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B2W Round Up: Happy Easter!

So, HAPPY EASTER! I know you’re all busy today shoving chocolate down your gobs, so here’s a handy round up of various things you may have missed in the last couple of weeks out on the wildnerness of the B2W social network: Cross Posting So recently I’ve discovered Tumblr in a big way … I’ve actually been on the site for YEARS but never really understood how to utilise it properly for the B2W social network, other than cross posting links on the B2W Tumblr Blog. Anyway, turns out there’s LOADS about writing on Tumblr (doh!) and I’ve submitting articles… Read More »B2W Round Up: Happy Easter!

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6 Ways To Make Hollywood Fall In Love With Your Pitch

Pitching is just like being the nervous suitor asking for a date. Is she or he going to like you? Do you have an exciting or intriguing personality? Do you have passion? This is where initial appearances do matter. Here are 6 ways to make sure you go home with them at the end of the evening. 1. Google, Facebook and IMDB them. i.e. Do your research. How promiscuous are they? How many projects have they done and what genres do they like? Pitching horror to someone who does comedy is a sure way to go home alone. 2. Don’t… Read More »6 Ways To Make Hollywood Fall In Love With Your Pitch

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#LondonSWF 2013 – On My Way!

So I’m off on my travels all day today to London for the fourth annual London Screenwriters’ Festival! Tonight I’ll be at the networking and registration drinks. Come and find me and practice your networking skills or pitches on me. That’s right – I ASKED FOR IT, C’MON! But before you do, watch out for these pitch killers or I’ll blast a klaxon in your face! FRIDAY Tomorrow, in the morning I will be in the Final Draft Marquee, ready to answer delegates’ questions as an LSF Roving Expert. There is a whole fleet of us, you can’t miss us:… Read More »#LondonSWF 2013 – On My Way!

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B2W is on Ask.Fm: Answering Your Writing Qs

FYI, B2W is now on Ask.FM as well as all the usual channels, for longer questions and for those Bang2writers who prefer to ask about writing Qs anonymously. Here is a round up of a few I’ve answered recently. See you there! 1) How do you get representation as a writer, without previous work under your belt? I have scripts that I would love to get out, but I don’t know where to start with getting my work out there. Any advice?  I get asked how to get representation all the time, so here’s my post on the subject. Generally speaking… Read More »B2W is on Ask.Fm: Answering Your Writing Qs

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Writing, Selling & MAKING Thriller Screenplays

Delighted to say our next movie, ASSASSIN goes into production TODAY so to celebrate, I talked to its writer, director and producer (not to mention my ol’ mucker) JK Amalou about our fave genre. Enjoy … What are your three favourite produced Thrillers and why? The granddaddy of the modern thriller: PSYCHO (1960). Many people classify it as a horror but it’s first and foremost a thriller. Look at the first half: Marion Crane steals the money, goes on the run, avoids the police or detection. Then this unreal plot twist happens: she is killed. The hunter (Norman Bates) now becomes… Read More »Writing, Selling & MAKING Thriller Screenplays

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7 Ways Of Developing Writing Ideas

  All About Developing Writing Ideas All of us hit setbacks in our writing sometimes. When we do, it can be a good idea to try out techniques other creative people use to keep their work moving. Here are a few techniques I use when I’m stuck at the ideas-developing stage, not sure how to turn ideas into a story. 1) Use The 10-3-1 Method 10-3-1 is used by designers at Apple, and it goes like this. Instead of taking just one initial idea and developing it directly into a product, designers work on 10 different ideas, being as imaginative… Read More »7 Ways Of Developing Writing Ideas

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Q: What Are The Differences Between Features & TV Pilots/Series?

Claire Yeowart asks: What are the specific differences in television pilots vs features?… In pilots – how do you balance characters and plot without there being too much going on overall? These are really good questions  which other Bang2writers have struggled with in the past, so I’ll break down the aspects of features vs. pilots, one by one as I see them. STRUCTURE Features. There are many ways of looking at features in terms of structure, but I think of The Three Acts in a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” kind of way – and because the industry… Read More »Q: What Are The Differences Between Features & TV Pilots/Series?

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Q: How Do You Script Edit A Script Without Rewriting It As Your Own Story?

Blandine asks, “I notice you’re script editor on ACT OF GRACE. How can you do this without rewriting it as your own story?” Being a script editor is all about doing what’s best for the story – WITHOUT rewriting the script as you see fit, based on your own preferences or how *you* see the story. Why? Because you’re not the Writer. These are two different jobs. As far as I’m concerned, the two jobs go like this: The Writer is responsible for the idea and executing it, ie. coming up with the premise and getting the drafts down on… Read More »Q: How Do You Script Edit A Script Without Rewriting It As Your Own Story?

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How To Get The Most Out Of A Writer’s Group by Lisa Shoreland

Writer’s groups are a great way to get feedback about your work and learn how to improve your writing. They also provide you with the inspiration and motivation you likely need to keep writing and stay on track. Plus, they’re a great way to meet other writers and to form long-lasting friendships. However, as with any group, writer’s groups can easily lose focus and turn into unproductive social hours where you’re just chatting about the latest books you read or movies you saw. Even if you manage to stay on topic about writing, these groups can devolve into personal attacks… Read More »How To Get The Most Out Of A Writer’s Group by Lisa Shoreland

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Novel Submissions

It’s novel writing week over at Bang2writers, so here is a round up of questions I received on the Facebook page, via Twitter and email, all of which centered on novel submissions. Do I submit to an agent or a publisher in the first instance? Whilst some publishers take direct approaches from writers, I recommend submitting novels to agents in the first instance. Why? Because they have a huge amount of contacts, not only in getting English deals but foreign sales too as well as selling other things like movie rights. In other words, it’s their JOB, they know that… Read More »Novel Submissions

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Theme

I recently asked Bang2writers to get in touch with their thoughts on narrative function, so Ben W emailed me this: “I was in a meeting recently and the producer kept going on about how much she liked my theme of “Anti-Capitalism taking on big corporations”. I just nodded and said “thanks” but to be honest, I didn’t really know what she meant because I never really thought about any of that writing it … To me, it’s just a Zombie movie! So who’s right?” The dictionary defines the word “theme” as an “implicit or recurrent idea”. Typical themes in movies… Read More »Theme

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Quick Question: When Should I Talk About Writers’ Rates?

Two people have emailed recently, saying they’re working with producers but aren’t sure when to ask about writers’ rates. Being British, money is a taboo subject area – and some producers may exploit this with writers, so may NEVER bring it up if you don’t, though it’s not fair to say all will. Just be aware of this. YOU need to decide how you want to handle the money stuff. Some writers never want to say anything *in case* it puts the producer off – but if a producer is so quick to drop you, s/he will anyway. So my… Read More »Quick Question: When Should I Talk About Writers’ Rates?

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