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#1 Script Submission Tip That So Many Writers Miss Out

Don’t Miss Out This is a short article on something SO small, yet it could mean writers miss out BIG. It’s the smallest of submissions tips, yet it can make all the difference. When submitting screenplays and pitch docs via email … Name your files with your own name!!! I’m not talking about the title page (100% necessary btw, if you don’t do it), or any of the other pages (not necessary, though doesn’t hurt). I’m talking about the ACTUAL file itself, ie: Lucy V Hay_pitch doc_Title.pdf Lucy V Hay_script excerpt_Title.pdf Of course, you don’t *have* to do it like… Read More »#1 Script Submission Tip That So Many Writers Miss Out

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LSF Script Labs 2012 – Queries & Answers

Got a ticket for London Screenwriters Festival 2012?  Then make sure you don’t miss out on The Script Labs. LSF Script Labs are intimate, invite-only sessions with an industry leader in that field – and we have NINE this year to apply for, so make sure you get your submissions in pronto! I’ve had a variety of questions via email, Facebook and Twitter, so here’s a quick round up: YES –  You can apply for more than one lab MAYBE  – You can get selected for more than one lab …  Depends on the quality of the work I guess!… Read More »LSF Script Labs 2012 – Queries & Answers

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Have Script Levels Improved Over The Last Decade?

At the weekend, James DeMarco asked me on Twitter: “With the proliferation of online script analysts, screenwriting advice, etc in past decade, has level of submissions improved?” Teenie Russell very helpfully put the whole Twitter thread on Storify, which you can view here. As you’ll see the conversation went on to such things as career advancement, development and peer review, so I thought I would expand here. The bad news: Same old, same old. I’ve been reading scripts for over ten years now and can confirm that despite script advice being everywhere, the same problems with character and structure remain in… Read More »Have Script Levels Improved Over The Last Decade?

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When To Follow Up On Your Submission

Dealing with writers, I notice they generally fall into two camps: 1. The ones that follow up too quickly 2. And the ones that don’t follow up at all. Dealing first with 2), it’s your RIGHT to follow up submissions and queries. What’s more, you may MISS OUT on opportunities if you don’t. Emails, tweets, phone calls and submissions DO fall by the wayside. Contrary to popular belief, agents, producers, script editors etc are NOT waiting for you to contact them … They have work to be getting on with, so things get forgotten, even if they HAVE solicited contact… Read More »When To Follow Up On Your Submission

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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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Girls On Film – A Few Thoughts So Far

LSF’s Girls On Film Initiative has been running a few weeks now. We’ve been off to a steady and pleasing start, with 5 scripts put through for a full read so far (though the reading is ongoing remember, so anyone with a script “in the system” who hasn’t heard yet DO NOT FREAK OUT). Here’s a few thoughts on what’s been going on so far: Drama versus Genre. Several writers have not appeared to know the difference between drama and genre. It was GoF’s “bad” in one sense not flagging up on the first page that we do NOT want… Read More »Girls On Film – A Few Thoughts So Far

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I’ve Written A Screenplay. Now What?

Updated So, You’ve Written A Screenplay ‘I’ve written a screenplay, now what?’ is one of the top Google searches that leads writers to this blog. Plus Bang2writers write to me, asking me for ideas on what to do / where to send scripts they’ve written, so I thought it was time I put my thoughts on this in one place, once and for all … Enjoy!  1) Get Some Screenplay Feedback i) Getting it – do peer review You don’t have to pay for this, though you can if you want to.  Alternatively, you can do peer review aka a… Read More »I’ve Written A Screenplay. Now What?

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Top 5 Reasons Why Parentheticals Are Useless

Updated So, parentheticals aka ‘wrylies’ have a tendency to turn up in screenplays … and they’re NOT NEEDED. They interrupt the flow of the read and what’s more, seriously ANNOY actors and filmmakers as well as script readers. TRUTH! Don’t believe me? Fine … check these out for size: 5. You are the writer, NOT the director! Unless you are the writer/director, the Director and Actors need room to make THEIR interpretation of your screenplay! This is the most-oft quoted case AGAINST parentheticals: if loads of lines of your dialogue tells the actors HOW to say lines “(condescendingly)”, “(pleadingly)”, “(wryly)” or whatever,… Read More »Top 5 Reasons Why Parentheticals Are Useless

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How To Use Plot Devices – Voiceover, Flashback, Montage, Intercut and Dream Sequence

Plot Devices With A Bad Name … There are lots of plot devices in scriptwriting we hear are “frowned on”. We shouldn’t use voiceover or flashback is the usual (or voiceover WITH flashback!). I’ve also heard montage maligned in a similar fashion, as well as intercut and dream sequence. This is a load of rot as far as I’m concerned. You can use what you like. These accusations we see levied like “flashback is a lazy way of telling a story” is just another generalisation. Flashback can be an amazingly dramatic way to tell a story. … For A REASON!!… Read More »How To Use Plot Devices – Voiceover, Flashback, Montage, Intercut and Dream Sequence

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