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What Writers Can Learn From 5 Unusual Male Characters

On Male Characters When I say ‘name an unusual male character’, who do you think of? Whilst it’s true male characters tend to have more variety as standard, it’s still very easy to fall into expected tropes and characteristics. ‘The usual’ as we know is BORING! Since B2W is always banging on about going against the grain, here’s 5 unusual male characters we can learn from. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Detective Loki, Prisoners (2013) Why he’s unusual: Morally ambiguous Written by Aaron Guzikowski and directed by Denis Villeneuve, Prisoners is an unusual beast … A vigilante story with a… Read More »What Writers Can Learn From 5 Unusual Male Characters

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Yes, Male Writers CAN Write Fantastic Female Characters

Not ALL Male Writers It’s true, male writers can get a bum rap when writing about female characters. As the headline of this article suggests, OF COURSE male writers can write great female characters. In fact, some of my all-time favourites have literally been written by male writers!!! From my time as a script reader, I’d venture there’s no correlation between gender and talent of writers. This obviously means there will be GREAT writers who happen to be female … But it ALSO means a female writer will not automatically write a great female character too. No one knows where talent comes… Read More »Yes, Male Writers CAN Write Fantastic Female Characters

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3 Quick Tips On Writing Diverse Characters

Want To Write Great Diverse Characters? Every day I hear from Bang2writers who want to write great female leads, characters of colour, or characters from the LGBT and disabled communities … but they’re scared of ‘getting it wrong’. If this is you as well, I have great news. It’s possible to write great diverse characters AND avoid the mistakes that worry you in advance. So let’s skip the fluff and go straight to those actionable quick tips that you can implement immediately. Quick Tip # 1: Avoid those ‘samey’ stories for diverse characters When writers want to attempt a diverse… Read More »3 Quick Tips On Writing Diverse Characters

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6 Top Tips On Writing Characters of Colour

Writing Characters of Colour Lots of white Bang2writers say they want to write characters of colour, but are afraid of ‘getting it wrong’. So I am delighted to welcome eight talented black screenwriters to the site today to share their top writing tips. The writers below all appear in the curated list Highly Recommended Scripts by Black Screenwriters, curated by @avishaiw. If you are a producer or filmmaker, make sure you check the list out! If you are not, please pass it on by sharing it via your profiles and pages. Thanks! 1) ‘Be open to others’ thoughts’ ‘My best tip:… Read More »6 Top Tips On Writing Characters of Colour

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Dorothy Koomson: ‘No one Is Being Censored or Stopped From Writing’

About Dorothy Koomson Dorothy Koomson is a British novelist who has been described as “Britain’s biggest selling black author of adult fiction”. She’s also the writer of a whopping sixteen books! CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE. I think I’ve read a good chunk of Dorothy’s books (my faves are The Ice Cream Girls and The Brighton Mermaid). I was thrilled when she agreed to chat to B2W about writing. Check out her top tips for writers! 1) Emotion is key Dorothy calls her books ‘emotional thrillers’. The crime is secondary – it’s more about HOW the crime affects the characters. ‘So many whodunnits… Read More »Dorothy Koomson: ‘No one Is Being Censored or Stopped From Writing’

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No, Diverse Characters DON’T Have To Drive The Plot

Diversity Drive Calm down Doris I have not lost the plot! The drive for more diversity (*cough* variety) in all stories is still very much part of this website. Obviously B2W would never advocate ‘ignoring’ the politics of characterisation. It’s literally this blog’s remit … I wrote an entire book about this subject, FFS!  So, what am I banging on about? Well, there’s a common misconception writers have about diversity in storytelling … They think diverse characters can ONLY exist for **plot reasons**. I’m here to say NOPE. Here’s why.  A Quick History Lesson Not so long ago, diverse characters… Read More »No, Diverse Characters DON’T Have To Drive The Plot

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Top 10 Badass Female Antiheroes You Need To Know

All About Antiheroes Lots of writers believe antiheroes ‘have’ to be protagonists, but this is not the case. Antiheroes are defined in the dictionary as the following … A central character in a story, film, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes, eg. “with the age of the antihero, baddies and goodies became less distinguishable from one another”. Myself, I love an enigmatic female lead!! With all this in mind then, I am going to look at some badass female antiheroes, plus what writers can learn from them. Ready? Let’s go! 1) Aunt Lydia, The Handmaid’s Tale Aunt Lydia in The… Read More »Top 10 Badass Female Antiheroes You Need To Know

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Why Theme In FRIENDS Is Better Than You Think

Theme in Friends It’s fair to say the internet erupted with news of a Friends reunion, recently. I’ve written about Friends a fair amount this year on this blog, so thought I would return to the show, with reference to theme. Theme refers to ‘an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature.’ Friends is about a bunch of young friends, all getting through life and love, dealing with whatever it throws at them. Being a sitcom, it’s about dysfunctional family too. Le duh. However, with theme we make our OWN meaning too. How each individual audience… Read More »Why Theme In FRIENDS Is Better Than You Think

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How To Use ‘Bad Words’ In Your Writing

Please note: bad words aka slurs, swears & other nasties appear in this article.  Bad Words As writers and as people, we all have ideas on what constitutes ‘bad words’. Hardly week goes without someone contacting me and saying that whilst they enjoy B2W’s writing advice, they’d like to ask me to stop swearing. Yes, you heard that right. A platform literally built on sweary writing advice should apparently be less sweary. Erm, okay. BACDEFUCUP! This blog and its accompanying social media accounts uses swears; it always has and it always will. If a small minority of would-be Bang2writers don’t… Read More »How To Use ‘Bad Words’ In Your Writing

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How To Plot Like A Goddess

All About Plot Archetypes Most writers understand characters have archetypes, but don’t always realise plot does too. Just like characters can be divided into various types, stories have particular ‘templates’. Far from being formulas or tick-the-box exercises, these templates create a foundation on which stories grow from. This is evidenced from what archetype means, as defined in the dictionary and via its etymology: What’s more, plot and character are inextricably linked. Whilst most writers understand characters need to have a goal (the WHY), they often falter on plot … The HOW, if you like. This is where understanding how plot… Read More »How To Plot Like A Goddess

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It’s Time To Face Facts: Diversity Makes Stories Better

Every single time there’s a casting outcry, or a supposed ‘ban’ on something, social media goes into meltdown. Writers will make the claim they ‘can’t’ write certain things and this signals the ‘death of storytelling’. B2W calls BS. It’s time for these writers to face facts. Diversity literally makes storytelling better. Here’s just 5 reasons why. 1) No one Wants ‘The Same-Old, Same-Old’ It’s true that everyone wants ‘a good story, well told’. It’s also true that makes a story ‘good’ is a matter of interpretation. That said, audiences are literally bored with certain types of characters and certain types of… Read More »It’s Time To Face Facts: Diversity Makes Stories Better

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How To Write With Emotional Truth

What Is ‘Emotional Truth’? Industry pro or audience member, it seems everyone wants emotional truth in writing. But what is this? We hear a lot about the fabled writer’s voice, or the more vague notion of writers having ‘something to say’. But frequently this just is not enough to guide writers. So I sat down and gave it some thought. In my book, Writing And Selling Drama Screenplays, I defined ’emotional truth’ as: The part of the story that values the honesty and integrity of emotion, via authenticity, passion and pain.  Let’s break this definition down some more. Passion, Pain,… Read More »How To Write With Emotional Truth

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