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How To Write A Great Cover Letter That Gets Results

Why do writers need to write cover letters? It’s the 2020s and the digital era, so why do writers need to worry about cover letters? Well, these days cover letters are most likely cover EMAILS … but you’ll still need the basics of how to write them. The only thing that’s changed is the delivery, basically. This means you’ll usually write cover letters as part of your submission process. This will frequently be a requirement, even if you’re using an online submissions portal such as CoverFly, Submittable or QueryTracker. Other times you may be expected to use cover letters is… Read More »How To Write A Great Cover Letter That Gets Results

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10 Quick Reasons Why Writers Should Become Script Readers

Script Readers Assemble! We’ve all heard that screenwriters should read scripts to get ahead … But what if you became an ACTUAL script reader? B2W has been training script readers since 2015 on my Breaking Into Script Reading course. I normally only hold this course once a year (and it last ran in February this year), but 2023 is shaping up to be historic for writers. Why? Two reasons … i) The US Writers’ Strike On May 2nd, 2023, The US Writers’ Strike began. When studios and networks rejected WGA proposals, 11,500 WGA writers  voted against working for struck companies.… Read More »10 Quick Reasons Why Writers Should Become Script Readers

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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 Big Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Female Characters

Don’t Underestimate Or Underwrite Fifty per cent of your potential audience is female, so it does NOT pay to underestimate your female characters. Women in audiences everywhere have made it clear in the past decade on social media … Underwrite female characters at your peril! Too often, female characters become stereotypical in unpublished novels and spec screenplays. A stereotype is a simplication. Whilst writers CAN use stereotypes on purpose for effect, too often writers use them by accident. This makes characters feel flat and two-dimensional. There are lots of lists of female stereotypes online, but I always think it’s more illuminating… Read More »10 Big Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Female Characters

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Top 10 Tips To Get Your Writing Out There

So, you want to get your writing out there … I get emails and messages from Bangers on the regular about getting their writing out there. I thought I’d round up the most common questions about this topic so it’s all in one place for you. So if you’re feeling stumped but want to get your writing out there, make sure you check out the top 10 below for tips. Ready? Let’s go … 1) How do I know my draft is ‘ready’ to send out? This can depend, but never send out a first draft for starters. Then do… Read More »Top 10 Tips To Get Your Writing Out There

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Top 10 Tips On How To Break In As A Screenwriter This Year

How To Break In As A Screenwriter If you want to break in as a screenwriter, you’re not alone. ‘How to break in’ is probably one of the top Google searches that leads to this blog, in fact. Whilst it’s true B2W believes we need to build our careers over a sustained period (rather than the break in being just ONE act), we all have to start somewhere. I was joined in a B2W livestream recently by comedy writer Amanda Graham (@AGComedy). Amanda specialises in rebellious, irreverent, female leads going against nonsensical power structures. She has various projects in development (including with… Read More »Top 10 Tips On How To Break In As A Screenwriter This Year

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9 Top Tips To Build Your Following As A Writer

How to Build Social Media Profile as a Writer In 2022, an online following is a MUST for any writer. Being a writer is so much ‘more’ than writing! We need to show up if we want to get ahead and make money from our projects. Many writers do this online via self-publishing, using sites like SubStack or Patreon or creating online products like courses or real-life events like workshops. Luckily, in the era of social media, building an online following is really not that difficult. Let’s read on to learn a few tips … ready? Let’s go! 1) Build… Read More »9 Top Tips To Build Your Following As A Writer

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The Birthday Party: A Genius Analogy To Help Writers Introduce Their Stories

Feeling Awkward We’ve all been to a party where we don’t know anyone. We stand in the corner, feeling lost. Or where we are introduced to 27 people in 3 minutes and know we will never EVER remember who any of them are. It’s a horrible feeling, isn’t it … … So why would you do that to your own readers? Why??? The Birthday Party Analogy I have an analogy I use when thinking about how to start a script. I like to imagine that my audience/reader is someone I have invited to the birthday party of a friend of… Read More »The Birthday Party: A Genius Analogy To Help Writers Introduce Their Stories

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30 Top Tips For Your Younger (Writer) Self

Advice For Your Younger (Writer) Self Got some advice for your younger (writer) self? It’s so easy to look back with hindsight and go ‘Ooops! My younger (writer) self was a bit of a tit.‘ Yup … Been there, done that! I sat down and identified a whopping 30 pieces of advice for our younger (writer) selves. Have I missed any?? Be sure to add your own in the comments. Let’s go … 1) Start NOW Seriously … now. Don’t wait. Conditions will always be impossible and the odds will never get better. So get going! 2) Follow your passion Never… Read More »30 Top Tips For Your Younger (Writer) Self

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Why Novelists Should Write Outlines Just Like Screenwriters

Outlines: For Or Against?  It seems every writer has an opinion on outlines! But often writers will fall into two camps … Those who do write outlines and those who don’t. Generally speaking, novelists who do outline tend to advocate the practice as the ‘common sense’ approach. Their outlines may be super-detailed or broad strokes.  The uber-organised authors may even use spreadsheets to keep track of every minute detail in their book … or they may use bullet points, notes to self or similar instead. In contrast, novelists who don’t outline are often very loud online. Such writers like Stephen… Read More »Why Novelists Should Write Outlines Just Like Screenwriters

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How To Become A Writer Without An Expensive University Course

Expensive University Courses If you want to become a writer but worry about how expensive university courses are, save your money. Learn what they teach you on a Creative Writing degree, without the expensive debt. Here are the top 5 things they teach on a Creative Writing BA … Ready? Let’s go! 1) Think like a writer It might sound strange but the first thing they teach you on a Creative Writing BA is how to “think like a writer”. That should go without saying you might think, but here are some handy tips they taught us … Make sure… Read More »How To Become A Writer Without An Expensive University Course

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9 Massive Career Mistakes to Avoid Making as a Writer

How To Avoid Career Mistakes Afraid of career mistakes? You are not alone … Being a writer is not the easiest of career path choices. You can be the most talented and hardworking writer out there, but if you make any of these ten career mistakes your career will hardly get off the ground. Here is our best advice for writers attempting to get off the ground. Ready? Let’s go … Mistake #1: Forgetting to Forge Connections One of the biggest mistakes that writers can make is to isolate themselves. Even though the job can be done in isolation, it… Read More »9 Massive Career Mistakes to Avoid Making as a Writer

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