Lucy V. Hay's Blog, page 46

Top Quotes On First Drafts

Ernest Hemingway

"The first draft of anything is shit."

Nicholas Sparks

"Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period."

Judy Blume

"I hate first drafts, and it never gets easier. People always wonder what kind of superhero power they'd like to have. I want the ability for someone to just open up my brain and take out the entire first draft and lay it down in front of me, so I can just focus on the second, third and fourth drafts."

READ MORE: http://www.bang2write.com/2015/04/top...

Inspirational Quotes Writers Can Learn From

Need more inspiration? Then check out my screenwriting books.





“If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” H.G. Wells

This is the thing. If you don't go for it, you can never succeed. So don't stay down. GET UP! MORE : Making It As A Writer: 25 Reasons You Haven't Yet

“Failure is a greater teacher than success” Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Often writers will say to me they've "wasted" time on various rewrites and drafts and even entire stories, trying to find out what works. But let me be clear: learning what DOESN'T work is more valid than hitting the bullseye first time. You're becoming a better writer by design, rather than accident. MORE: You are not wasting your time

READ MORE:
http://www.bang2write.com/2015/03/20-...

What would YOU do in this situation?

What would you do, if only YOU could save your best friend? This is Jasmine's dilemma in The Decision, book 2.

Download it HERE for just 99p, or click on the pic above.

Win 10 Great Crime Novels!

To celebrate the launch of BritCrime’s first free online crime fiction festival, 11-13 July, I have teamed up with @BritCrime authors to give away one fabulous prize.

You could win a gift bundle of ten print books, including new releases by Colette McBeth and Sarah Hilary, and MJ McGrath’s Gold Dagger longlisted White Heat. This giveaway is open internationally. One lucky winner will win all ten books.

Please complete the entries in the Rafflecopter before midnight 10th July for a chance to win. Click HERE or the big shiny red button at the bottom of this post.

To learn more about the BritCrime festival, please visit http//britcrime.com and sign up to the newsletter. There will be giveaways and live Q&As with bestselling British crime fiction authors hosted on BritCrime’s Facebook page 11 & 12 July.

The Magpies + What You Wish For by Mark Edwards

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary

The Life I Left Behind + Precious Thing by Colette McBeth

White Heat by M J McGrath

Beyond the Rage by Michael J Malone

Follow the Leader + Watching Over You by Mel Sherratt

The Harbour Master by Daniel Pembrey
Good luck!
A Rafflecopter giveaway

Want FREE Writing Resources?

Great news! In developing your craft and getting connected as a novelist or screenwriter, there's LOADS of free resources online. Almost too many ... where to start?? Luckily, B2W is here to help in sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Check out the links on this page by clicking the pic for free downloads, podcasts, video, articles and even free e-libraries on all things writing and inspiration. If you discover any links are broken or wrong, please contact me. Enjoy - and if you like what you see, please check out my books and/or share the page online. Thanks!

Ways Writers Screw Up Their Characters

So, you've been given the feedback:

"We need to care more about your characters."

Immediate RED FLAG!!!

This is a useless piece of feedback. Put whomever gave it to you on the naughty step RIGHT NOW and join me children in examining why this feedback sucks big time ...

... First off: okay, okay, the feedback-giver *means* well. And yes, just like "Show It, Don't Tell It", this advice probably started off good stuff. BUT I put it to you "we need to care more about your characters" creates waaaay more problems in drafts than it solves.

Why?

Because writers end up spending SO LONG trying to make us "care" (WTF does that really mean anyway?), they end up shooting themselves in the foot story-wise. Yet great characters are part of great STORIES. This means the two are inextricably linked. So when writers get that ubiquitous, but crappy note "we need to care more about your characters", they inevitably start focusing on character AT THE EXPENSE of plotting and story.

YARGH!

So here are my top 5 ways Writers screw up their characters, thus their story - READ MORE: http://www.bang2write.com/2013/03/top...

All about Writing Misconceptions

Whenever anyone asks what I do and I reply, "I'm a writer" and/or "I'm a script editor", they'll reply, "Wow! How interesting."

My reaction to this is always an indulgent, "Awwwwwwwww ..." because as anyone knows, there's a STACK of misconceptions laypeople (and indeed other writers!) have about writing in general. Here's just ten of them ... Enjoy!



1) Writers love writing

Hahahaha. No. And Yes. And NO NO NO NO ... just no. I hate writing SO MUCH. Except when I don't and it's awesome. MORE: 7 Writing Reminders

2) Writing is all about talent

Some of us are uber-talented. Some of us are not. Most of us are somewhere in-between. But get this: EVERYONE can get better. MORE: Talent is great BUT relationships get you hired

3) Originality is everything

Originality is overrated. Not because audiences are thick or because producers and agents are cynical gits, but because PRE-sold and GENRE-busting is where it's at. Don't know what these things are? Find out. MORE : 6 Different Movies With 3 Samey Premises

Read more about writing misconceptions at:
http://www.bang2write.com/2015/05/top... ‎

Have the baby - or don't have the baby?

In Lizzie's story, the reader is asked: "What would YOU do, if you were pregnant unexpectedly?" Unlike so many stories about teen pregnancy, keeping the baby - or not - aren't the ONLY options! Download it HERE.

How to Write TV Series Bibles

UPDATED: July 2014 - new links! Check out B2W Resources for more

There are TV pilot scripts flying all over the place it seems. And a helluva lot of them, perhaps as much as 50%, are good I reckon. This is interesting to me, because I would still venture that only about a maximum of 20% of features in the spec pile are good in contrast. Perhaps it's page count that daunts writers; perhaps it's the necessity to "simplify" movie plots (in comparison to TV series, which can be more convoluted?); or perhaps it's because people watch more TV than films?

Yet how do you "stand out" from the rest of 'em? Well, for me, that's a no-brainer: you write a rocking spec series bible*. I read a lot of these too now for people and I have to say - as good as many of those good TV spec pilots flying about are, a whacking 95% of 'em are let down by their series bible.


READ MORE: http://www.bang2write.com/2009/07/how... ‎

Fab Female Writers On Writing

I thought I'd round up some women writers' thoughts on the process, writing female characters, strength and MORE ... Enjoy!

Nora Ephron

I try to write parts for women that are as complicated and interesting as women actually are.

Shonda Rhimes

You can't tell stories and really walk in someone's shoes and not have a love for them, even if they're doing horrible things.

Tina Fey

I like to write about women, not so much about the way they relate to men, but about the way they relate to each other. And I don't think anyone's really doing it.

Margaret Atwood

A word after a word after a word is power.

READ MORE: http://www.bang2write.com/2015/05/15-...