is so important as a writer. If we don’t believe in ourselves, we might as well not bother at all. I’m serious! So here’s what self-sabotage looks like, plus how to avoid it … Ready? Let’s go! 1) Not asking for help Lots of writers scorn stuff like blogging, social media, courses, groups, books or anything they believe is… Read More »7 Ways To Beat Self-Sabotage As A Writer

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Top 20 Screenplay Contest Tips From Scriptapalooza

Screenplay Contest Tips From Scriptapalooza Many thanks to The Scriptapalooza Screenplay competition for today’s post. There’s some straightforward gold here that can provide a powerful reset and act as a really useful checklist. If you’re planning on entering contests this season, be sure to check out Scriptapalooza at the bottom of the post. Ready? Then let’s go … 1) Read the Submissions Guidelines Each competition has its own guidelines/rules. Make sure you read them and submit exactly what each competition suggests. 2) Always spell check your script Nothing is more frustrating than a producer reading your script and seeing mistake… Read More »Top 20 Screenplay Contest Tips From Scriptapalooza

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22 Industry Pros Share Their Advice On What They DON’T Want

What’s In the Spec Pile Don’t know what to write? It can be difficult to understand what the industry wants, so sometimes it’s easier to work out what they DON’T want! When human beings prize novelty, standing out from the rest can be half the battle for writers … Equally, so can utilising a tried-and-tested trope or character in a unique way. But what IS unique? I rounded up 20 Industry Pros I know and asked them: What types of stories, tropes, characters, genres, story worlds (etc) feel stale, cliched or overused to you at the moment? The Industry Pros… Read More »22 Industry Pros Share Their Advice On What They DON’T Want

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Trying To Get Agents

All About Agents Agents are always in every writer’s sights. With a new year beckoning, NOW is a great time to think about your submissions strategy. But whether you’re a novelist or a screenwriter, do make sure you avoid these epic clangers! 1) Not Following The Submissions Guidelines First up, the obvious one. I know I always bang on (!) about following submission guidelines, but this is because writers STILL don’t do this! NEWSFLASH: all legitimate agents will have their submission guidelines listed on their websites. Before you submit ANYTHING, look at their websites and find out what they are.… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Trying To Get Agents

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Why The More Successful Writers Fail The Most

Successful Writers Sometimes, we meet/discover a writer who is super successful.  We think they must have been super lucky, too. Right place, right time and all that. If only we were so lucky! But what if I told you they’re super successful BECAUSE they failed … A LOT. Seems like an oxymoron, right? Except it isn’t. Many amazing writers are ‘successful failures’. The quote below is from J K Rowling’s Harvard Commencement Speech, The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination. Being as successful as she is, it’s hard to think of her as a writer who failed. But… Read More »Why The More Successful Writers Fail The Most

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How To Write A Bestseller, Broken Down

Writing A Bestseller Is writing a bestseller in your plan? Have you fleshed out your characters and mapped your plot, with exciting twists and turns along the way? While some novels seem to randomly catch on like wildfire and others don’t, not all things about bestsellers are random. Many thanks to Global English Editing who have been in touch with this fab infographic. I really like how they’ve broken it down into 11 key steps. Obviously there’s no guarantees in this writing malarkey … But it’s ALWAYS a good idea to immerse yourself in research and work out what has gone before.… Read More »How To Write A Bestseller, Broken Down

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The Rejected Writer’s Ultimate Survival Guide

Been Rejected? Join the club! Who wants to be rejected? No one! We all want agents, publishers or producers to say, ‘We love it! Here’s a bag of money!’ Wouldn’t that be great??? Alas, you can’t be a winner unless you know what it is to be a loser. Some writers are rejected a handful of times before that all important YES happens. Some are rejected repeatedly for years. But ALL of us have to find a way to deal with this inevitable part of the industry. Here’s a round-up of everything you need to know about the dreaded ‘R’… Read More »The Rejected Writer’s Ultimate Survival Guide

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10 Top TV Writers Share Their Writing Career Secrets

Career Secrets of TV Writers There’s lots of Bang2writers who want to be TV writers. But writing career secrets can be hard to come by when everyone’s journey is so different. It becomes easier to imagine breaking in and grabbing that elusive career is all just luck. But it’s not. If we focus on BUILDING a career, then we can see it is all in our own hands. The TV writers below have all broken into the industry and built a career, so why can’t we? Here’s what my 10 (okay, 11!) Top TV writers said when I asked them,… Read More »10 Top TV Writers Share Their Writing Career Secrets

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THIS Is How You Create Your Writing Career

Which Stage Are You In Your Writing Career? Career writers are different to hobby writers. Whilst hobby writers write for the sake of writing (and why not!), career writers do this AND know there are certain things they must do if they want to sell their work and carve a place for themselves in the industry. But how to do we do this, if we don’t know ‘where’ we are on the ladder? I have mentored lots of writers now, not just in their writing but their careers too. So I sat down and worked out how I see the… Read More »THIS Is How You Create Your Writing Career

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Better Safe Than Sued: 5 Legal Tips For Writers

Essential Legal Tips Did you know that writing can be a legal minefield? While you can get away with a lot under ‘fair use’, there’s still a limit to what you can legally do as a writer. There are some areas where you might end up coming unstuck if you’re not careful.Try to avoid any mistakes by keeping these five legal tips in mind while you work: 1) Copyright is important! (But probably not the way writers think) A lot of the time, especially in this digital age, writers have no idea how copyright works. They don’t necessarily understand, for… Read More »Better Safe Than Sued: 5 Legal Tips For Writers

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1 Simple Tip To Help You Get More Writing Done

Get It Done ‘Get more writing done’ is a Google search that sends literally thousands of writers to this blog every single year. What’s more, countless Bang2writers lament to me they ‘never have enough time’. Because I am a prolific writer, Bang2writers will also ask me constantly me what ‘my secret is’ or how I ‘bend time’ too. I’ve always told Bang2writers that writing lots is ‘just’ (!) down routine and time management … But recently I’ve decided to take specific note of what I do, in order to churn out those words so I might offer up more tangible… Read More »1 Simple Tip To Help You Get More Writing Done

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