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Philosophy

How BLADE RUNNER 2049 Confuses All Its Critics

Mild Spoilers Box Office Whoa In a week in which *that* news broke about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, you’d be forgiven for missing that BLADE RUNNER 2049  apparently bombed at the box office. Of course, this may not be that big a deal in the long run … After all, the original also bombed back in 1982.What’s more, apparently the original didn’t review well at the time (though it’s considered a classic now) … Unlike 2049 which has that hallowed FRESH rating on Rotten Tomatoes immediately (88%, no less.). Once Awards Season and ancillary markets are factored in, there’ every… Read More »How BLADE RUNNER 2049 Confuses All Its Critics

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The Art Of The Unspoken: Give Your Reader A Chance To Fill In The Rest

If you want your readers to NOT get bored with a stereotypical ending and/or to keep them hooked, then it is high time for you to learn about The Art of the Unspoken! This technique can be hard to grasp and utilise effectively at first, but it means you will give your readers chance to fill in the rest WITHOUT you needing to be ‘on the nose’ with it. These 7 tips will make your journey to creating the breathtaking mysterious atmosphere easier. Chew on these for size: 1) Pacing With a purpose to create a mystery you need to control… Read More »The Art Of The Unspoken: Give Your Reader A Chance To Fill In The Rest

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How To Be A Successful Writer, Defined By 5 Facebook Memes

Do you love memes? If you love memes, join the club! They seem to be everywhere these days. ‘A picture tells a thousand words’ is an adage has always been a favourite of mine as a writer. Its application to screenwriting is obvious, but even as a novelist CREATING WORD PICTURES helps us keep own track so that we ‘show, don’t tell’. This is why memes are so popular in the internet age, especially on platforms such as Facebook. Memes are defined as: So, for the uninitiated, memes have always been here, it’s just now they’re much more obvious and in… Read More »How To Be A Successful Writer, Defined By 5 Facebook Memes

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3 Important Tips About Theme And Story

1) Theme – A Definition Many thanks to Robert Maitland who asks: I’ve written a screenplay and I am struggling to define the theme. I thought I had understood what the theme/premise was, but on sending it to someone they disagreed. I was wondering if you could offer any advice? If we look up ‘theme’ in the dictionary, you’ll see key words from the definition in the graphic above: ‘subject‘, ‘topic’, ‘idea‘, ‘recurs’ and ‘pervade‘. In layman’s terms then, theme is what your story is ‘REALLY ABOUT’ at foundation level. 2) The Importance of Theme Some writers attach a lot… Read More »3 Important Tips About Theme And Story

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How To Write Better Diverse Characters

Better Characters Everyone wants better characters, full stop. Great characterisation is a non-negotiable in good writing. Though some people think diversity is a ‘buzzword’, they soon agree it’s a better idea to have more variety. So really, most writers are on the same page at foundation level. That’s probably why ‘How to write diverse characters’ gets a whopping 13+million results on Google. Wow! I wrote, Writing Diverse Characters For Fiction,  TV Or Film for Oldcastle Books, which is OUT NOW! But seriously, where do we start?!! As any long term Bang2writer knows, I’m not a big fan of tests when searching for… Read More »How To Write Better Diverse Characters

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Top Advice From 31 Famous Writers

So I’m totally BURIED at the moment, writing my new book on diverse characters for Oldcastle books, so here’s some great insights and tips on writing from uber-famous writers. Enjoy! 1) Stephen King 2) Anne Frank “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” 3) Franz Kafka “A non-writing writer is a monster courting insanity.” 4) Saul Bellow “You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” 5) Anais Nin “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” 6) Aldous Huxley… Read More »Top Advice From 31 Famous Writers

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30 Top Experts On The True Power Of Ideas

Never underestimate the power of a good idea and where it can take you! It’s hard to believe that just over a decade ago, B2W did not exist! Back when I started blogging, I was on an old AOL Hometown blog (remember those??) and writing about screenwriting, just as a way of giving my script reading clients ‘added value’ in my burgeoning script consultancy. Yet my blog grew, relocating first to Blogger, then eventually to this platform WordPress in 2012. Various opportunities presented themselves as a direct result! B2W seemed to take on a life of its own as I… Read More »30 Top Experts On The True Power Of Ideas

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5 Epic Problems Nearly Every Writer Has When Drafting

Drafting is DIFFICULT As every writer knows, drafting is difficult. As a script reader and script editor I help writers with drafting … and have discovered over the years there are 5 issues just about EVERYONE struggles with. Yes, even pro writers!! Enjoy — and pass it on! 1) Overdoing symbolism/ theme Every writer has a ‘message’, because writing is in itself a communication. I’d argue all of us want to SAY something, or PROVE something. It’s an innate part of being a writer. I’d bet real actual money on it. However, that message (or whatever you want to call… Read More »5 Epic Problems Nearly Every Writer Has When Drafting

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9 Unusual Writing Tips From @TEDTalks Speakers

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks have been known to move and inspire people through a vast array of topics. One of its most moving themes may yet be on writing. Some of the most prolific writers also prove to be engaging speakers, and have shared important tips with aspirants on the stage. Here’s a compilation of amazing TED speeches from renowned authors all over the globe: 1) Everybody has creativity In a society fixated on ‘genius’ and being unique, Elizabeth Gilbert shares how everybody has the capacity for such creativity. Aspiring young authors should feel comforted by the fact that… Read More »9 Unusual Writing Tips From @TEDTalks Speakers

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Top 10 Words Or Phrases Storytellers Gave Us

Inventing Words Shakespeare was The Don when it came to inventing words and phrases, so we tend to think writers and filmmakers contribute to language a lot more than they do. It’s actually rather unusual for a writer or filmmaker’s words to get assimilated wholesale by popular culture, but here’s my top 10. Enjoy! 1) You do not talk about … An easy one to start. FIGHT CLUB (1999) is an iconic book and film, so whenever anyone says the phrase, “You do not talk about [whatever]” they’re usually invoking this particular scene from the movie. Over the last two… Read More »Top 10 Words Or Phrases Storytellers Gave Us

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Stop Saying “Diversity”. Start Writing VARIETY!

It’s About The $$$ Regardless of where you stand on the likes of diversity in the industry, the recent #OscarsSoWhite controversy or feminism and film (such as Female Ghostbusters, or #Clexa and #The100), it’s BORING to see the same-old, same-old. We all know this. And most of us have strong opinions on what *should* be done.Yet ideals and $$$ rarely make good bedfellows and let’s face it, we also have to get REAL. We all know this, too: if we want to be professionals, then it’s not about “selling out”, but rather about SELLING. But what if I told you… Read More »Stop Saying “Diversity”. Start Writing VARIETY!

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33 Industry Insiders On Success, Dreams And Failure

As a writer you will at some point have to deal with constructive criticism, or feedback and/or rejection -whether you asked for it, or not! Surprisingly, a lot of writers find it hard to accept this, but the truth is if you want to be a writer let alone a good one, you’re going to have to get over that very quickly! Of course this is FAR easier said than done, especially when the criticism is dished out from (often) misinformed sources. Here are where the pros come in … Here’s 33 Industry Insider tips on how they overcome failure, and… Read More »33 Industry Insiders On Success, Dreams And Failure

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