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Barbie Doesn’t Have An Arc?? Puhlease! Stop Revealing Your Lack Of Craft

Barbie At The Oscars So Barbie got a single Oscar win in 2024. After weeks of speculation and outcry online, I think the most surprising thing – for me, anyway –  is WHICH song it got the gong for … ‘What Am I Made For?’ by Billie Eilish. (I don’t know about you, but I barely remember this song in the movie, whereas ‘I’m Just Ken’ is still a banger IMHO). Since being released in the summer of 2023, Barbie has inspired countless ‘think pieces’ online. Inevitably, there were lots of calls from right-wingers about Barbie‘s supposed treatment of male… Read More »Barbie Doesn’t Have An Arc?? Puhlease! Stop Revealing Your Lack Of Craft

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5 Ways Podcasting Can Help Your Writing Career

All About Podcasting Podcasting is big business with the latest data showing over 460 million podcast listeners globally and growing.    I could give you fifty reasons why podcasting is a good idea, but I wasn’t allowed, so here’s five. 1) Podcasting Helps Build & Grow Your Audience It’s the most obvious one; it’s finding and expanding your audience.  They are out there.  This is especially good if you think you write for a niche group or your demographic is outside the coveted 18-34 age group. Using a podcast service like Buzzsprout will mean you can reach people worldwide on multiple… Read More »5 Ways Podcasting Can Help Your Writing Career

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How TV Thrillers Have Changed Since The 00s And What You Need To Know

All About TV Thrillers & Target Audiences I’ve been streaming a lot of TV thrillers shows from the early 00s to approximately 2012 at the moment. As veteran Bangers know, I love to track the changes to writing craft and what’s popular with TV audiences. Many people think I get ALL my information from talking with industry pros. That is true in part now, but it wasn’t before I made those contacts (duh!). This means I was doing this long before I knew anyone of note. Many new writers are surprised to hear the vast majority of my knowledge comes… Read More »How TV Thrillers Have Changed Since The 00s And What You Need To Know

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Go Woke, Go Broke? Yeah, Go Fuck Yourself (And More Adventures In Diverse Storytelling)

A Little Reminder You can say you ‘support diverse storytelling’ all you want, but if you ALSO say it’s ‘not bigotry’ to actively prefer white actors to BIPOC or LGBTQ ones?? Guess what: you DON’T support diverse storytelling!   C’mon, this is basic. Sigh.  Another week, yet another casting controversy … This time, it’s about Cleopatra being cast as a black actor in the upcoming Netflix drama in May. If you’re yet to catch up, here are just some of the various takes: VARIETY: ‘Queen Cleopatra Director Slams Criticism of Casting Black Cleopatra THE SPECTATOR: Why is Netflix Pretending That Cleopatra… Read More »Go Woke, Go Broke? Yeah, Go Fuck Yourself (And More Adventures In Diverse Storytelling)

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5 Things Writers Can Expect When Your Screenplay Starts Filming

Congratulations! So … your project has been greenlit and the first day of principal photography (aka filming) is set. Yay! However, a lot of writers are unaware of what happens AFTER you’ve hit *send* on your “final-final-final” draft. It’s time to shed light on the production stages of your script and what happens during the filming stages … Right up to post-production! Here’s 5 things writers can expect once their project starts filming… ready? Let’s go! 1) Yet More Drafts Oh, you thought you were finished?? NOPE! Once your project is greenlit and you’re working towards the first day of… Read More »5 Things Writers Can Expect When Your Screenplay Starts Filming

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Working With A Producer

You Need A Producer Put simply, a good producer will be the backbone of your project. Now, I may be a little biased saying that, as I am a producer. But this key role is the person who will spend months – even years – overseeing every aspect of the project to make sure it becomes as successful as possible. How to Screw Up Working With A Producer Producers, like all filmmakers, are busy people. Because of this, they can be stingy with their time. Meaning if you start off on the wrong foot, they’re unlikely to give you a… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Working With A Producer

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Why Remakes And Reboots Are Here To Stay (And No, It’s Not A Bad Thing)

The Pain of Remakes And Reboots Whenever I teach a screenwriting class, it won’t be long before someone brings up remakes and reboots. This person will most often* be a middle-aged white man at the beginning of his screenwriting journey. (*But obviously doesn’t have to be). Anyway, he will confess that remakes and reboots make him very angry … Hell, he may even GET angry just talking about them. Then he will insist that remakes and reboots are enemies of creativity and that Hollywood shouldn”t be so ‘risk averse’. When I ask him how many movies he’s watched this year… Read More »Why Remakes And Reboots Are Here To Stay (And No, It’s Not A Bad Thing)

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The Witcher: 7 Important Lessons In Adaptation

The Witcher On Netflix  The Witcher is an epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, monsters, and romance. It is based on books written by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowskiare, as well as a video game series. It’s an excellent example of how to adapt an original source. Here are 7 adaptation lessons from The Witcher … Enjoy! (SPOILER ALERT – If you have not watched or read the books, be aware there may be some in this post). LESSON #1: Add more PoVs to Make It More Interesting Geralt of Rivia is the main character of The Witcher, both in… Read More »The Witcher: 7 Important Lessons In Adaptation

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10 Quick Tips For Your Writer’s Resumé

All About The Resumé Most writing submissions require a writer’s resumé now. Bang2writers are always asking me what they should include in theirs, so I thought I would pull together my top tips for you. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Presentation is everything First impressions count. Make sure your resumé (aka your CV, if you’re a Brit like me) LOOKS professional. There’s no set way to do this, so don’t panic … It’s more a case of ‘you’ll know it when you see it’. Swapping with your writing peers is a great idea to see what works and what doesn’t… Read More »10 Quick Tips For Your Writer’s Resumé

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10 Tips On Getting An Agent (Or Doing Without One!)

How To Get An Agent Want an agent? Most writers do.  Julian Friedmann has been an agent for nearly 40 years, handling books and scripts. His TEDx talk on the mystery of storytelling has been viewed over 900,000 times. His new book MAKE MONEY SCREENWRITING: Creative Strategies, has just been published by Amazon. With all this in mind, B2W asked Julian’s advice on getting an agent … or doing without one. So without further ado, here’s his top 10 tips … pass them on! Julian’s Top Tips 1) Choose a saleable idea and format Killing Eve was huge, but it… Read More »10 Tips On Getting An Agent (Or Doing Without One!)

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7 Writing Lessons From Bingeing OUTLANDER

Outlander – Books vs. TV series Outlander is a typical TV series meant to get us hooked and binging. Binging on TV series in 2020 became an acceptable habit, though not one I was proud of. However I spent 10 days bingeing the TV series and reading its four books. Here are the benefits I found for bingeing and adaptation. Ready? Let’s go! Lessons Learned WARNING: if you have not watched or read the books, there be SPOILERS in this post! The story begins after World War 2. Combat nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall is vacationing with her husband, Frank, in the… Read More »7 Writing Lessons From Bingeing OUTLANDER

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10 Quick Tips On Writing Non Binary People

All about Non Binary People Lots of Bang2writers tell me they are interested in writing transgender characters, but perhaps don’t know much about non binary people … Enter Ugla! Ugla is non binary and the co-director of My Genderation, as well an author and trans advocate.  These great insights into what being non binary means, as well as its history and context, will help you on your way. Ugla and their partner Fox are currently fundraising for their documentary film Inverness Or Bust. Make sure you check out their project at the bottom of this post and please pass it… Read More »10 Quick Tips On Writing Non Binary People

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