Self-care tips When you’re suffering through rejections, self-doubt, and criticism, it’s important to know how to take care of yourself. These self-care ideas can help guide you to creating a self-care routine. It’s no secret that writers face many struggles and challenges, often worsened by how isolating writing can be. Why self-care matters for writers Many writers struggle with their mental health. Practically all writers could benefit from creating a self-care routine. It’s easy to forget about self-care until we actually need it. It’s only relevant when we’re struggling, right? Wrong! Se ..read more

How NOT to Write Fantasy Stories Fantasy stories are brilliant because technically, we can write whatever we want … but the bad news is, we can write whatever we want! For a lot of writers this can lead to feeling overwhelmed, which in turn can mean big mistakes. So if we can do whatever we want, perhaps it’s better to concentrate on what NOT to do?? Here’s my advice on how NOT to write fantasy stories (whether screenplay or novel). Ready? Let’s go … 1) Lack of Originality Yes, we don’t want anything TOO original … we need to be able to recognise what’s going on, after all! But at the sa ..read more

Intimate Scenes, The Bridgerton Way Anyone who’s seen Bridgerton – and who hasn’t? – can surely not have missed the intimate sex scenes the show is famous for. I was lucky enough to be in the audience at an exclusive screening of Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 with Shonda Rhimes (Creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer) and Jess Brownell (Showrunner). The Bridgerton team and Jessie gave us all a step-by-step guide to portraying intimate moments on screen. The step-by-step process Step 1: Talk to the actor! (OR for writers – think about the character and the specific intimacy that’s required for t ..read more

Hey Writers: Include  Sex Scenes In Your Writing! Yeah I said what I said: I have argued for a LONG time that writers should include sex scenes in our writing. In the past twenty years I’ve seen sex scenes in the spec screenplay and unpublished novel pile DECREASE. But it’s not anti-feminist to include sex scenes in your novel or screenplay … plus modern storytelling is NOT porn, as Matt (below) points out. It’s a worrying trend that people KEEP making this accusation of stories on social media. Far from being progressive (as many insist), complaining that ‘all’ expressions of sex or se ..read more

Why An Author Brand Is Important ‘What’s your brand?’ is a question that may seem like nothing to do with writing, but it’s super-important in the 2020s. Social media and blogging has democratised the writing industry, bringing down barriers. But this also means it’s harder than ever to stand out! Some reasons a brand is important include: It can help you connect with agents and publishers. Having a strong public image and great social media presence are keys when it comes to networking with professionals in the writing world or when pitching your projects to agents. Having a brand lets prof ..read more

What Is The Rashomon Storytelling Technique? If you haven’t heard of the Rashomon storytelling technique, you’ve almost certainly watched a movie or TV show or read a book that uses it. Named after the 1950 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa’s groundbreaking Rashomon, this technique is known for its use of multiple perspectives to tell a single story. By allowing different characters to share their individual versions of events, the truth becomes subjective and open to interpretation. Examples of films and TV shows that use the Rashomon technique are … Pulp Fiction (1994) The Usual Suspects (19 ..read more

All About Casinos Environment plays a vital role in the narrative, and few environments can match the thrill and excitement of a casino. Many stories are set in casinos or within the world of gambling. From movies like the Ocean’s 11 franchise through to Croupier (and of course Scorsese’s Casino!) to TV shows like Sneaky Pete and CSI: Las Vegas to classic novels such as Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, people can’t get enough of them! Crafting captivating casino scenes will not only pique your readers’ or viewers’ interest but also infuse your work with tension and depth. With this in mind ..read more

All About New Girl New Girl was a sitcom that ran between 2011-2018. The show followed the fates of an offbeat young woman Jess (Zooey Deschanel), a teacher who is trying to get over her breakup with her boyfriend after he cheats on her. If you’re in the UK, you can find it on DisneyPlus in its entirety. Jess moves in with three young men: Nick, a Chicago-born university dropout who now works in a bar; Schmidt, an advertising executive who believes he is God’s gift to women; and Winston, a former pro basketball player who is trying to find his way in the white collar world. An additional memb ..read more

So, You Want Your Spec Script To Get Noticed? Writing a spec script is hard, but getting a sale for that spec script is even harder. No screenwriter’s journey is the same, plus this crazy industry is not transparent AT ALL. That’s one of the reasons I began this blog in the first place. I wanted to help writers AVOID their scripts being doomed before they even got off the starter blocks!! So what’s the number 1 problem standing in too many new writers’ way? Themselves. They doom their OWN scripts from the get-go. Yup, you read that right. Supersadface. The reason? They Argue The Toss With Scr ..read more

All About The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert I remember the first time I saw Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I was a closeted bisexual teen in deep denial and I saw it in the middle of the night on TV. (If I recall correctly, it was on BBC2). To say it blew me away is an understatement. I lived in Devon, in the middle of nowhere, with no sniff of even so much as a Pride parade. (The closest I got back then were the ubiquitous rainbows on cans of Lynx body spray). A few years before I watched it, Priscilla premiered to a midnight screening reception on May 15th, 1994 and apparent ..read more