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Top 5 Mistakes series

Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Working With A Producer

You Need A Producer Put simply, a good producer will be the backbone of your project. Now, I may be a little biased saying that, as I am a producer. But this key role is the person who will spend months – even years – overseeing every aspect of the project to make sure it becomes as successful as possible. How to Screw Up Working With A Producer Producers, like all filmmakers, are busy people. Because of this, they can be stingy with their time. Meaning if you start off on the wrong foot, they’re unlikely to give you a… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Working With A Producer

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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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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Adapting Their Books For The Screen

All About Adapting Your Book Why not make a movie out of your book … You wrote a great book, so surely it will make a great movie — right? Not so fast! Adapting a book is not as easy as it looks. A movie or TV series needs to pack in a LOT of action. A slow-paced, emotional tale might not adapt to film so easily. Even if you wrote a fast-paced action-adventure, you will have to adapt your thinking as much as adapting your manuscript. Newbie screenwriters can make many mistakes. This list will help you avoid those specific to… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Adapting Their Books For The Screen

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Top 5 Self-Publishing Mistakes Writers Make

On Self-Publishing Mistakes Self-publishing mistakes can cost time and money, which is why many writers shy away from it … But what if I told you the biggest self-publishing mistakes are actually EASY to avoid? This list will help you avoid the most obvious self-publishing mistakes and get your book out there. Ready? Let’s go … Mistake #1: Bad cover art Why’s this one first?? Well, rightly or wrongly – because EVERYONE judges a book by their cover!!! Ideally, you need a cover designer whose speciality is cover art. There’s lots out there, including designers who create ‘ready-made’ covers that… Read More »Top 5 Self-Publishing Mistakes Writers Make

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Sex Scenes

So, you want to write sex scenes? There’s a surprising dearth of sex scenes in the spec pile … and when they do appear, they are often incorrect, weird or even sexist. Here’s 5 mistakes to avoid if you want to attempt one in your novel or screenplay. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Too Vague/Euphemistic If I have to read one more piece of writing that describes two characters in bed ‘lying back, spent’, I will GO POSTAL! This such a boring description and I see it SO often. Another one that makes me grimace is when writers focus on… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make With Sex Scenes

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make That Get Them Rejected By Default

Getting Rejected For No Good Reason So script reader Allan’s back again, this time talking about the reasons writers may get rejected by default (aka for NO good reason!). As B2W always stresses, writers need to follow the submissions guidelines. Super-simple? Yes. Obvious? Absolutely. But when writers don’t, this is when they will get rejected by default. Fact. I always find it absolutely fascinating that writers fear getting rejected, but don’t always do the work to ensure this doesn’t happen. Often this is because they don’t know where to start. So check out this list of obvious clangers that can… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make That Get Them Rejected By Default

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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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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing Doctors

Writing A Doctor Character? Doctors are part of our everyday lives. Chances are all of us will need to see one at some point (even if we’re doctors ourselves). So it’s no accident these characters have made it into our screenplays and novels too! I’m delighted to welcome screenwriter, author and consult psychiatrist Rosie Claverton back to B2W, to share her first-hand knowledge with us. Over to you, Rosie! 1) Not All Doctors Are “Dr” Did you know? Before standardised medical training, back in the Middle Ages, the people who performed surgery were barbers. You’d go for your haircut, and… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing Doctors

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Top 5 Basic Story Mistakes Even Pro Writers Make

Too Basic? I always find it interesting when writers talk about books, courses, articles etc being ‘too basic’ for them. In my experience, NO ONE is above revisiting the basic principles of storytelling … Not least because there are SO MANY spec screenplays and unpublished novels in the submissions pile that make zero sense! By the way, YES, I include myself on this. If we don’t keep the basics in mind at all times, we can go off-piste very quickly. I am always looking for refreshers on stuff like concept, character and structure … I might learn something new or… Read More »Top 5 Basic Story Mistakes Even Pro Writers Make

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing Women

Writing Women Character development is a part of writing mined with lethal pitfalls even at the best of times. But for male authors writing women, or vice versa, the challenge is made more problematic by one pretty large obstacle: gaining insight into the opposite sex. So in a bid to see more authentic women grace our pages, I’m here to address five common pitfalls authors run into when writing women, and how you can circumvent them! 1) Substituting appearance for personality The problems tend to fall thick and fast within the first few pages. Lots of writers introduce a female… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing Women

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Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing School Scenes

Prepare To Get Schooled! You probably went through the school system, so that means you know how to write a school-based scene, right? Nope …. Even if you only left school recently, the chances are that things have already changed. It’s important to do your homework if you want to get 10/10 for authenticity. Here’s my top 5 mistakes I see in school scenes with suggested alternatives (FYI – this is based on the British school system, so be sure to do your research on your own country). 1) Teachers arriving and leaving school at the same time as their students… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing School Scenes

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Top 5 Grammar Mistakes Writers Make

All About Grammar Mistakes There’s one thing that stands in the way standing in the way of great content: grammar mistakes. We can all attest to reading badly written content. Sometimes it leaves us wondering whether they even passed their English exams at all. Of course, we all make grammar mistakes. No writer is perfect, plus we don’t need to be total purists to write flawless content. That said, you can transform your writing skills by becoming aware of the most common grammar mistakes. Not only will you save time proofreading, but the content readability will improve. Plus, you can engage with your… Read More »Top 5 Grammar Mistakes Writers Make

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