Thoughts and stuff

Here you will find a collection of my posts.

Some are about writing and the tools I use; others are just silly stuff.

On Writing

Some thoughts on writing, inspiration and getting the thing done.

• Turn up on time, do the work…2023-09-22
  A few years ago, in my day job, I was lucky enough to hear Grayson Perry speak. He might have addressed us as Claire, or as himself. I don’t remember. It might have been the first time… Read more: Turn up on time, do the work…
• How to Beat the Blank Page…2016-08-21
  …Well, don’t have one in the first place. No, not a trite answer, despite how it sounds. The trick is to always have ideas. Always let the ideas flow. They’re like butterflies and you have to catch… Read more: How to Beat the Blank Page…
• Capturing Your Screenplay Idea in One Line – Part 22016-08-22
    More on Loglines….. In the last post I mentioned a couple of expert approaches to one-line summaries. Well here is the second expert: The late great Blake Syder, author of (among other things) Save the Cat.… Read more: Capturing Your Screenplay Idea in One Line – Part 2
• Capturing your Screenplay Idea in One Line – Part 12016-08-22
  Of course you can’t compress your idea into one line, can you? Well here’s the bad news. You’ll have to. At some point someone is going to ask you to summarise your project in one line. Usually… Read more: Capturing your Screenplay Idea in One Line – Part 1
• How Do I Know I’ve Got A Great Idea For a Show?2016-08-21
  You don’t. Here’s the truth: No-one does. As brilliant screenwriter and guru William Goldman once said – “No-one in Hollywood knows anything”. People think they do otherwise they wouldn’t spend millions of dollars/pounds/bitcoins making what they’re convinced… Read more: How Do I Know I’ve Got A Great Idea For a Show?

Writing tools

I use a couple of character and story structure tools in my writing. They were so helpful, I wanted to have them to hand all the time and to share their usefulness with others…. So I create a small suite of apps. These posts are about how to use them

• How to Use the Enneagram: A Guide for Writers
  Learn about the Enneagram and why it’s useful to you as a writer
• How to Create Richer Stories with the Themes for Writers App
  Themes for Writers is a handy tool to track the moral and themes of your story as well as inspire new story ideas.
• How to Use The Enneagram App to Create Better Characters
  Find out how the Enneagram for Writers App can help you create characters who are distinct and full of conflict
• How to use the Myth Structure for Writers App to Create a Compelling Story
  The Myth Structure for Writers App uses a writing tool known as the Hero’s Journey to structure your story. The Hero’s Journey recognises that our favourite stories follow a distinct pattern – and have been… Read more: How to use the Myth Structure for Writers App to Create a Compelling Story

The Lazy Planet (silly stuff)

Welcome to the archive of the Lazy Planet blog, where you can travel the world from the comfort of your armchair. And so do the Lazy Planet researchers. So please don’t take it too seriously, it’s just a bit of a laugh.

• Welcome to the Lazy Planet
  Welcome to the Lazy Planet Guides. Here at Lazy Planet we believe that travelling the world shouldn’t be a hassle. But so often it bloody is. So we don’t bother. Our dedicated team of Lazy Planet bloggers firmly… Read more: Welcome to the Lazy Planet
• The Lazy Planet Guide to Valentines Day Eating in London
  by Bethan Hello! London is so the hub of the world food thing at the moment. Everywhere you look there are places to eat. So it must be.  And with Valentines Day coming up now’s the time to… Read more: The Lazy Planet Guide to Valentines Day Eating in London
• Focus on LONDon!
  Welcome to London! One of the most vibrant cities in the Southeast of England on the Thames Estuary. Whether you’re just here for the day, or tied to a life of toil and drudgery by actually living here,… Read more: Focus on LONDon!
• Lazy Planet: How to get about it (London)
  Getting about in London can be a pain. Let Lineaus guide you through the variable options.
• Lazy Planet -Fashion – on a budget!
   By Emily Hi peeps! With Spring nudging its green shoots of recovery through the cracked, grit scattered, dog excrement smeared pavement of the world fashion scene (last winter was not good for me), now is the perfect time… Read more: Lazy Planet -Fashion – on a budget!