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1 Weird Trick To Avoid Using The Passive Voice In Your Writing

What Is The Passive Voice? The passive voice is a grammatical construction in which the subject of a sentence is acted upon by the verb, rather than performing the action itself. This results in a less direct, often more ambiguous sentence structure. This does NOT mean the passive voice is automatically ‘wrong’, but when it comes to writing fiction, it might not be desirable. But what does it look like? Here you go … Passive Voice example: The book was written by Lucy V Hay (By the way, it’s not tense-dependent. It would still be passive if it said, ‘The… Read More »1 Weird Trick To Avoid Using The Passive Voice In Your Writing

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3 Simple But Powerful Writing Exercises To Make Your Characters POP

Make Your Characters POP It’s not hard to understand why writers do so much work on their characters. Target readers and audiences value good characterisation very highly. Not working hard on yours can really cost you in the long run. However, lots of writers over-complicate this process and tie themselves up in knots. This is why I recommend these three very simple but high-yield writing exercises for yours. Ready? Then let’s go … Exercise 1: Traditional These steps can help you create a well-rounded and believable character. By taking the time to flesh out your characters, you’ll be able to… Read More »3 Simple But Powerful Writing Exercises To Make Your Characters POP

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How to Gather Your Thoughts When You Have A Creative Crisis

Surviving A Creative Crisis A creative crisis hits everyone, no matter what they do. Similar issues arise in the creative fields as well as in everyday life. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to write: a book, an article for a blog, or anything else. Because inspiration is unpredictable and fleeting, you must be able to write without waiting for it. Here are six simple tips that should help in this situation. 1) Set yourself up for only a few minutes of work In fact, persuading yourself to work for a couple of minutes is very easy. It’s much harder… Read More »How to Gather Your Thoughts When You Have A Creative Crisis

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10 Ways To Write 1000 Words By 9AM

1000 Words By 9am What if you could write as much as 1000 words by mid-morning, and enjoy the ride? Even though you love writing, it’s probably the most challenging activity you tackle each day. Here are some of the best tips that will let you “eat that frog,” sidestep procrastination, and 1000 words done by 9 AM 1) Create an outline the day before Sitting down in front of a blank screen first thing in the morning is a recipe for low productivity. What you should do instead, is to create an outline the day before, so you’ll immediately… Read More »10 Ways To Write 1000 Words By 9AM

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Top 6 Tips On Editing Your Own Writing

Editing is hard work Editing your own writing is a huge undertaking. It’s difficult to edit your own work, so you need to be vigilant. You also have to take into consideration things such as when you edit and who you get to assist you. Identify crutch words, pay attention to technical aspects, and you’ll be left with a polished masterpiece. Well, a polished draft anyway! Check out these top tips:   1) Have your draft read to you It’s much easier to detect errors when you hear your work read aloud. There are two options: have someone read it to you or… Read More »Top 6 Tips On Editing Your Own Writing

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8 Great Dialogue Tips That Will Rock Your Screenplay

Great dialogue is about one-fifth of a powerful screenplay, but it will probably be one of the most influential parts in catching the attention of the reader (and thus your potential audience!). So whilst you don’t want your dialogue to take over, it’s still VERY important to your script’s success … So check out these tips for ensuring you make the most of yours! 1) Eavesdrop! Do this subtly, of course. But listen in on conversations that people are having in a variety of environments and on a variety of topics. You’ll get a much better “feel” for what natural… Read More »8 Great Dialogue Tips That Will Rock Your Screenplay

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How To Boost Your Writing Confidence To New Levels

  Got No Confidence In Your Writing? If you have no confidence in your writing, you’re not alone. LOTS of writers lack confidence, including professional creatives. Yes really! Being a writer might be challenging, as creative people very often worry their work is not good enough. Lacking confidence can be immobilising and may influence the quality of your writing, too. But instead of focusing on your lack of confidence, check out these simple ideas and exercises. They are designed to boost your confidence and make your creative genius shine. 1) Use writing prompts Many creative people know that writing prompts… Read More »How To Boost Your Writing Confidence To New Levels

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Pixar’s 22 Steps To Ultimate Storytelling Under The Microscope

Pixar’s Storytelling is GOLD As any veteran Bang2writer knows, I normally don’t stand for so-called writing rules — but these are different! Pixar have shown, time and time again, their stories and characters will stand the test of time. Their knowledge of story is EPIC and every writer can learn from their movies and shorts, whether they actually *like* them or not. This is why Pixar’s 22 Rules For Phenomenal Storytelling went viral when it appeared online and continues to be the gold standard for ALL writers, screenwriters or not! I love Erika’s short and pithy additions and alternative views… Read More »Pixar’s 22 Steps To Ultimate Storytelling Under The Microscope

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6 Writing Prompt Tips To Help Get You Started

Writing prompts are words, ideas, phrases, topics, or images. Their main purpose is to give you, the writer, something to focus on to get your brain going in a certain direction. Think of it as a spark to kindling. It may take, or it may not. A good writing prompt should set off a chain reaction in your head. It may go precisely in the direction the prompt sends you, or your thoughts may wander off at a tangent. It doesn’t matter a whole lot as long as you get somewhere with it! Spanish philosopher Maimonides once said, “Give a… Read More »6 Writing Prompt Tips To Help Get You Started

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On Writing: Why Planning Beats Seat-Of-Your-Pants Every Time

I’ve worked with a lot of writers Most of them hate planning. Most of them want to dive head-long into a draft. They don’t want to think about target audience. OR to road test their concepts. They don’t want to write outlines, beat sheets or treatments. And they certainly don’t want to write novel pitches! But what if I told you that planning could not only help you avoid a world of pain … it could help you write a BETTER DRAFT?? Yup!!! Read on … I get it, I really do There’s something quite thrilling about writing by the… Read More »On Writing: Why Planning Beats Seat-Of-Your-Pants Every Time

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6 Things To Remember When Dealing With Writing Feedback

If you’re involved in Create50 (if not, WHY NOT?? It’s a great opportunity!), then you will know the cornerstone of the initiative is giving others feedback on their entries for @Londonswf‘s second crowd-sourced feature film The Impact, as well its first volume of short stories, Twisted. However, giving good feedback is not only an artform in itself, so is RECEIVING IT. With this in mind, I composed a list of 6 reminders for all writers, whether they’re dishing it, getting it or BOTH: 1) You are the authority on your own work This is the key element of dealing with ANY feedback,… Read More »6 Things To Remember When Dealing With Writing Feedback

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5 Key Questions To Help Edit Your Own Writing

As writers, it’s really hard not to get too close to your work. And it should be! If you’re not getting too close to it then there’s no blood going to it, either. But there are some things that we find it incredibly hard to spot in our own writing because in our heads all the work is done already. Sharing your work is absolutely essential. My writing group, Kites and Violence, has been running for nearly four years now and these are some of the notes that get given out time and time again (including to me!): 1) Are… Read More »5 Key Questions To Help Edit Your Own Writing

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