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We met Michelle properly on July 15th 2015, when she attended the book launch of our first paperback, The Moors. That this is where we met is a testament to Michelle’s tenacity as she is forever attending events about publishing to learn more about the industry. Also, she’s so personable when dealing with fellow authors that it’s no surprise her guest blogs are growing in both quality and quantity, and we’re delighted to have Michelle …
Whilst making my annual jaunt to the London Book Fair this year, I met a writer who told me that once he has started a project, new ideas become completely unwelcome to him. In fact, to try and stop new thoughts interrupting his flow, he would completely shut himself away, creating a tunnel vision effect that allowed him to reach the finish line without distraction.
Although I get the sentiment, this is in many ways the …
Now that we’re in 2016, there will be an awful lot of writers walking around with a spring in their step, believing this will finally be their year. While I applaud the enthusiasm, I am also fully aware of how many writers I’ll meet over the next year that will feel the industry hasn’t given them a fair shot.
Nobody is more sympathetic to this view than me. I have honestly felt ready to “make it” …
Whether you’re writing books, plays, musicals or screenplays, it’s vital that you master the fundamentals of a scene. I mean, that does without saying, right? After all, your work is essentially a long list of scenes, so if your individual scenes have something missing, how will your finished product be any different?
There’s one small problem. Writing a noteworthy scene is incredibly difficult. If you pull someone off the street and ask them to write a …
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.
…
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 …