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Self-Publishing Should NEVER Be A Last Resort. Here’s Why

Self-Publishing Versus Traditional Publishing ‘I want an agent and a traditional publishing deal, but I guess I can always whack it up on the Kindle as a last resort.’ If I had a £1 for every time I heard this from a wannabe novelist, I would be hella rich by now. It seems as if new authors think self-publishing is the bottom of the pile, the ‘easy’ option if you will. It’s the thing you do when you have no other options left. The last resort. Ugh. Oi, Writers: NO! As most veteran Bangers know, I work with writers. The… Read More »Self-Publishing Should NEVER Be A Last Resort. Here’s Why

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FREE RESOURCE: The Screenwriter’s Road Map

Ever feel in need of some direction? Bang2writers often tell me they feel they need a road map to help them with their projects. One common issue many writers have is the fact we can write ANYTHING … and that lack of clear perimeters can feel very daunting indeed. Add to that other challenges like neurodivergence, family commitments, or day jobs … well it’s obvious that focusing on our writing can feel like an impossible task. Introducing: The Screenwriter’s Road Map Free Resource The Screenwriter’s Road Map is a new FREE resource for you to download. After chatting with Bangers… Read More »FREE RESOURCE: The Screenwriter’s Road Map

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9 Top Tips To Build Your Following As A Writer

How to Build Social Media Profile as a Writer In 2022, an online following is a MUST for any writer. Being a writer is so much ‘more’ than writing! We need to show up if we want to get ahead and make money from our projects. Many writers do this online via self-publishing, using sites like SubStack or Patreon or creating online products like courses or real-life events like workshops. Luckily, in the era of social media, building an online following is really not that difficult. Let’s read on to learn a few tips … ready? Let’s go! 1) Build… Read More »9 Top Tips To Build Your Following As A Writer

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5 Reasons Writers Should Be Entrepreneurs

Writers As Entrepreneurs Entrepeneurs are people who set up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit. Whilst many writers are also producers, publishers or business owners as well, I am not necessarily talking about financial risks in this post. Instead, I believe ALL writers should be entrepreneurs in terms of their investment in their writing. This may be financial but is more likely to be an investment of time and learning.  So if you’re ready to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit as a writer, read on … Let’s go! 1) Entrepreneurs Know Their Market No… Read More »5 Reasons Writers Should Be Entrepreneurs

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Javier Grillo-Marxuach: ‘Lost Was NOT Purgatory’ (And Other Tales)

About Javier Grillo-Marxuach Javier Grillo-Marxuach is a screenwriter and producer. He has the kind of resumé most Bang2writers would kill for, including iconic shows like Charmed and Lost. He’s continued with fantastic modern TV such as The Witcher, The 100 and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance as well. Wow! I was delighted to Zoom with Javier recently. I love high concept, dystopian and post-apocalyptic story worlds. He’s literally worked on some of my favourite shows that have influenced my own writing! Javier also wrote the AMAZING 11 Laws of show running, an online essay/memo which really requires its own post.… Read More »Javier Grillo-Marxuach: ‘Lost Was NOT Purgatory’ (And Other Tales)

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10 Top Tips About Bad Reviews

On Bad Reviews All writers suffer bad reviews. If you’ve got one or more from readers, viewers or places you’ve submitted (such as film festivals, agents, publishers, or elsewhere) you will know this heartache. You’re hurt, confused and probably can’t stop obsessing about them. Those bad reviews may be all you can think about, even at the expense of the good ones. This is NORMAL. Our stories are our babies. We’ve spent oodles of our time on them. We’ve probably made all kinds of sacrifices to get them written, submitted, published or produced. Supersadface. So how to deal with these… Read More »10 Top Tips About Bad Reviews

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5 Things I Learned From Screenwriter Stephen Beresford (PRIDE)

Talking To Stephen Beresford Stephen Beresford is an actor and screenwriter, who wrote the award-winning British lgbtq+ movie Pride. I had the pleasure of talking with him about getting the film made, his writing process, and any tips he had. Here’s what I learned. 1) There’s value in truth While the UK film industry is only roughly half of its American counterpart ($6.4bn compared to $11.4bn), there’s always something quite special when a new British film comes out, perhaps because the industry is so incredibly choosy. According to Stephen, the UK film industry is very conservative, but having something based… Read More »5 Things I Learned From Screenwriter Stephen Beresford (PRIDE)

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3 Top Tips From Hardboiled Writer Jim Thompson

All About Jim Thompson (1906 – 1977) Jim Thompson may not be the most immediately recognisable of famous novelist names, but he’s my favourite writer of all time. A screenwriter as well as author, Thompson wrote over thirty novels. Known for hardboiled crime fiction (my ultimate fave subgenre by the way), Thompson received positive critical acclaim, but little commercial notice in his lifetime. His best-received novels include The Killer Inside Me, The Getaway and Pop. 1280. My personal favourite of his is The Grifters. I love Thompson’s work because nearly every person in his stories is not just an antihero,… Read More »3 Top Tips From Hardboiled Writer Jim Thompson

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Top 10 Tips For Dealing With Writing Burnout

How To Deal With Writing Burnout It was another tough year, so chances are you may be dealing with writing burnout. I burned out HARD in both 2020 and 2021, perhaps you did too? You may be suffering from writing burnout if you … feel like you no longer care about your screenplay, novel or writing in general are increasingly forgetful, or have trouble concentrating feel like you’ve lost sight of yourself and your goals have difficulty maintaining relationships / being present with loved ones express frustration and irritability more than normal experience somatic pain, muscle tension, headaches or nausea Writing… Read More »Top 10 Tips For Dealing With Writing Burnout

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5 Ways for Writers to Find Their Ideal Audience

All About Audience You’re a writer who needs an audience. You’ve conquered the dreaded writer’s block. You have content that you believe in. You want to share it with the world. So, what’s next? Well, it’s not just as simple as pressing PUBLISH or SEND and hoping for the best I’m afraid! Check out our compiled list of ways you can use to gain an audience for your writing. Ready? Here we go, friends! 1) Identify your ideal audience Spend some time considering popular culture, current events, genre-specific trends, and where your story lands within various demographics. Try out various… Read More »5 Ways for Writers to Find Their Ideal Audience

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5 Things I Learned From Being A Script Reader At A Film Festival

Film Festival Script Reader Twelve months I began reading scripts for a film festival. What started as a volunteer script reader gig of maybe 4-5 scripts per week, eventually morphed into an average of 9 scripts per day. This became just under 450 scripts in the last eight months alone. So what did I learn in that time? Quite a bit. 1) There are No Mistakes So let’s start with the first lesson I learned as a film festival script reader. First up, there’s arguably no such thing as a mistake in storytelling. There have been times where I have… Read More »5 Things I Learned From Being A Script Reader At A Film Festival

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How To Write A Protagonist Who Is A Total Asshole

Asshole, NOT Antihero So, you want to write a protagonist for your screenplay or novel that is a total asshole. There’s nothing wrong with doing this … but first, let’s identify what actually makes up an asshole protagonist. I’d first say an asshole character is NOT an antihero. As we know, antiheroes are in demand in the 2020s, both for male and female protagonists. An antihero is defined in the dictionary as simply ‘lacking traditional heroic attributes’. What this means is left open to interpretation. That said, since The Hero’s Journey is still super-popular, we can assume those traditional attributes are… Read More »How To Write A Protagonist Who Is A Total Asshole

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