Word Count

Word Count 66: Two submissions, a Fieldwork update, BBC Comedy Collective and Cheshire Novel Prize

January 16, 2024

Plus yet another article about how broken publishing is, a tip from Cavan Scott, a selection of the finest links, and an update about Grabbity’s eyes. Hi there, Happy New Year! We might well be halfway through January already, but 2024 still has that new year smell. I hope that yours is just bursting with […]

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What’s in store for Fieldwork in 2024?

January 12, 2024

In which I make a plan for the next year and publicly commit to a deadline. Eek. In May last year, I broke down the process of writing Fieldwork into four stages: Background research Comedy research Script development Funding for production I’ve largely completed Stage 1. Last year, I did ten interviews and picked up […]

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Word Count 65: Best SFF of the year, British indie bookshops blossoming, book launch tips

December 19, 2023

Plus an online kerfuffle illustrates why publishers and agents should do more to support debut authors, and young Grabbity under a Christmas tree. Hi there, The festive season is truly upon us, which means that there is a four day weekend in the offing for us Brits. I’m taking a couple of weeks off to […]

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Word Count 64: Katherine May on boundaries, Julian Simpson on how to write action sequences

December 5, 2023

Plus James Capel’s end of year round-up, Word Count’s book list, and Copurrnicus watching some dolphins. Hi there, Bit of a short email this week because technically I’m on holiday. My husband had a bit of time to use up before the year end, so I’m taking a week off to lounge about, sew, and […]

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Word Count 63: Draft Zero’s ‘game of the scene’, Michael Marshall Smith on writing for TV

November 21, 2023

Plus resilience, Dan Sinykin’s Big Fiction, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Zaslav dicking about, and birthday boy Copurrnicus on a treadmill. Hi there, As I’m sitting here on a lovely, sunny day, gazing out of my office at the robin perched in our apple tree, I’m feeling really rather chirpy. Perhaps it’s down to having had a […]

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Fieldwork: Adding improv to the mix

November 14, 2023

What do you do to get yourself back in the game after an enforced break from a creative project? It’s been a while since I last wrote about Fieldwork, the short film script I’m writing for the i-COMET project, largely because over the summer I was either interviewing ecologists or checking their transcriptions, which isn’t […]

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Word Count 62: Grist date announced, become a beta reader for Tag, Argleton out on Thursday

November 7, 2023

Plus Arts Council, BFI and Uncertain Kingdom funding, Big Comedy Conference, Realms of Imagination, and guest cats Archie & Sid. Hi there, It’s an absolutely glorious day here in the Home Counties as I write this. I’m continuing my 18-month long campaign to attract more birds to the garden, and have been delighted to see […]

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Word Count 61: The Story Loom, The Lovecraft Investigations

October 24, 2023

Plus Black Women’s Non-Fiction Manuscript Prize, what it takes to become an agent, the light at the end of the frog, and an update on Grabbity’s eyes. Hi there, I’m back at my desk after a week off to recover from Ada Lovelace Day, and my brain’s not quite working yet. I could have done […]

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Word Count 60: Writerly practice, US author income survey

October 10, 2023

Plus congrats to Dr Lucy Rogers, behind the scenes of Ghosts, and build your confidence. Hi there, Today is Ada Lovelace Day, which means that I’m writing this last weekend, in a quiet moment, a bubble inside the panic. The run up to big events is always stressful and every year I ask why I […]

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Word Count 59: WGA strike breakthrough, Discoveries 2024 open…

September 26, 2023

Plus David Koepp on his Jurassic Park first draft, WGGB calls for residuals, Bookshop.org to branch out into ebooks, killer Barbie stats and more. Hi there, It’s a gorgeous autumnal day as I write this, with the sound of power tools humming outside as the neighbours get a new fence and shed put up. Good […]

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Word Count 58: The problem with blurbs, Susan Cooper at the British Library

September 12, 2023

Plus BAFTA Rocliffe, Channel 4 Screenwriting Course 2024 & Cheshire Novel Prize Kids, Scriptnotes on character and voice, Amazon’s AI guidelines and Taylor Swift vs Hollywood. Well, hello there! After too many days of obnoxiously hot weather, I’m relieved to say that my office is no longer a sweltering 30C. My brain doesn’t really function […]

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Word Count 57: Arthur C Clarke Award results, what James Gunn’s music choices tell us about Guardians of the Galaxy

August 29, 2023

Plus podcasts about The Good Place and Asterix, some writer’s strike news, and extremely fluffy snow leopard cubs. Hi there, This issue of Word Count is brought to you from the past! I’m going to be spending the weekend in what is promising to be a very rainy Llandudno, where I will be saying an […]

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Word Count 56: Tag and the Six Act Structure, Sex Education, John le Carré Scholarship

August 15, 2023

Plus BBC Writers Room Open Call, Kindle Newsstand closes, fake books on Amazon & Goodreads, FTC lawsuit could break up Amazon, Filmmakers Podcast talks to Christopher McQuarrie, and Grabbity update. Hi there, I’m writing this on a grey and dismal day and it feels like we’ve not had a summer at all this year. Good […]

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Word Count 55: BAFTA screenwriting comp, GQ shenanigans, streaming’s candle sputters…

August 1, 2023

Plus massive Bloomsbury profits, a brief history of Marvel Studios, TikTok owner ByteDance becomes a publisher, two writing craft podcasts, and the escape room someone ought to lock me in. Hi there, This newsletter was actually written a few weeks ago, just before I went on holiday. But whilst I was away, the SAG-AFTRA strike […]

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Word Count 54: SAG-AFTRA has entered the game

July 18, 2023

The actors are striking and it matters for all of us. Note: I’d already written this week’s newsletter, because I’m technically on holiday, but this all felt rather time-sensitive, so you’ll get that newsletter next time. I’m also really jetlagged so any incoherency is because of that. Honest. Hi there, Well, it happened. Last week, […]

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