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Women & Writing

5 Arguments Against A Female-Centric GHOSTBUSTERS

So this week, we had an announcement: the cast for the much anticipated female Ghostbusters reboot. See the actresses picked and read more about it in this article, “Why Studios Want More Female-Led Blockbusters”. I’d say it’s a pretty solid list and I for one can’t wait, though apparently the rest of the internet CAN, ‘cos when I say “much anticipated” what I really mean is a neverending outpouring of complaints and condemnation of a movie NO ONE has actually seen yet*. But hey, why let something like REALITY get in the way of Twitter-and-Facebook-facilitated outrage??? (*While I’m on the subject… Read More »5 Arguments Against A Female-Centric GHOSTBUSTERS

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8 Female-Centric Biopics That Need Writing NOW

Biopics and true story dramas DOMINATE awards season, so with the Oscar Noms out last week it would seem that **this** year it’s all about the menz. As I always say though, the problem is not male-centric stories, but that there’s just too many of them! With it being a “man’s world” throughout history, one might be forgiven for thinking it’s all rather inevitable that the fellas will take over the true story genre … If it weren’t for the fact this is utter BILGE! There ARE amazing women of history and not just since women’s suffrage and emancipation either –… Read More »8 Female-Centric Biopics That Need Writing NOW

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5 Ways To Stay Focused On Your Writing Dream

1) Start Calling Yourself A Writer In Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, ‘If when you wake up in the morning you can think of nothing but writing, then you’re a writer.’ If you woke up thinking about writing before turning up to do your thing this morning, you are a writer. If you turned up yesterday morning – and countless mornings before – you are a writer. One morning, I woke up thinking I must be a lavatory attendant – but we won’t go into that… If you commit yourself to write most days then you… Read More »5 Ways To Stay Focused On Your Writing Dream

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4 Reasons It’s All About Entertainment, Not Theory

‎We are writers and makers. We all know this, but it would seem we mix up our PERSONAL responses as audience members and our writerly responses far too often when thinking about what works – or doesn’t work – on screen … And a result, end up like THIS: So here’s a round up of 4 arguments that seemingly NEVER go away, especially on Twitter, plus my counter arguments on how it’s probably not as simple as we all think! But more importantly, how we should be thinking ENTERTAINMENT, if we want to reach audiences and make that all-important connection… Read More »4 Reasons It’s All About Entertainment, Not Theory

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5 Reasons To Write Novels

National Novel Writing Month aka NanoWrimo starts today!!! To celebrate, this November I’ll be asking author friends to stop by on B2W to share their thoughts on writing novels. To kick off, here’s best selling indie author Stevie Turner (A HOUSE WITHOUT WINDOWS) to share her insights on why she writes novels, in the hope that if you’re wondering whether to dip a toe in the writing pond this NanoWrimo, you’ll dive straight in. Enjoy & over to you, Stevie! 1) If you like doing it I reckon you’re either born creative or practical. If you’re creative, sooner or later that creativity… Read More »5 Reasons To Write Novels

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6 Things Olivia Hetreed Can Teach New Writers

A fantastic post from KT Parker again, this time about top screenwriter Olivia Hetreed. B2W was privileged to do a script report on Olivia’s screenplay for WUTHERING HEIGHTS many moons ago (find out what other produced films I have done coverage for or consulted on, HERE). Olivia is a writer who really knows what she’s talking about craft-wise, but she also has some particularly good advice on go-getting for female writers too. Enjoy … For most of us, Olivia Hetreed will have first come onto our radar when she was BAFTA-nominated for her screenplay of Tracy Chevalier’s best-selling “Girl With… Read More »6 Things Olivia Hetreed Can Teach New Writers

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4 Reasons To Love JUNO

On the day book 2 of The Decision Series, JASMINE’S STORY hits the virtual shelves, many thanks to @LizziesDecision ally and photographer/filmmaker Jendella Benson for this week’s excellent guest post about Diablo Cody’s Oscar-winning dramedy JUNO! Jendella has been taking pictures of young mums and their kids for her visual project on the subject, which included me and the Male Spawn. I was honoured to be part of the project and Jendella’s currently crowdfunding so she can set up her own exhibition and workshops on the theme of Young Motherhood. This is of course very dear to my heart, so please do… Read More »4 Reasons To Love JUNO

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4 Reasons To Apply For B2W Social Media Intern by Daisy Martey

So, it’s that time of year again when I go recruiting so I can offer up the blog and the B2W social media network to someone else over the summer! If that sounds like something that would interest you, read on for last year’s social media intern Daisy and what she got out of the opportunity … If you’re interested in applying, please make sure you check out the info/follow the submission guidelines at the bottom of the post. Any other questions about the internship, please don’t email: tweet me with them or leave them on the Facebook wall. Thanks… Read More »4 Reasons To Apply For B2W Social Media Intern by Daisy Martey

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5 Reasons J.J Abrams’ STAR WARS Doesn’t “Owe” Anyone Gender Diversity

[CHRISTMAS 2015 EDIT: Okay, so this post is even more hilarious in retrospect now we know Rey is not the “token female”, but the PROTAGONIST in an otherwise male-centric franchise! But hey, apparently that’s STILL not good enough because now Rey is “too good” – yes, this is actually a thing! OMG … Well, at least you’re consistent Twitter in that you’re NEVER fecking happy. This is why we can’t have nice things or GOOD FEMALE CHARACTERS you nunchucks. CLICK HERE for a free ebook on how NOT to write female characters and if you’re one of the whiners?? DOOF! Punch… Read More »5 Reasons J.J Abrams’ STAR WARS Doesn’t “Owe” Anyone Gender Diversity

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The Blog Tour: 4 Qs, My As …

Many thanks to Rob Stickler for tagging me in this blog tour about my writing. Everyone gets the same 4 questions, so here are my 4 answers! 1) What Am I Working On? I’m currently working on my second non fiction book, which as the name  suggests is about drama screenplays. This time, the book will be rather different to WRITING AND SELLING THRILLER SCREENPLAYS, because whilst drama might have certain sub categories, a drama **can** literally be ANYTHING. So I’m approaching the notion of what *makes* drama “satisfying” in terms of storytelling, using detailed case studies and for which I’m… Read More »The Blog Tour: 4 Qs, My As …

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10 Tips On Being A Productive Writer

How To Get Productive Do you struggle with being productive? There’s an old saying I took to heart at a very young age, “If you want something doing, ask a busy person”. As a result I’m perpetually busy, but crucially I also get things done as well. I never thought this was weird or unusual, until I became an adult, as others kept remarking on it. A common declaration is that I must be able to somehow “bend or stretch time” to get so much in!! So, here are my tips to get the most out of your time so you can… Read More »10 Tips On Being A Productive Writer

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Starting NOW: Lizzie’s Diary, on Twitter & Facebook

So … in case you’ve been hiding under a rock or visiting Outer Space in the last few weeks, you’ll know I have a novel out, called THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY, which was published yesterday and is now available on Amazon. It’s the first in The Decision Book Series, in which a female protagonist is faced with a dilemma and ALL its possible consequences. The second in the series, JASMINE’S STORY will be out later in the year. In LIZZIE’S STORY, teenager Lizzie will have to deal with an unexpected pregnancy and will live through ALL its potential outcomes in… Read More »Starting NOW: Lizzie’s Diary, on Twitter & Facebook

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