Here it is, my new novel – HOW WE GOT TO TODAY – along with the cover. This is my first novel with a publisher, Headline Accent, part of Hachette. Feels like it took a long time to get here but in publishing years, it’s probably not that long. The novel is released on 24th
AuthorBen
Music as a Pavlovian Starting Gun
I’ve written before about my writing routine (10 years ago, Jesus!), which hasn’t change that much to be fair. I wanted to highlight how I use certain albums or playlists as a soundtrack and listen to it EVERYTIME I’m writing and contributing to that particular piece of work, so much that it becomes ingrained and
Getting and Receiving Script Notes
You’ve written a screenplay, now what? You need some feedback. You’ve been locked inside your own mind trying to piece this thing together, linking plot lines, character arcs, hitting all those hero journey points (the ones you miss are to ensure your underground, indie hit breaks a few rules), wondering whether you’ve written a 3,
‘Hate’ as Inspiration
If you’re a writer, why did you start writing? Was it always an innate need? Were you inspired by the brilliance of others? Was one creative pursuit given up to try out writing? Or did you read a book and thought, ‘How the fuck in God’s name did anyone publish that bullshit?‘ I think I’m
Get a FREE Online Screenwriting Education Before Starting Your Own Screenplay
When I made the move from writing novels to screenplays I knew nothing about writing screenplays. I don’t know much more than that now, but I know of a few places to go that can help you out. One of the very first things I did was to enrol on this FREE online course ‘An
The Message – Logline
I’ve recently finished the latest (3rd) draft of THE MESSAGE, my WWII escape feature film script, and have sent it off to 3 readers for feedback. I have a self-imposed deadline of the beginning of April to get the next draft completed so I can go to the London Screenwriters Festival with a completed script
Website Redesign
In between drafts of ‘The Message’, with nothing else to write, I decided to redesign my website as it’s about 10 years old and looks it. I stuck with WordPress but decided against designing one from the ground up and go with a theme. After a lot of research I went with ‘Deppo‘ from ‘Theme
‘Broken Branches’ reviewed by The British Fantasy Society
Recently, The British Fantasy Society very kindly reviewed ‘Broken Branches’. Ben Ellis has written a dystopian story about a society that values breeding and DNA above all else. Worryingly, this could be true in some form in the future. He has taken a very touchy subject and written a thought-provoking story. What I liked about
‘Broken Branches’ Reviewed by SFBook.com
After missing every long-list of every sci-fi novel competition I entered ‘Broken Branches’ in to, it was a pleasant surprise to get a positive review from Ant at SFBook.com. Broken Branches is an imaginative, interesting story that raises some genuine concerns about the future of this country. A timely, entertaining book that I sincererly hope remains
Broken Branches Video Review
I haven’t written a blog post in ages because there’s not been too much to blog about in my writing life, so how about I come back out of hibernation with this, my first ever video review by Becky. Nervous doesn’t begin to explain the anticipation of hitting play on this! Many thanks to Becky