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5 Top Tips On Visuals For Your Novel From Hollywood Blockbusters

I love RJ’s ideas here, especially the notion of a “mental back pocket” and using “ordinary” places and experiences to evoke EXTRAORDINARY detail in your novel! Nice on RJ … Enjoy! What makes the pages of an action thriller turn into a treat for the mind’s eye? It is a question that has a one word answer: visualisation. My name is RJ Mitchell and I am the author of a Glaswegian crime thriller series which has just seen its third novel “The Longest Shadow”, published on November 21, by Fledgling Press of Edinburgh. I am an ex-cop from Glasgow and my… Read More »5 Top Tips On Visuals For Your Novel From Hollywood Blockbusters

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4 Unrealistic Expectations Writers Have – And 1 Thing You Can Do About Them

A writing reality check from Gemma today! Lots of writers come to me with unrealistic expectations. They may be upset their writing and/or careers are not progressing as they want them to. I was happy to hear Gemma’s idea for turning unhealthy expectations around. Thanks Gemma! Expecting the best … or worst People have different expectations of the writing world. Most of us think that being part of the writing industry is truly a great privilege: it can bring fame, honour, wealth and happiness. The reason many students aspire to become bestselling writers or authors is because of the prestige… Read More »4 Unrealistic Expectations Writers Have – And 1 Thing You Can Do About Them

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What Is A Hero?

So, this week The Guardian asked if female action heroes are good role models for young women? My take: I’d argue *any* capable female character is potentially empowering (especially for younger audiences), but VARIETY is key in presenting good media images and characters, whether that’s in film, in novels and publishing, the web and so on. Also, not just variety of female heroes either, but MALE heroes too. Why? Because *all* heroes have become caricatures. As a species, human beings are in love with the notion of heroism. Nearly all our stories that are passed down the ages, whether fiction or… Read More »What Is A Hero?

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12 Things To Think About Before Rushing Into Self Publishing

“So, you’re a writer. And what exactly do you write? Ah, interesting, so you write a little like…?” OMG, has your heart just sunk? How many times have you gone into a meeting, all pumped up and ready to sell your soul? And then it comes, that sneaky little searching question, the answer to which tells the publisher or producer – whoever – whether you have that original voice that makes them want to work with you. Standing out from the writing crowd is hard. Standing out and making a living from it is even harder. So the lure of… Read More »12 Things To Think About Before Rushing Into Self Publishing

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7 Steps To Road Test Your Concept

You MUST road test your concepts BEFORE you start writing. I can’t emphasise this enough. Too many writers conceive half-baked ideas and then try and run with them regardless … Then wonder why they hit roadblocks and go down various insane detours. Don’t spend aeons trying to make a draft work when it’s simply a doomed exercise, because you haven’t done the foundation work. But how to road test your concept? Try these 7 simple steps: 1. Write a logline/ novel pitch 25-60 words, describing the characters and the situation they find themselves in. Remember those all important 3 Cs.… Read More »7 Steps To Road Test Your Concept

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4 Reasons **That Moment You Don’t Like** Is NOT A Deus Ex Machina

All About The Deus Ex Machina So, the Deus Ex Machina. What is it? Well to know a word or phrase is to be able to define a word or phrase (as my English teacher always used to say!). So here is the dictionary’s definition … Pretty straightforward, tbh. In other words, by today’s standards, it’s *something* that’s parachuted in to a story to SAVE characters in some way and/or SOLVE a problem FOR THEM. Obviously, the Deus Ex Machina is lame. No one wants to put one in their stories. Oh, except those using it for comedic effect of… Read More »4 Reasons **That Moment You Don’t Like** Is NOT A Deus Ex Machina

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How To Make It As A Writer (HINT: This Shit Ain’t Accidental)

DYK? Success is NOT Accidental So, if there’s one thing that drives me batshit crazy, it’s when people think success is somehow accidental. Those people will say: “It’s DIFFERENT for you.” But yeah, okay: fine. Let’s run with that. Yes, it WAS different for me …  I was a very young single Mum, with no money. I lived literally in the middle of nowhere, with no childcare. Social media had not been invented yet! There were very few books, courses or whatever … And the ones that *were* around I couldn’t afford or weren’t relevant to me anyway (waaaah). … In other words?… Read More »How To Make It As A Writer (HINT: This Shit Ain’t Accidental)

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Want To Write A Guest Post For B2W?

Social media has made it easier than ever for us all to connect, so now we have a new problem: novelists, writers, screenwriters and filmmakers have to work extra hard to stand out, to grab their best possible chance of getting noticed. With all the appeals for “Likes” and RTs and general SPAM flying about on all the various platforms, the savvy writer or filmmaker knows that it’s great CONTENT that gets their projects, sites and themselves awareness. So I’m offering B2W up as a platform for any writer or filmmaker who wants to up their profile and connect with others… Read More »Want To Write A Guest Post For B2W?

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Submissions Insanity: Demystifying The Spec Pile

One weapon in writers’ armoury is KNOWING how best to approach agents, publishers and filmmakers – but also, how others before them have screwed up! This is why I attempt to demystify the spec pile wherever possible. On this basis, I’m a Script Magazine columnist. My monthly advice page is called – you guessed it – Submissions Insanity! Check out some of the articles posted already: The Basics Of Online Submissions Familiar Ideas To Avoid  How To Win Or Place Highly In Screenwriting Contests And keep an eye on my Scriptmag Author Page, here for more articles, updated every month. Also, check out my tweets… Read More »Submissions Insanity: Demystifying The Spec Pile

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4 Reasons Your Concept Counts Above All Else

Your Concept Counts NEWSFLASH: your concept counts above all else! Here’s why … I see a lot of spec screenplays and novels with concepts that “misfire”. There can be hundreds of reasons for these misfires, but generally speaking ends up one of these … Ready? Let’s go! i) There’s more than one story going on This is a particular problem for spec screenplays, especially features, but it can adversely affect TV pilots and novels too. You see, even if you DO have various different story strands going on, they should generally relate back to that single central concept *in some… Read More »4 Reasons Your Concept Counts Above All Else

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5 Tips For Editing Your Work

Being a good writer is one thing, while being a good editor is completely different. There is a great possibility that someone is going to ask you to edit or review some type of document at some point of your career. It may be your boss who needs you to expand a certain report that has been started by another employee, or it may be your friend who is asking for help on proofreading a paper. Whatever the task is, proofreading and editing someone else’s work can be a real challenge. First of all, it is not easy to determine… Read More »5 Tips For Editing Your Work

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7 Reasons Why Studying Screenwriting Can Make You A Better Novelist

In this game, it’s a given the script development model is king. Start with a logline and a pitch then develop them into a short form outline with character biographies. Then, work up a longer scene-by-scene outline that you might want to call a treatment – or you might not depending on which screenwriting books you read – and then, hey presto, you “go to script” – and there it is, a first draft screenplay. It’s like growing a plant and once it’s grown, you water it with rewrites. Or maybe you prefer the architect’s plans metaphor? Regardless, the script… Read More »7 Reasons Why Studying Screenwriting Can Make You A Better Novelist

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