Gahks

It is definitely a good idea to get some screenwriting software. Final Draft is highly recommended and tends to be considered as the industry standard, but it's unbelievably expensive (here ...

Many thanks. Writing to a certain extent is like acting without actually becoming an actor. It allows you to imagine yourself as characters and dramatise situations that you yourself could ...

Your main character does seem to be in a reactionary position. The antagonist may have the upper hand to start with, but you need to make the protagonist aware of ...

Just a few: Show, don't tell. (Classic maxim, I know.) Trust your story. If you can't believe in the plot, neither can your readers. Conflict = drama. All stories must ...

Echoing the sentiments of everyone else here, be consistent . There, that's italics for you! Strictly speaking, when quoting titles (of TV shows, films, books, articles etc.) you should either ...

You don't have to start at the beginning! This is where a word processor can come in really handy: if you begin writing the middle, then the end and then ...

This is great, good work! You may also want to add that showing is active writing, while telling is passive . For instance, compare: The bullet was shot from the ...

Use a well-known line from the play and maybe subvert or twist it. I don't know A Midsummer Night's Dream very well but there must be something you can plunder. ...

This is a brilliant site! Good find, Gryph, well done. Gahks x

Aw, this sounds brilliant but we have MS Internet Explorer. Damn.

Cliches are subjective, like what Rosey said. But you have to remember, whether you like it or not, that you're writing to be read . That is, read by a ...

Starting with titles is no bad thing! If you have loads, put them somewhere safe, preferably in a special ideas box. That way you can quickly retrieve them when they ...

If anything from the first draft seems so useful you desperately want to keep it, print off in little chunks (easier to digest that way) and insert it in later. ...

Hey there! It seems you have a few questions piled into one here, so I'll try to answer them all. To make characters realistic, you need to know everything about ...

Vomit write. That is, just splurge whatever comes to your mind on the page. As Snoink says, expect the first draft to suck. Even with the most brilliant story ever, ...