Skip to content

power of three

THIS Is The Difference Between Amateur And Pro Writers

Amateur Concepts I’m not a big fan of the notion of ‘the amateur or aspiring writer’, or professionals only being counted if they earn money from their writing. As far as I am concerned, if you write, you are a writer. End of. But every now and again I will see a writer post about their work in progress, asking for feedback for their story/concept. It might be a novel or a screenplay. Hell, it might even be a half-decent pitch in terms of actual layout, language. Probably because of this, my heart will sink even further for them. Why?… Read More »THIS Is The Difference Between Amateur And Pro Writers

Share this:

Top 10 Commandments For Successful Writers

The first rule of Write Club is: you do not talk about Write Club. The second rule of Write Club is … wait! Perhaps we should talk about it?? Over the years, I’ve learned a few things about what is acceptable behaviour in writing circles and what is considered bad manners. Perhaps you’ve already broken some Write Club rules. Dare to read on? Are you tough enough to take a punch to the face and come back fighting. Yes? Then chew on these, suckers (Arf)! Enjoy … RULE #1 Writers Shall Not Ask Other Writers to Write Their Book for… Read More »Top 10 Commandments For Successful Writers

Share this:

How To Critique Your Own Writing Like A Boss

How To Critique Your Own Writing “Critique my own writing? Who does that? Aren’t we supposed to critique the works of others?” This is a pretty common response of writers when they are asked about how often they critique their own work. Today, however, we are going to discuss another type of critique that will protect you from being broken-hearted by cruel critics and help advance your career. Self-critiquing is the answer! How is self-critiquing going to help my career as a writer? By critiquing your own writing, you are trying to find that delicate balance between praising your masterpiece… Read More »How To Critique Your Own Writing Like A Boss

Share this:

3 Important Beta Readers You Just Have To Impress

So you’ve written your novel/screenplay/whatever and you’re ready to let it get the once-over before you package it neatly for the publisher or producer’s inbox. A beta reader (aka peer reviewer) is important. Fresh eyes are invaluable – after all, you’ve probably missed over half your mistakes! But it’s not just about how many people read your work (although generally, the more, the merrier). Who are your best quality beta readers? 1) The Published Writer This is someone who’s been through the wringer, and who understands what it takes (or at least took at one point) to get a product out… Read More »3 Important Beta Readers You Just Have To Impress

Share this:

8 Ways You Can Fit Writing Into Your Life (Even Though You Think You Can’t)

How To Fit In Writing ‘How to fit writing into my life’ is a Google search all writers need to make. Look, time is tight, motivation is hard, and writing – actually sitting down and getting the effing ideas out of your head and onto the Big White Page Of Doom – is utterly terrifying. We get it. But you have to! Because – and here’s the big thing – if you don’t?? Then you’re not a novelist, or a scriptwriter, or any other kind of writer … You’re just the person at the party who bangs on about Graham… Read More »8 Ways You Can Fit Writing Into Your Life (Even Though You Think You Can’t)

Share this:

Writing With Style: 8 Tips From Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, author and a fierce critic of American politics, once said, “Anything can make me stop and look and wonder, and sometimes learn.”  So, I hope aspiring and determined Bang2writers (and even the ones feeling lost) will learn something new from the great Kurt Vonnegut! Check out his great advice and tips: 1) Find a subject you care about Find what you care about and what others care about as well. This way your piece and its writing elements will differ drastically from the one on the topic you don’t give a damn about. 2) Do not ramble, though Write few lines… Read More »Writing With Style: 8 Tips From Kurt Vonnegut

Share this:

15 Hard Truths About Screenwriting

Screenwriting: the talent of making words into moving pictures that takes from our mundane lives and into a whole other world! But what do the masters say about it? Here, the writing and filmmaking masters (and mistresses!) give us their tips: 1) “Audiences are harder to please if you’re just giving them effects, but they’re easy to please if it’s a good story.” — Steven Spielberg Spielberg has a point here. Effects are dated so fast that they are yesterday’s mouldy cheese by the time they are on the big screen. What we remember isn’t the flashy effects but the… Read More »15 Hard Truths About Screenwriting

Share this:

Top 7 Pitching Secrets From Stage 32

“How to pitch” and “secrets of pitching” turn up in the B2W Google search results all the time – so my glam assistant Olivia Brennan went out and asked Erik from Stage 32 for his top tips on this subject. There’s some great insights and common sense advice here, plus answers to the most frequently asked Qs B2W gets asked regularly. Thanks Erik – and over to you, Olivia! I recently had the opportunity to find out exactly what producers and executives are looking for during a Pitch. Erik over at Stage 32 was kind enough to shed light on… Read More »Top 7 Pitching Secrets From Stage 32

Share this:

10 Things I Learned From Top Brit Screenwriter Julian Fellowes

Watch The Video Here So Julian Fellowes appeared at the recent LondonSWF Launch Event. I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it, but always Team LSF has us covered! LondonSWF videoed Julian’s fascinating and inspiring chat with Nik Powell, as well as the Q&A with the audience. So, in typical B2W tradition, here’s 10 things I took away from Julian’s chat. You can watch the video yourself, HERE, or click the pics in this post. 1) Relationships are KEY Julian is unequivocal here, when he says his relationships are what got him hired for GOSFORD PARK, which was a game-changer in… Read More »10 Things I Learned From Top Brit Screenwriter Julian Fellowes

Share this:

A Look In The Spec Pile: @Create50, THE IMPACT

Following on from Wednesday’s brilliant post by @ShoreScripts on spec screenwriting clichés, here’s a look inside in the Create50 “lock-in” for LondonSWF’s second crowd-sourced feature film, THE IMPACT. Basically, Team LSF – and some very knowledgeable guests – locked themselves inside Ealing Studios during bank holiday weekend. Over the course of the two days, we re-read and deliberated over the finalists in extreme detail. From there, we created The Impact’s storyworld and built a preliminary story arc of 50 final screenplays, so filmmakers can make their choices in phase 2 of the project. An announcement re: the final 50 will… Read More »A Look In The Spec Pile: @Create50, THE IMPACT

Share this:

5 Reasons To Start Writing Collaboratively

Writers often see their writing as a task that is done alone, but why is that? In school we learn that two heads work better than one, but often as adults we seem to move away from that. Here are 5 reasons why you should look into writing collaboratively, starting today: Reason 1: Stop writer’s block, once and for all Have you ever begun writing a story, well-planned or not, then got stuck half way through? Maybe you should remember group work in school. Your teacher/professor assigned you a task and you had to work with other students to get… Read More »5 Reasons To Start Writing Collaboratively

Share this:

Infographic: Diversity In Hollywood By The Numbers

In the wake of #OscarsSoWhite and The 88th Academy Awards round the corner, now seems a GREAT time to be talking about improving diversity in Hollywood! As any regular Bang2writer knows, B2W is always up for diversity, especially when it comes to female characters, but also marginalised voices in ALL spheres, including (but not limited to), BAME, disabled, and LGBT people – in front AND behind the camera. So many thanks to DuSable Productions who have been in contact with this VERY eye-opening infographic, below! As I mention in my book, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays, we hear ALOT about… Read More »Infographic: Diversity In Hollywood By The Numbers

Share this: