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6 Things Olivia Hetreed Can Teach New Writers

A fantastic post from KT Parker again, this time about top screenwriter Olivia Hetreed. B2W was privileged to do a script report on Olivia’s screenplay for WUTHERING HEIGHTS many moons ago (find out what other produced films I have done coverage for or consulted on, HERE). Olivia is a writer who really knows what she’s talking about craft-wise, but she also has some particularly good advice on go-getting for female writers too. Enjoy … For most of us, Olivia Hetreed will have first come onto our radar when she was BAFTA-nominated for her screenplay of Tracy Chevalier’s best-selling “Girl With… Read More »6 Things Olivia Hetreed Can Teach New Writers

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The Transmedia Starter Kit

Lots of Bang2writers are interested in Transmedia, but have no clue where to start – so here’s Luke with a short but sweet “step by step” guide to getting started. Thanks Luke! So, no excuses people … what are you waiting for?! There’s so much information out there on the internet, it’s hard to know what’s relevant and what isn’t. Particularly with Transmedia. It’s such a broad term that it invites chaos when trying to find out how to start in Transmedia yourself. So I wanted to create a small list of resources – inspiration, tools, books, blogs, etc, to… Read More »The Transmedia Starter Kit

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5 Indie Storytellers Who Are Doing It Right

I gotta say, these days I’m more impressed with the Indie Storyteller. The writers with the entrepreneurial edge. The filmmakers who are bypassing the gatekeepers. I feel like we’re living in uncharted territory and the Indie Storytellers are out there, discovering new lands, planting flags, and claiming audiences for their own. What Is An Indie Storyteller? I define an Indie Storyteller as someone who takes their art into their own hands. They’re not willing to accept that gatekeepers are on the pulse of what the audience truly wants, and are willing to use the tools provided to bypass them and… Read More »5 Indie Storytellers Who Are Doing It Right

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4 Tools That Could Save Your Writing Life

In many ways I feel like writing has saved my life. Maybe it has yours too? I don’t mean it swooped in and saved you from a burning building. I mean perhaps it’s helped to give some purpose to your life, or maybe it’s helped you work through some issues you’ve had buried deep inside. Whatever it may be, I think it’s important to look after that side of ourselves. The side that’s able to escape the worries of the world and put the pen to paper. 1) 750 Words This web application has helped me work on my craft,… Read More »4 Tools That Could Save Your Writing Life

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I’ve Written A Book, Now What? (Indie Versus Traditional Publishing)

Updated Following the runaway success of the rebooted “I’ve Written A Screenplay, Now What?” page, lots of Bang2writers requested a similar one for book writing and publishing. So without further ado, here’s Luke with a short and sweet rundown of the basics. There’s plenty of great linkage too. Enjoy everyone! So, you’ve written a book Congrats! Go out and celebrate. Pat yourself on the back. Pat yourself all over. Eat a cake. Eat two. Writing a book is hard, so you should celebrate it. However, writing is only the first step in publishing a book, because that’s the ultimate goal… Read More »I’ve Written A Book, Now What? (Indie Versus Traditional Publishing)

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Bang2writers, meet Luke Kondor, this year’s B2W intern!

Congratulations and HELLO to the new B2W intern, Luke Kondor!!! As well as sounding like a character from Game of Thrones, Luke will be blogging on the main site each week, plus sourcing links and facilitating chat for you on the Facebook page. Luke’s specialty is Transmedia, which I think will prove a real education to many of us. Please give him a warm welcome! Follow Luke on Twitter HERE or click his rather dapper pic at the bottom of this post. BTW, If you’re missing MY #scriptchat post this sunday, never fear – my witterings have moved over to… Read More »Bang2writers, meet Luke Kondor, this year’s B2W intern!

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7 Tips On Sci Fi Arenas / Worldbuilding In Your Screenplay Or Novel

On Worldbuilding When it comes to worldbuilding and writing, I think this definition from Wikipedia is actually pretty good … Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world, sometimes associated with a whole fictional universe. The resulting world may be called a constructed world (or conworld). Developing an imaginary setting with coherent qualities such as a history, geography, and ecology is a key task for many science fiction or fantasy writers. Worldbuilding often involves the creation of maps, a backstory, and people, including social customs and even in some cases an invented language, for the world. So with this… Read More »7 Tips On Sci Fi Arenas / Worldbuilding In Your Screenplay Or Novel

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How Does Exposition Work? AKA 9 Common Exposition Qs Answered

All about Exposition I’ve been talking a lot recently with Bang2writers about exposition and its place within their stories, whether novel or screenplay. As I’ve heard some common misconceptions, I thought it useful to put exposition under the microscope and really consider WHAT exposition is and HOW we can use it, framed as questions to answer. Enjoy! 1) Isn’t exposition a **bad** thing? No. Exposition in all stories – whether novels or screenplays (or something else) – is 100% necessary. Exposition is basically just the background information a reader or viewer needs in order to be able to understand the… Read More »How Does Exposition Work? AKA 9 Common Exposition Qs Answered

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How NOT To Write A Novel: 5 Mistakes Writers Make

Too many writers attempt to write a novel, but go wrong somewhere down the line … and aren’t even sure where, or why. Here’s 5 clangers to think about in advance, so you can avoid them! 1) Writing Occasionally Writing is not at ALL like it’s shown on movies or TV serials (coughCASTLEcough). Writing is a full time job that requires patience and a lot of labor. Motivation is the only factor that keeps writers glued to their work. If you want to write a really good novel, you have to learn to write every day and as much as… Read More »How NOT To Write A Novel: 5 Mistakes Writers Make

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8 Tips For Perfect Pitches & Super Selling Documents

Selling Documents If you want to sell your writing, you need to understand what selling items/ documents you need. These are invariably … A great, pithy longline (aka ‘short pitch’ if you’re a novelist)  A One Page Pitch or Synopsis A 3-4 page treatment (aka ‘extended pitch’ aka ‘sizzler’) I spend a lot of time reading and hearing project pitches, both at work and in my own time. I read even more on social media and various message boards and bulletins. Inevitably, I see scribes repeating the same mistakes, over and over. So here are my thoughts for you on grabbing… Read More »8 Tips For Perfect Pitches & Super Selling Documents

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Authors & Book Rights: 5 Key Truths

I became aware of  @Tom_Chalmers on Twitter via his publishing company @Legend_Press, who are currently running the Self Published Book Of The Month initiative with The Guardian Newspaper. I thought this sounded such a great idea, I Skyped with Tom recently; he told me all about his other company, IPRLicense and how understanding licenses can benefit Indie Authors in going after lucrative deals, so I asked him to write this guest post for us as part of B2W’s Indie Authors Week. Enjoy! There’s a famous exchange in a court room which continues to be one of the most quotable scenes in… Read More »Authors & Book Rights: 5 Key Truths

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3 Ways To Transform From “Self Publisher” to “Indie Author”

   Self-publisher. Vanity Press. Independent Author. You say tomater, I say tomato, right? Not at all. Unless you’ve been locked in Christian Grey’s Red Room of Pleasure for the past few years, you’ll be aware of the self-publishing revolution. The success stories are fifty shades of publishing folklore – but it isn’t universally good news. Now that any muppet with opposable thumbs can become a published author, it’s incredibly hard to make your work stand out. Assuming you haven’t chosen traditional publishing – or it hasn’t chosen you – there are broadly three ways to get your book out there:… Read More »3 Ways To Transform From “Self Publisher” to “Indie Author”

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