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How Intercut Can Help Tell Your Story In Just 8 pictures

All About Intercut Whether you’re writing a screenplay or a novel, intercut can help you tell your story. An intercut is a storytelling technique used to rapidly switch back and forth between two different locations. This might be during a phone call, text message conversation, or parallel action. An intercut frequently plays around with the sense of time in your story, too. They may reference something that has happened in the past. However, intercuts can also reference to the future, to different versions of ‘now’ (whatever that means), or even thoughts and feelings. When Intercuts Go Wrong While intercuts are… Read More »How Intercut Can Help Tell Your Story In Just 8 pictures

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How Mystery Works: 7 Steps For Writing One In Your Screenplay or Novel

Writing A Mystery Writing a mystery is HARD. I’ve published ten novels now, many of them crime fiction. However, any genre in any medium can benefit from a mystery component. Police procedurals and domestic noir are the key subgenres that use mystery components. There have been over two hundred years of detective novels, plus modern psychological thrillers are super-popular with readers. On TV and in movies, there are frequently mysteries at the heart of thrillers, political or otherwise. We may see them in workplace shows (such as police, but also medical shows in which finding a diagnosis is key). They… Read More »How Mystery Works: 7 Steps For Writing One In Your Screenplay or Novel

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5 Reasons Your Spec TV Pilot Should Contain A Show-Stopping Central Character

The Problem With Spec TV Pilots One of the biggest issues I see in speculative (not commissioned) TV pilots is a lack of a show-stopping central character. But why is this an issue? Well, if we want our spec TV pilot to be read and/or commissioned by industry pros, a show-stopping central character is non-negotiable. It’s common sense our own TV pilots need to be storytelling catnip for that commissioner. One of the ways we can do this is by creating a show-stopping character. A character so interesting and compelling, big-name and talented actors will want to attach. All About Show-Stopping Central… Read More »5 Reasons Your Spec TV Pilot Should Contain A Show-Stopping Central Character

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How To Write An Interrogation Scene (And What Most Writers Get Wrong)

All About Interrogation Scenes Interrogation scenes can be exceptionally powerful in our stories. They can be tense, adding to cause and effect, escalating the story towards the showdown. They can also be the moment one character – on either side of the table! – can move from one state of being to another (whatever that means for the story). When writers hear the word “interrogation”, most of us immediately think of police procedurals. Detectives sitting under fluorescent lights trying to get a suspect to crack. Yet interrogation scenes crop up in virtually every genre and type of story imaginable! Such… Read More »How To Write An Interrogation Scene (And What Most Writers Get Wrong)

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Why Your Screenwriting Career Is Stalling (And How To Fix It)

Feel like you’re stalling? If you feel like your screenwriting career is stalling, you’re not alone. The past ten years have created huge problems for the industry. Screenwriting circa 2026 is more challenging than it has ever been. Industry pros have left in record levels, with those that remain telling me it’s the worst they’ve ever seen it. But the point of this post is not to make you feel despondent. Instead, it’s designed to help you stop stalling and get your best chance of getting out of the spec script trenches. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Concept still sells!… Read More »Why Your Screenwriting Career Is Stalling (And How To Fix It)

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Why Most Spec Scripts Fail (It’s Not The Idea – It’s The Execution)

It’s All In The Execution? Most scripts don’t fail because the idea is bad – they fail because the execution is not doing the work. But how can we tell if our execution is not cutting it? Here’s 8 common pitfalls I see regularly in spec screenplays. Ready? Let’s go … 1) A situation is not a story A cool idea or set-up isn’t enough. Your concept at the heart of your story needs to be road-tested at foundation level. A story = movement. This means your story requires escalation, cause & effect, and a protagonist driving towards a clear… Read More »Why Most Spec Scripts Fail (It’s Not The Idea – It’s The Execution)

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How 600 Seconds Can Kill Your Script DEAD

600 Seconds To Victory? NEWSFLASH: 600 seconds can mean the difference between a full read of your spec screenplay … or not. Why 600 seconds? Well, the received wisdom is that a page of script is equal to one minute of screen time*. If a minute is 60 seconds, then your first ten pages = 600 seconds. It really is simple as that. (*Of course, this measurement is not an exact science. Pages with lots of dialogue may be faster, whereas those with more visuals may be longer. But that’s a conversation for another time!). But First, The Elephant In… Read More »How 600 Seconds Can Kill Your Script DEAD

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5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

How To Write Romantasy That Bites Back I was at London Screenwriters Festival this weekend just past, where I did a masterclass on writing romantasy. This subgenre has exploded in the past three or four years across all media, yet many people get it wrong on why it’s so popular. Romantasy is NOT just fantasy with some kissing. The romance angle powers the story, while giving us brutal worlds, high stakes and love that complicates everything. It is all about danger and desire, fused. Ultimately, good romantasy is all about that core promise: if it doesn’t hurt, it’s not romantasy.… Read More »5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

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The #1 Killer Opener Mistake That Nearly All Screenwriters Make

Killer Script Opener Mistakes There are lots of killer opener mistakes your spec screenplay needs to avoid. The beginning of your spec screenplay needs to do some serious heavy lifting for your story – not just for your characters, but the plot as well. This means screenwriters simply must do the following in their spec screenplays … Start with a strong, visual opener. Spec screenplays need to start with a visual that places us in the storyworld, genre and tone of your story. For more on this (including screenshots of opening images from produced TV shows, CLICK HERE). Introduce us to… Read More »The #1 Killer Opener Mistake That Nearly All Screenwriters Make

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Self-Editing Your Draft: From “WTAF?” to “Hell Yes, I Wrote That!”

All About Self-Editing Your Draft Whether you’re writing a novel or a screenplay, self-editing is key. Yet many writers don’t realise self-editing is even a thing! They may get in contact with a script editor like me to tell them what to do. Yet as I always say on this blog and the B2W social media, self-editing is a great idea. Doing this first is always going to get you better, more robust results than going straight to paid-for feedback-givers like B2W. It’s also A LOT cheaper! But how, exactly, do writers self-edit? Here’s my checklist, step by step. Ready?… Read More »Self-Editing Your Draft: From “WTAF?” to “Hell Yes, I Wrote That!”

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Bad Deals, Brave Asks and Why You’re Allowed To Walk Away (Yes, REALLY!)

All About Bad Deals NEWSFLASH: bad deals are not worth it! One thing I see over and over again with writers is this: They want it so badly that they’ll accept almost anything. An “opportunity” lands in their inbox. It sounds exciting, even flattering. It sounds like this might finally be the thing. Then, because they don’t want to miss out, writers don’t ask questions. They don’t push back. They don’t stop to think whether the deal actually helps them advance in their careers. Here’s the truth many writers don’t want to hear: A bad deal is often worse than no… Read More »Bad Deals, Brave Asks and Why You’re Allowed To Walk Away (Yes, REALLY!)

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6 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads Who Made Their Mark On Storytelling

All About Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads It’s fair to say female leads have come a LONG way in the past 15-20 years. This is never more obvious in fantasy and sci-fi. From romantasy to sci-fi – and everything in between – these female leads exemplify sacrifice, bravery, skill and fierce independence. As a huge fan of both fantasy and sci-fi, I thought I’d put 6 of my fave modern protagonists from these genres under the microscope. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Bella Swann, The Twilight Saga A fish out of water when she stays with her father Charlie in… Read More »6 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads Who Made Their Mark On Storytelling

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