What book blurbs really mean
When the Man Booker shortlist was announced earlier this year, Andrew Holgate of the Sunday Times noted how the judges slagged off the while industry of creative book blurbs along with the celebrity quotes that…
Historical drama on screen – to write or not to write?
Historical drama is big in TV and film at the moment,but is it a good idea to write one? David Oman sent this question: Hello Charles I’m still enjoying your excellent books, and prefer studying…
How the gurus who teach “show don’t tell” could ruin your treatment
All screenwriting gurus teach “Show don’t tell” – it’s one of the few things they all agree on. How can it possibly be bad? And yet, what they don’t tell you is sticking to “show…
How to get what you want – negotiating tricks
In case you missed it, there’s an article you really should read on negotiating tricks and how to get what you want. After all, as writers (and directors, parents, children, friends, customers, comrades, etc) we’re always…
How not to write a dark story – The Judge
The new Robert Downey Jnr, Robert Duvall movie The Judge brilliantly shows how to write a dark story of bitter relationships. Unfortunately, that’s not all it shows. Someone decided at some point in the script’s development to…
Launch Party: The fatal flaws of screenwriting, and free drinks
If you’re near London on Thursday November 27th, you’re invited to join me for free at the party to launch my new book Teach Yourself: Complete Screenwriting Course. Fatal screenwriting flaws and breaking the rules I’ll…
The festival’s over – how do you hold onto the screenwriting energy?
Festivals and workshops are great, they get you out of the house and you get high on a great buzz of screenwriting energy. But it’s only too easy for that energy to fade away once…
Networking tips to help you shmooze like a pro
Writers, whether screenwriters or novelists, are always being told to network. From Cannes to Raindance, London Book Fair to Frankfurt, there are always more events, festivals and MeetUps to give us a chance to meet…
Review: Writing for TV: Series, Serials and Soaps
This excellent book on Writing for TV by Yvonne Grace has already taken up a permanent place on my bookshelf. Let me declare first that I’ve met Yvonne twice in the real world, and many…
New online writers community
It’s a truism that writing is a lonely business, but much as we want a writers community to connect with, us writers also want time alone. We’re cussed bastards really. Not happy if we’re left…
Automatic screenplay query letter generator for screenwriters
Developed by a secret army of specialist software designers, the automatic screenplay query letter generator guarantees you’ll never have to struggle over your screenplay query letter again. Free to use, time and time again.
How to express yourself without killing your screenwriting career
There’s a phrase that’s popular among writing courses at the moment – we’re all expected to “express ourselves”. Self-expression is the thing. And it certainly is, if you want to kill your career stone dead.…
Two simple ways to add power to your pitching
If you want to pitch with power, here are two powerful ingredients that are often forgotten by script gurus although they are used to powerful effect in almost every successful TV drama or cinema film.
3 Ways to Make Sure Your Script Stands Out
Despite what most writers think, most scripts fail to sell not because they are too different, but because they are not different enough. Many writers, including advanced writers, believe that their cinema or TV script…
Four steps to starting a compelling script
People often ask how to get ideas. Of course ideas are all around. What they mean is where do you find ideas you know will work. Ideas that will stay alive and grow. Nothing is…
Three things you need to improve your script sales
Back from hols and the first thing on my to-do list is to go out and start selling the script I finished last month. Of course as a true artist I should have no truck…
Why do some scripts sell, and some don’t?
Many people ask me if they should learn about selling and pitching scripts before they start writing, or after they’ve finished a draft. My answer is: either and both – and while in the middle…
Good movie? Where did it come from?
Cameron wants us to make blockbusters. David Cameron, that is, not James. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9006675/Ken-Loach-pouring-lottery-money-into-blockbusters-is-a-travesty.html Speaking as a film director, and director of Euroscript, I’m sad that nobody I’ve heard or read so far has mentioned script.…
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