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A couple of notes before you read this article:
*I’ve referred only to films and not books in this blog because I feel it’s easier to make an example of characters whose arcs take shape over just 90-pages.
*In the off-chance you haven’t yet seen some of these films, there are potential spoilers for The Rock, Rocky IV, Star Wars, Warrior, The Impossible, The Dark Night, 8mm, Unbreakable and X-Men.
Now, let’s begin.
To be truly absorbed in a story, we need …
Right after Jody read the prologue to his debut novel, The Moors, he sat down and took a selection of questions from somebody who knows him incredibly well, his older sister, before taking further questions from the audience.
…
Whenever I speak to somebody who has deep rooted aspirations of becoming a writer, it’s never long before they ask me this question and I’m going to be quite a little controversial here.
I don’t believe in writer’s block.
This isn’t me trying to be clever or insinuating that I have a stronger creative mind than those who claim to suffer from the dreaded “block of writing.” Far from it!
I simply feel that “writer’s block,” as a …
A very big hello and thank you so much for taking the time to visit this page.
As I’ve been shouting it from the rooftops I’m fairly certain you will know that my first paperback novel was released this summer. Whenever I hold a book signing I tend to read this to the attendees and they say it really helps set the tone for what they feel is an intriguing story, and so I thought it would …
There’s writing screenplays, and there’s being a screenwriter.
The difference is that anybody can write a screenplay. I learnt my craft by writing dozens of them. However, they never went anywhere because they were rife with errors and not in any way industry friendly.
Being a screenwriter is more about the art of knowing who you are writing for and having a clear, concise, realistic plan of how you intend to get it to them. The difference …
Before you say anything, I don’t personally believe there is a definitive list of 10 simple tricks to make you write the next best-selling book or blockbuster hit.
So much goes into every book and screenplay that each finished story is invariably unique in some way, so you can never escape the fact that the hard work and determination needed to write a great story has to come entirely from the writer.
However, I’ve been in the industry long enough now to have …
To some, the title of this blog appears as something of an oxymoron.
“Visuals?” I hear you cry. “I’m a writer. I paint with words, not images!”
It’s true that every writer is different in both style and approach, but what is undeniable is that, when used correctly, words can be the most powerful and explosive device ever created by man. Why? Because it allows us to stimulate the almost limitless potential of the human mind.
When Martin …
When we copywriters sit in an interview, we all know it’s a matter of time before we’re hit with the loaded question: “So what made you want to become a copywriter?”
Internally, I’ve wrestled with this question for many years. It is my strong belief that nobody actually wants to be a copywriter. It’s just not a profession our younger selves would think to dream of or aspire to.
When I say this, I mean no offence …
So for me, 15th July 2015 was a really special day. Not only was my first paperback novel released but it was also when my first successful crowdfunding campaign drew to a close. I spent the whole afternoon in a bubble of exhaustion and warm satisfaction, but there wasn’t really much time to absorb the fact the past year’s work had been realised and the book was now available for people to buy.
As the days …