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Do You Hate The First Draft, Or Love It?

We all have a stereotypical vision of a writer. You know the type: s/he doesn’t manage his or her time properly, so spends too long arsing around on the interwebs; chatting too much on social media, even playing on games sites like https://www.lapalingo.com/en … then it’s PANIC STATIONS! S/he ends up overdosing on coffee and staying awake ALL NIGHT to finish those deadlines! And sure, this does happen sometimes, but thankfully not too often. Now, you might remember that only recently I asked if you Bang2writers like to BINGE on writing, or write every day – and I was surprised… Read More »Do You Hate The First Draft, Or Love It?

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Unusual Jobs Of Famous Writers

Many thanks to Unplag, who’ve been in touch with this great infographic on the unusual jobs famous writers have taken before they made it as an author. I think Jack London wins with “oyster pirate!” Not sure I can claim FAME yet on the same level as these guys below, but I *have* had my fair share of unusual and menial jobs! I’ve been a costume worker (dressed as a bear and a gnome, no less!); a cashier;  a waitress; a garage attendant; I’ve also worked in payroll, in an ice cream parlour, a waffles joint and a doughnut place. I’ve… Read More »Unusual Jobs Of Famous Writers

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It Is NEVER Too Late To Start Writing Your Masterpiece

Think It’s ‘Too Late’? People might say ‘it’s never too late’, but what do they really know? After all, it’s really easy to get down and think life is passing you by … Believe me, I’ve been there! Once upon a time I was absolutely CERTAIN there was no way I could ever publish a book, or be involved in making films … I was far too old and I had missed my chance. I had a job to do and kids to raise and no time for all that nonsense! I was twenty three and a grown up!! (Bless). Now,… Read More »It Is NEVER Too Late To Start Writing Your Masterpiece

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Top Tools Of 8 Famous Writers

I love this infographic from NinjaEssays.com – I started on a typewriter, aeons ago: it was an Olivetti Lettera 35! What was particularly annoying about typewriters (slipping into old folk mode now kids) was you had to hit the keys hard and there was always a chance of getting your fingers caught between them and ripping a cuticle back. Ouchy. Also, the ribbons were a pain in the ass and duplication (beyond photocopying!) was difficult: you could use carbon paper between two sheets, but the second copy always ended up wobbly. And no such thing as delete: it was tippex… Read More »Top Tools Of 8 Famous Writers

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How to Deal With Writers’ Block: Top 6 DON’Ts

Creative block – we’ve all been there. It can be a total nightmare for a professional writer who relies on their creativity for their bread and butter. The big question is how do we recognise if it’s really creative block and how do we overcome it, so that we can get our creative ideas flowing freely again? 1) DON’T think there’s only one right answer Do you ever stop to consider that there might be more than just one right answer? This is one of the biggest flaws in our rigid education system, they suppress our creative thinking by making… Read More »How to Deal With Writers’ Block: Top 6 DON’Ts

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The Habits Of Successful Writers

Do you have any writing habits? Do you drink coffee or tea while writing your next story? Have you ever thought how this habit can influence your writing, or whether it influences your writing at all? Let’s take some famous writers, such as Jack London, Mark Twain, or Jane Austen for example: it’s not difficult to suppose all of them had writing habits and some of those habits were hard to call ordinary! Did you know that Victor Hugo wrote naked …  Or that Honore de Balzac drank 50+ cups of coffee daily and chewed coffee beans to concentrate on… Read More »The Habits Of Successful Writers

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5 Killer Social Media Marketing Errors

Social Media offers up BRILLIANT opportunities to writers and filmmakers in getting themselves and their work known, but unfortunately there are still some out there dropping serious clangers and isolating their potential target audiences. Here’s a short but sweet post from Kateline, detailing the killer social media marketing errors she made when she launched her campaign, plus plenty of linkage to more articles on this subject. Thanks Kateline! Enjoy everybody and best of luck getting your work and message out there! I’m a huge fan of social media marketing: it really IS a great, free way of advertising and getting… Read More »5 Killer Social Media Marketing Errors

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Great Visual Guide For Screenwriting Comps & Initiatives

Many thanks to Jonathan at WritersAndFilmmakers.com who’s got in touch with this fab infographic on the best screenwriting competitions and initiatives for screenwriters. As you can see very obviously (and as I always go on about!), there ARE times of the year that are quieter than others, whereas there are other times that are VERY busy on the competition calandar … So, it really pays to get organised and get your writing done during the quiet times, so you can ensure your screenplay is ready to submit during the peak times! If you’re wanting submissions tips for your screenplays, check… Read More »Great Visual Guide For Screenwriting Comps & Initiatives

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5 Reasons Why We Write Realistic Fiction For Young Adults

With NaNoWrimo ploughing on, I thought many of you might be flagging right now, so I’m upping the ante with MORE great posts on novel writing from some brilliant guests and Bang2writers. Today we have Applecore Books with us, telling us why they write YA fiction. This served as a powerful reminder for me too for my Decision Books, but even if realistic YA is not *your* niche, Kate and Wendy offer some GREAT insights in this post – I love the idea of becoming a micropublisher, strength in numbers! Enjoy and check out the links in the post, too.… Read More »5 Reasons Why We Write Realistic Fiction For Young Adults

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12 Aspects To Consider During Character Development

I’m confident the below will give you a different perspective on developing those brilliant sparks of character ideas you have into longlasting heroes or heroines of your story. These tips are geared towards playwrights and screenwriters, plus they can be applied to novels for novelists too (but will need a slight spin to accommodate the nature of a novel). Let’s get to it! 1) Most Important onstage relationship. Your character will be interacting with many people throughout the course of the writing, but who will have his or her attention the most when they’re on stage, the screen or the… Read More »12 Aspects To Consider During Character Development

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3 Ways To Make Your Film A Reality

How do you bring your story to people, especially when you are “off the beaten track” (ie. Not in an English-speaking country)? Today we have Vojislav on the blog demonstrating how guerilla filmmakers and screenwriters can use their understanding of their own countries and culture to their advantage when making films. Enjoy! 1) Demonstrate how your story is important to your country What is the first (and probably only) thing you might think when someone mentions Bosnia and Herzegovina? Of course, the war! And we would not blame you for that, especially as a seemingly endless sequence of bad politicians,… Read More »3 Ways To Make Your Film A Reality

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Set Design: does your story have enough ROOM?

See what I did there?? It’s the way I tell ’em 😉 So I’ve just been at London Screenwriters’ Festival, where I spent two hours doing a live script edit, looking at pages from writers’ screenplays and working through various craft elements and what they can do to make their work stand out in the spec pile. Suffice it to say: I spent A LOT of time talking about scene description with screenwriters at the event. Why? Well, it’s simple – there’s two things screenwriters generally do when it comes to scene description in their spec screenplays: i) They write… Read More »Set Design: does your story have enough ROOM?

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