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Writing THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY # 2 – The Pitch

When writing a novel, a good pitch is worth its weight in gold. Not only is it a good document to grab the interest of agents and publishers, it can help if you are self publishing too as it helps you stay “on track”. I had tried writing novels before, but always ran out of steam. Previously I had written only loose outlines, so when approaching LIZZIE’S STORY I decided to write a detailed pitch. I actually spent as long on the pitch as writing the manuscript (nearly four months!), but I didn’t regret it. Here’s how I did mine:… Read More »Writing THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY # 2 – The Pitch

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Das Schreiben von BAUCHTENSCHEIDUNG # 2: Das Pitch

Wenn man einen Roman schreibt, ist ein gutes Pitch sein Gewicht in Gold wert. Es ist nicht nur ein gutes Dokument, um das Interesse von Agenten und Verlagen zu wecken, sondern auch falls man eigenständig verlegen möchte, da es einem hilft „am Ball“ zu bleiben. Ich hatte mich bereits zuvor an Romane gewagt, aber mir ist jedes Mal der Dampf ausgegangen. In der Vergangenheit hatte ich immer nur grobe Umrisse geschrieben. Aus diesem Grund entschied ich mich, für BAUCHENTSCHEIDUNG ein detailliertes Pitch schreiben. Tatsächlich habe ich ebenso viel Zeit mit dem Pitch wie mit dem Schreiben des Manuskripts verbracht (fast… Read More »Das Schreiben von BAUCHTENSCHEIDUNG # 2: Das Pitch

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Writing THE DECISION # 1: LIZZIE’S STORY – Why This Story?

 I’ve written before on this website about my reasons for writing THE DECISION: I was a teenage mother myself and I became frustrated a long time ago about the representation of young parents in the media. Too frequently, young parents – particularly young Mums – are represented as having babies “for” the welfare payments available, taking tax payers’ hard-earned money and then sitting on their backsides. Too often, fictional teen parents in soap operas, TV series or movies are selfish and feckless, having babies and then dumping them on long-suffering relatives. At the same time, women and girls who have abortions… Read More »Writing THE DECISION # 1: LIZZIE’S STORY – Why This Story?

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Das Schreiben von BAUCHTENSCHEIDUNG # 1: Warum diese Story?

Ich habe auf dieser Webseite bereits in der Vergangenheit meine Gründe genannt, BAUCHTENSCHEIDUNG zu schreiben: Ich war selbst als Teenager Mutter und bin seit langem über das Bild junger Eltern in den Medien frustriert. Zu häufig werden junge Eltern – und insbesondere junge Mütter – dargestellt, als würden sie Babys bekommen, „nur“ um Sozialhilfe zu beziehen, vom Geld hart arbeitender Steuerzahler zu leben und faul auf ihren Hintern zu sitzen. Zu häufig sind fiktive Teenager-Eltern selbstsüchtig und schwach, bekommen Kinder und überlassen diese dann geduldigen Verwandten. Gleichzeitig werden Frauen und Mädchen, die abtreiben, auch häufig als selbstsüchtig, ja sogar herzlos,… Read More »Das Schreiben von BAUCHTENSCHEIDUNG # 1: Warum diese Story?

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7 Big Mistakes In Unpublished Novels

Unpublished Novels I’m reading more and more unpublished novels these days for Bang2writers. Just like the screenplays, I’m seeing lots of the same mistakes. So, here’s a round up of things to check out, so you can avoid those common pitfalls when you make your submissions: 7. Consistency of Tense & Mixed Tenses When I read unpublished novels for Bang2writers, one of the biggest issues is consistency of tense. This means the writer will chop and change from tense to tense, seemingly on a whim. Whilst this is not automatically incorrect, it frequently is … Particularly if you’re swapping tenses… Read More »7 Big Mistakes In Unpublished Novels

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Stuck In A Rut: 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Yourself (And 1 Thing That Will Set You Free!)

Stuck In A Rut Is your writing stuck in a rut? You’re not alone. It’s  been a week since I posted *that* post about avoiding low budget depressing drama & high budget science fiction/fantasy spec scripts if you want to stand out from the crowd … And what a week! Some writers have been expressing: AMAZEBALLS! I TOTALLY GET IT! INVEST IN IDEAS! YAAAY! Others have been decidedly lukewarm: *Grumble grumble* MY SCRIPT IS ONE OF THOSE AND I HAVEN’T GOT ANY LEADS SO I “SPOSE” YOU “COULD” BE RIGHT *Grumble* … And others have said, point-blank: YOU’RE TOTALLY WRONG, GET… Read More »Stuck In A Rut: 7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Yourself (And 1 Thing That Will Set You Free!)

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LondonSWF Script Labs 2012 – A Look In The Spec Pile Part 2

With 360+ entries to wade through and lots of people to collate with (including the Script Lab leaders), I thought I’d give a further little peek into the spec pile while we wait. As mentioned in the previous post on this, we’re looking primarily at the pitch docs. Being three hours long, with 6-8 participants in each lab means concept will be top of the agenda in the Script Labs, rather than workshopping script pages. Also, the screenplay submissions were for the most part strong – I know *every* contest says this, but I’m known for telling it how it… Read More »LondonSWF Script Labs 2012 – A Look In The Spec Pile Part 2

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Your Book Is Movie …

… I heard this advice at a seminar at London Book Fair 2010. It was a real watershed moment for me. It was quite literally the best advice I ever heard, because it finally unlocked the idea in my head that had been percolating for about five years, which enabled me to craft my novel so that it sold. But what does it mean? Seems to me there’s two ways of thinking about “your book is a movie”: Your book will want to “unlock” all possible markets … In other words, if your book can be easily adapted INTO a… Read More »Your Book Is Movie …

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Q: How Do You Script Edit A Script Without Rewriting It As Your Own Story?

Blandine asks, “I notice you’re script editor on ACT OF GRACE. How can you do this without rewriting it as your own story?” Being a script editor is all about doing what’s best for the story – WITHOUT rewriting the script as you see fit, based on your own preferences or how *you* see the story. Why? Because you’re not the Writer. These are two different jobs. As far as I’m concerned, the two jobs go like this: The Writer is responsible for the idea and executing it, ie. coming up with the premise and getting the drafts down on… Read More »Q: How Do You Script Edit A Script Without Rewriting It As Your Own Story?

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Routine Vs Inspiration

CitizenNate over at Twitter asked about Routine Vs Inspiration when I put a shout-out re: blog posts, so here are my thoughts. I’ve written before that time management is key when you’re a writer, be that professional or on spec. However, whilst paying or collaborative jobs will often dictate various things such as deadlines, schedules, when to get feedback, etc, solo spec jobs are a WHOLE different ball game. Just where does one start? Let’s fast-forward the brainstorming, outline and treatment process. I don’t think I’ve ever knowingly met a writer who does it the same as another. Myself, I… Read More »Routine Vs Inspiration

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New Articles for the Required Reading Post

Not a member of Twelve Point? Are you nuts! Just £29 a year gives you access to a wealth of articles, info and other writers at the press of a mouse. But don’t take my word for it — take a look at their FREE articles, below. Like what you see? Then sign up, it’s as simple as that!!! I’ll be putting them in the right sections of The Required Reading Post as soon as I get round to it. Enjoy!————————————————-FREE ARTICLE: The digital world 1 : How writers and filmmakers can use it to succeed, by Laura WilsonThis series… Read More »New Articles for the Required Reading Post

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