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The Writer's Toolkit: Exercises, Techniques and Ideas for Playwrights and Screenwriters
Perfect for playwrights and screenwriters of all levels of experience, The Writer's Toolkit will equip you with everything required to kickstart your creativity, develop your craft, and make your writing the very best that it can be.
Written by an experienced playwright, screenwriter and producer, this essential book is packed with almost two hundred practical exercises, techniques and ideas for every part of your process, designed to be used either solo or in a group. It
Writing warm-ups to focus your mind and get your creative muscles in gear
Dozens of exercises to strengthen fundamental elements of your writing such as developing characters, improving dialogue, layering in subtext, creating a strong setting and constructing a compelling plot
Immersive-writing techniques to lift the world of your script off the page and allow you to shape it more effectively
A blueprint for writing a ten-minute play – a great way to practise your craft, explore a new idea and add to your portfolio
A Submission Surgery with exercises and pointers so you can review and fine-tune your completed work before sending it out
101 quick-fire writing prompts to help you warm up, take a break from your current project, or just keep you feeling productive
Also included are mindful meditations to use at the beginning and end of your writing sessions, to help you relax, boost your productivity and maximise your creative output.
Whatever you need as a writer – whether that's to crack a problem in your current script, develop ideas for future projects, build up your skills and experience, or bust through writer's block – this book will give you the right tools for the job. So get writing!
'A generous and inventive book, packed full of the creativity it is bound to inspire' Anna Jordan, playwright and screenwriter (Succession, Killing Eve, Yen)
'An enthusiastic, encouraging guide with endless tips to make every stage of the writing process not only doable but enjoyable too' Diane Samuels, playwright and author (Kindertransport)
Written by an experienced playwright, screenwriter and producer, this essential book is packed with almost two hundred practical exercises, techniques and ideas for every part of your process, designed to be used either solo or in a group. It
Writing warm-ups to focus your mind and get your creative muscles in gear
Dozens of exercises to strengthen fundamental elements of your writing such as developing characters, improving dialogue, layering in subtext, creating a strong setting and constructing a compelling plot
Immersive-writing techniques to lift the world of your script off the page and allow you to shape it more effectively
A blueprint for writing a ten-minute play – a great way to practise your craft, explore a new idea and add to your portfolio
A Submission Surgery with exercises and pointers so you can review and fine-tune your completed work before sending it out
101 quick-fire writing prompts to help you warm up, take a break from your current project, or just keep you feeling productive
Also included are mindful meditations to use at the beginning and end of your writing sessions, to help you relax, boost your productivity and maximise your creative output.
Whatever you need as a writer – whether that's to crack a problem in your current script, develop ideas for future projects, build up your skills and experience, or bust through writer's block – this book will give you the right tools for the job. So get writing!
'A generous and inventive book, packed full of the creativity it is bound to inspire' Anna Jordan, playwright and screenwriter (Succession, Killing Eve, Yen)
'An enthusiastic, encouraging guide with endless tips to make every stage of the writing process not only doable but enjoyable too' Diane Samuels, playwright and author (Kindertransport)
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2020
4 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Paul Kalburgi
2 booksPaul Kalburgi was born in Teesside, in the North East of England. He studied at the School of Drama, Film & Media at Regent's University London, where he received his MA in Writing for Screen and Stage, as well as on the Writers' Program at UCLA.
He has written and produced for television in the UK, USA, and New Zealand. His plays have been staged in London, New York, and Dallas. An experienced teaching artist and writing coach, Paul facilitates writing workshops internationally. His popular book, The Writers’ Toolkit: Exercises, Techniques and Ideas for Playwrights and Screenwriters, is published by Nick Hern Books, London.
He is currently based in London, where he is proud to serve as the UK Ambassador for the Dramatists Guild of America.
He has written and produced for television in the UK, USA, and New Zealand. His plays have been staged in London, New York, and Dallas. An experienced teaching artist and writing coach, Paul facilitates writing workshops internationally. His popular book, The Writers’ Toolkit: Exercises, Techniques and Ideas for Playwrights and Screenwriters, is published by Nick Hern Books, London.
He is currently based in London, where he is proud to serve as the UK Ambassador for the Dramatists Guild of America.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 21, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wonderful tips and exercises for writing and mindfulness
Wonderful tips and exercises for writing and mindfulness
May 30, 2022
This is one of those books that makes you write. It makes writing less scary and totally manageable. It gets you over the fear of the blank page and helps you love writing again.
Or, maybe it inspires you to write for the first time, or the first time since you were five, or fifteen, or even fifty.
Basically this book is practical, empowering and although it is packed with ideas and activities, never overwhelming.
You can use it on its own - to inspire you to write - or in conjunction with other writing books. For example, when I'm having trouble with a screenplay, I often read screenplay structure books, to help me diagnose the issue I'm having. Sometimes, though, this can lead me in too many different directions. Using Paul's book prevents me from getting too tangental, it helps me refocus on the issue, and direct the solutions.
I take it EVERYWHERE.
Or, maybe it inspires you to write for the first time, or the first time since you were five, or fifteen, or even fifty.
Basically this book is practical, empowering and although it is packed with ideas and activities, never overwhelming.
You can use it on its own - to inspire you to write - or in conjunction with other writing books. For example, when I'm having trouble with a screenplay, I often read screenplay structure books, to help me diagnose the issue I'm having. Sometimes, though, this can lead me in too many different directions. Using Paul's book prevents me from getting too tangental, it helps me refocus on the issue, and direct the solutions.
I take it EVERYWHERE.
August 11, 2022
Useful guide, I enjoyed it. Lots of original exercises and tips for fine-tuning.
November 10, 2024
Fantastic book. Gets you WRITING. Without fear. So many great suggestions, ideas and exercises to actively help you with your existing characters and plots. Really enjoying how easy it is to understand too. No nonsense just pure help tips and tricks for the practical side of writing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews