In this second session on writing history for the commercial market, we will look at how to write narrative history by using creative writing techniques to write the ‘story’ of your history.
Whose story is it?
The most marketable and interesting form of written history, is history about people. Your research will have unearthed many potential ‘characters’. Which ones are you going to feature in your story? Articles are best written when focusing on a single ‘protagonist’ or a small group. In a book you can deal with more characters, but they need to be linked. There are a number of questions that you can ask that are used by fiction writers to develop a character. By adopting this approach you will help to bring your personalities to life and to present them in a lively, readable historical narrative. Continue reading ‘Writing history for the commercial market – 2: narrative history writing techniques’
Love is in the air, this Valentine’s Day, but fortunately for the survival of the species, it’s not restricted to Feb 14. As writers reflecting the breadth of life experience, we may be called upon to write love scenes. If the nominees for Literary Review’s Bad Sex Award are anything to go by, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. So The Crafty Writer asked steamy romance writer Pollyanna Williamson for some hot tips. Continue reading ‘Writing love scenes that sizzle’
If it’s not on the page, it’s not on the screen. This is what Oscar nominated and Golden Globe winning screenwriter, Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Slumdog Millionaire) knows full well. Our friends over at The Script Factory offer you a free masterclass on what makes the Slumdog screenplay tick. In addition, they give advice on how to handle flashbacks without losing forward momentum. So why not get the script for yourself? Nick Hern Books have published the shooting script in paperback and is available here: Slumdog Millionaire: the Shooting Script.
Check out the trailer if you’re not sure what all the fuss is about:
If you’re looking for a comprehensive book on screenwriting, then Write Screenplays that Sell might be the one for you. This beginner to intermediate guide is written by a UCLA Screenwriting graduate programme lecturer, Hal Ackerman, whose students regularly go on to receive professional Hollywood commissions. The book provides a good overview of narrative structure, a detailed guide to writing scenes and some useful and thought-provoking exercises. If you want to know a bit more about the book before you buy it, why not listen to the author himself?
Writers love to read. If you’ve read any good books lately why not submit a review to the Book Review Blog Carnival? You won’t get paid, but it’s an excellent oppportunity to hone your writing skills and check out what everyone else is reading.
How many of you set a writing goal for 2009 that included earning money from your writing? Or earning more money from your writing? I’m in the second category. My creative writing, feature writing and screenwriting are going well but not earning that much money. (For a lively discussion on how much writers really earn check out Can you earn money as a writer?) With this in mind, I’ve decided I need to expand my commercial copywriting activities. I’ve set up a new Crafty Writer Copywriting Service website and am working on getting some new clients.
As a spin-off from the writing for the internet session in my ever popular non-fiction writing course, Rod Smith, my technical advisor, is running a 10-week course on helping people get started in blogging. And for those of you who have already tried their hand at this most modern form of writing, he will help you develop and ‘monetize’ your blog. It’s based at the Centre for Lifelong Learning in Newcastle upon Tyne. For more information visit Rod’s own blog
Today I’m sitting by the phone waiting to hear if I’ve got my second short film commission. While I’m doing that, I’ve just been reading through an excellent series of articles by Danny Stack on how to become a professional screenwriter. They’re so good, in fact, that I thought I’d share them with you:
There’s a new writer in the world of children’s fiction and her name is Kelsey Drake. Kelsey’s first published book is Scordril, a novel for the 9 – 12 age group. It’s the story of a lair of dragons who are under attack from the sinister ‘night dragons’, wielding an ancient and dangerous magic. But what the readers of ‘Scordril’ may not realise is that Kelsey Drake is actually two people: Eleanor Patrick and Sue Brownless. The Crafty Writer asked Eleanor and Sue about their experience of co-authoring and self-publishing their first novel.
