A strange thing: The launch of the paperback of Play Me! is a bigger deal than the launch of the original hardback, which is its first appearance in the world. The hardback is the book’s first day…
We know that the Internet thrives on free information. As the saying goes, “Information wants to be free.” But I was still surprised by what I found when I began writing my book on free…
Earlier this month, the Guardian newspaper published an article about the BBC. The headline read “BBC caves in over censure of TV presenter in Trump racism row.” The article itself turned out to be a…
Lies are big news at the moment. Lies by politicians, lies by social media bots, lies by journalists… Most of the focus is on stopping the lies – less about helping us see the truth.…
Listeners who believe that the BBC is a hot-bed of pinko leftie elitists who want nothing more than to attack the right, might have felt vindicated if they’d turned on Radio 4 last November. At…
Like all writers, I get invited to festivals, book clubs and bookshops to talk about the stories I’ve written, stories that have taken me to Hollywood and back. It was one such story that unexpectedly…
BBC bias – Every week, it seems, the BBC is under attack from one side or another. Most recently they’re in a twist over pay for women. Just this week came the weird spectacle of…
Most people hate writing treatments. Not me, I love them. This is how I used a treatment to hook a top star comedian and the BBC in just five pages – and how you can too.
IS YOUR SCRIPT STUCK ON THE BRIDGE? Back from holiday, I’ve been thinking about a massive underpublicised reason why far too many writers don’t sell. If you’re a writer, then you want to sell your…
What is the key question you need to ask to sell your script? The right question follows soon. First here’s the wrong question.
A few days ago, I wrote about the industry’s most famous pitch – a mere three words – “Jaws in Space.” It was the original pitch for Alien. And I promised to tell you about a two word and a one word pitch – the only ones I know of.
Cheltenham Screenwriters Festival – Give me some good solid iconoclasm, more incendiary offensiveness. Stop telling people that all you need is to believe in yourself and tell them to get off their arses and break some windows.