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Want to Be An Unstoppable Writer? Check Out My 2 Productivity Secrets

Be Unstoppable I am an unstoppable writer. People ask me all the time if I can bend time, or have some kind of special secret. As I always write on this blog, the answer is NO. Not on your nelly. Unstoppable writers are not some kind of higher beings. Here is how I get stuff done: I decide to do something. I will stop at nothing until I get it done. But okay, you want more details. Fine. Here’s two things that really help you become unstoppable, too … Ready? Let’s go! 1) Laser Focus I’ve written before about the… Read More »Want to Be An Unstoppable Writer? Check Out My 2 Productivity Secrets

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Top 10 ‘Unlikeable’ Female Characters In Movies & TV

All About ‘Unlikeable’ Female Characters ‘Why are so many female characters unlikeable these days?’ That was a thread I had the misfortune to read recently, but it’s not the only one. Commentary on supposedly ‘unlikeable’ female characters never goes away, it seems. Men – and sadly, some women too – all chime in regularly about this topic online, saying shit like … … It’s ‘misogyny’ to write female characters with bad motivations or other bad behaviour (sigh) … Female characters have a RESPONSIBILITY to be role models to young girls (erm no, ENTERTAINMENT first!)  … Writers are showing their inexperience… Read More »Top 10 ‘Unlikeable’ Female Characters In Movies & TV

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It’s My Publication Day, So Here’s A Free Gift For You

Happy Publication Day To … Me! (Again) So it’s publication day and my second book launch in a month … Yup, this is a first, even for me!!! I wrote so much in lockdown that I created a bit of a bottleneck of projects going all the way to January 2024! Oops (sorrynotsorry). Anyway, this time around it’s publication day for B2W’s non-fiction book, WRITING & SELLING THRILLER SCREENPLAYS: FROM TV PILOT TO FEATURE FILM. That’s right, the book includes TV this time around! The first edition came out in 2013 and it’s fair to say a HELLUVA lot has… Read More »It’s My Publication Day, So Here’s A Free Gift For You

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10 Superb Writing Reminders From Sally Wainwright

About Sally Wainwright So, the long-awaited third series of Happy Valley by Sally Wainwright on BBC1/iPlayer concluded last night. Wow! I thought it would be a great idea to check out what Sally has to say about writing … and I found some GOLD for you Bangers! But first up, all about Sally Wainwright! She is an English television writer, producer, and director from Yorkshire. Starting out first as a playwright, she also worked on the classic serial radio drama The Archers. She created her first original drama series At Home With The Braithwaites, which ran 2000-2003. Other TV series Sally… Read More »10 Superb Writing Reminders From Sally Wainwright

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No, There Are NOT ‘Loads’ Of Great Screenplays Waiting to Be Made. Here’s Why

Wanted: Great Screenplays ‘There must be LOADS of great screenplays in the pile just waiting to be made!!!’ I hear this, constantly. It’s a lament from wannabe screenwriters that NEVER goes away, it seems. But I can tell you, as a script reader & editor, IT’S NOT TRUE. Here’s why … First off, define ‘great screenplay’ Do you mean WRITTEN WELL? Hah, good luck. Finding well-written screenplays in the pile is harder than you think, especially when what constitutes ‘good writing’ means different things to different people. ‘Great screenplays’ #2 Do you mean a KILLER CONCEPT? Yeah, this shit is… Read More »No, There Are NOT ‘Loads’ Of Great Screenplays Waiting to Be Made. Here’s Why

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Ask The Experts: 15 Industry Pros Share What’s On Their Wish Lists For 2023

Industry Pro Wish Lists It’s January, so that time of year again when B2W asks industry pros what’s on their wish lists for the year ahead! There’s an eclectic mix of literary agents, editors and other experts sharing their wish lists this year. They come from both the worlds of publishing and screenwriting. Enjoy the article and don’t forget to read B2W’s pointers at the end. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Anne Perry, Jo Fletcher Books (Quercus) “I want the happiest of happy endings. I want every character to walk away happy (maybe even the villains?!) and everyone who reads… Read More »Ask The Experts: 15 Industry Pros Share What’s On Their Wish Lists For 2023

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5 Reminders If You Want To Write This Holiday Season

Want to write this holiday season? If you want to write this holiday season, you’re not alone. Lots of writers dream of time off to write their screenplays or novels — and the festive period can offer writers time to get writing done. However, not everyone will be able – or even want – to write over the holidays … and that’s okay too! In this short video (under 15 mins) I break down 5 reminders for writers this Christmas. They will hopefully help you either get writing done … or help you let yourself off the hook!! Enjoy and… Read More »5 Reminders If You Want To Write This Holiday Season

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Top 10 Tips To Unleash Your Talent as a Writer

Unleash Your Talent If you want to unleash your talent as a writer, you may find it a frustrating process. You are constantly chasing perfection and you always feel that you could have written a sentence better if you only knew how. Even if you are already confident about your writing, you might still be far from achieving your full potential. With this in mind, here are the ten tips to unleash your talent as a writer. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Read Often and Regularly Being a writer is about writing just as much as it is about reading. This… Read More »Top 10 Tips To Unleash Your Talent as a Writer

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Why Remakes And Reboots Are Here To Stay (And No, It’s Not A Bad Thing)

The Pain of Remakes And Reboots Whenever I teach a screenwriting class, it won’t be long before someone brings up remakes and reboots. This person will most often* be a middle-aged white man at the beginning of his screenwriting journey. (*But obviously doesn’t have to be). Anyway, he will confess that remakes and reboots make him very angry … Hell, he may even GET angry just talking about them. Then he will insist that remakes and reboots are enemies of creativity and that Hollywood shouldn”t be so ‘risk averse’. When I ask him how many movies he’s watched this year… Read More »Why Remakes And Reboots Are Here To Stay (And No, It’s Not A Bad Thing)

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What Do I Do If My Book or Script Is A ‘Hard Sell’?

Help! What If My Story Is A ‘Hard Sell’? Every week I hear from Bang2writers who say their stories are a ‘hard sell’ and they don’t know what to do. That’s right … EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK! With this in mind, I broke down the process into steps to help. Ready? Let’s go … STEP 1: Get REAL First things first, what makes your story a ‘hard sell’? Do you know for certain … Or are you just guessing? I always find it very interesting (but not surprising) that lots of new writers pretend to themselves their story is a ‘hard… Read More »What Do I Do If My Book or Script Is A ‘Hard Sell’?

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Working With Script Editors

All About Script Editors  A colleague of mine told me that their friend thinks all script editors do is fix commas … if only! With this in mind, I thought it would be good to shed some light on this very complicated, frustrating, but also wonderful and rewarding job! Here’s 5 BIG mistakes to avoid when working with script editors … ready? Let’s go! 1) Stay Silent I have seen a lot of writers (especially new ones) in rooms too reluctant to ‘put up their hand’ … and that’s understandable. We’re all scared our idea will sink, right? But a… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Working With Script Editors

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5 Reasons You Should Write Short Film Scripts

Why We Write Scripts Everyone who has written a script has dreamt of seeing their story on the big screen, having the accolades and the kudos of being a produced screenwriter … It’s why we write scripts. But how many screenplays actually get read by people who want to make films, let alone turned into produced films? It is a very small percentage. What can you do about it? Here are 5 ways to not only get your scripts read, but produced too. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Keep it short – REALLY short Try writing a two-page script. I… Read More »5 Reasons You Should Write Short Film Scripts

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