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Thank you 2020 for bringing many of us together, the year ‘collaboration’ became ‘cool’.

Let’s face it, without collaboration, we wouldn’t have got as much done. If you are enjoying your new found ‘collaboration’ you will love what we do at Collab Writers. The clue is in our name, we are all about ‘collaboration’ of writers and other creatives.

Goodbye ‘me, myself and I’ culture

There’s no denying that part of our old society is crumbling together with the ‘me me me’ culture. In case you’ve forgotten it already, this was the culture where people cared quite a lot about themselves, how rich they were, and what they could achieve in life. Competition was the name of the game. Keeping up with the Jones’s was more important than giving the Jones’s a helping hand.

Enter 2020, and we have got to know our neighbours, and have helped in the community. We are becoming more ‘us’ than ‘I’, also marking the dawn of The Great Collaboration.

“The old way of life has been paused by a power greater than us and the ‘me, me, me’ culture crystallised in history to make way for The Age of Collaboration.”

If we stop and think, even the best of us were a bit ‘me, me ‘me’ focused until 2020 arrived. As we emerge like butterflies from lockdown, we are transformed, thinking about how we can help others, opening us up to finding ways of working with others.

Hello Collaboration – working together as one

Collab Writers was born (pre-pandemic) to connect people, to help them get to know one another and build up relationships of trust. The collaborative creative community was born to encourage creatives to collaborate through telling stories together. We are here to connect, support and inspire you to join forces to create passion projects.

As distance disappears, and time differences become less important, we are paying less attention to individual difference and believing more in commonalities. The time to collaborate is NOW. When Collab Writers was born, 18 months ago ‘collaboration’ was a word we didn’t hear that often. It is now on every forward thinking company’s radar.

So how does collaboration happen at Collab Writers?

We bring people together. We identify creative synergies and make creative collaborations happen. How? We just do. There is no clever algorithm. We know creative talent when we see it, old hands or emerging creatives, all are welcome. Our collaborative crystal ball gives us the vision of what we feel will work collaboratively. Then we connect people and collaborations just happen. It’s why we were created, and we truly believe it’s the reason we are here.

On top of the many ongoing collaborations that have been born and come to life through Collab Writers, our members have also collaborated with big players, the Raindance Film Festival, The Showface Festival, and Manga Big Bang to name a few. Our Small Ads, Big Roles Feature on our newsletter is open to all members as a platform to seek collaborators and shout from the rooftops about collaborations and creative projects.

Whatever happens in the future, one thing’s for sure, it’s Goodbye the ‘Me me me’ culture, and it’s Hello to the ‘let’s work together, as one’ culture.

If you want to know what all of the buzz is about, join us at Collab Writers in September on ZOOM with a special creative guest. We are also delighted that we have more new and exciting international collaborations stirring in the Collab pot, to be announced soon.

Ask a question about Collab Writers

The message of this blog is short, so if you are short on time, or your attention span is short read on, I’ll be quick. I promise.

Create with EASE

It’s Sunday morning and I’m reminded of the song ‘Easy like Sunday morning.’ That’s exactly how your relationship with creativity can and should be.

If you are a writer or a filmmaker here on this planet right now you have a duty, you have a duty to pour your creative music onto the page, through words, drawing, painting. Whatever mode you’ve chosen, or has chosen you, give birth to it.

Create NOW

Forget the excuse of ‘I don’t have time.’ Time won’t give you time so you better do it now, in the present rather than waiting till tomorrow, when there will be one day less.

During lockdown, I’ve heard the same old question, hard on the ears like a stuck record.: ‘What sort of stories do you think the market will be looking for?‘ Frankly, who gives a flying saucer what the market thinks. If you try to write a disaster movie because you think that’s what a fearful population wants to see, write it by all means but if you ain’t passionate about it, it won’t fly. Besides, haven’t we got enough disaster in the world without inflicting fictional disaster on our fellow human beings?

Create what MATTERS

I honestly feel that anyone with a single creative bone in their body was born to share their message with the world. And, each of us has something different that matters to us, be it fair treatment and equality, religion, saving the world, animals, coffee, chocolate.

Create what you CARE ABOUT

I dare you do one thing after reading this. Plant a seedling of something creative that MATTERS TO YOU. Not what matters to Netflix, Channel 4 or any other studio seeking work, but create what matters to you.

Create with EMOTION

In the words of Collab Writers’ Founder Collaborator, Elliot Grove:

“Good storytelling is all about the emotion.”

Without the emotion, your creation will be flat and I reckon you can only inject that ‘real’ emotion into writing, or a painting if you have some kind of feelings about your subject. You might love it, you might hate it, either works. What you mustn’t show is an I couldn’t care, nonchalant attitude. That doesn’t rock anyone’s boat.

If you want an example of raw emotion, and lesson 101 in storytelling that matters, re-watch the movies of one of my favourite actors and filmmakers, Mr Clint Eastwood.

Create after doing your HOMEWORK

Last night I watched Gran Torino, a tour de force dealing with, amongst other things, social issues, nationalism and racial tension that matter more than ever today. The tension and conflict build from the get go and has you on the edge of your seat until the shocking ending. I’ve seen the film at least twice before but my emotional rollercoaster began as soon as the opening credits fell away.

Create a rollercoaster of EMOTION

I felt an immense dislike for the lead character, Walt from his first sentence and spitting at his neighbours. The racist views made my blood boil. The writers and filmmakers did their job brilliantly, emotive story telling that built and built with each inciting incident. And they achieved that really clever thing, that the best movies do where the character changes, grows and learns from the mistakes of his past, embraces change and with that you, the see’er grow to have a deep respect for him. As the movie develops, Walt discovers he has more in common with his neighbours than his own people and they become his family. In the end, he commits the ultimate sacrifice caring more about their survival than his own. Now that’s what I call emotional telling of a story that matters.

To steal the emotion from another great emotive movie ‘The Godfather’:

“You’ve gotta “go for the marmite” with your creative works.”
– Jennie Griffiths

Love or hate what you write about. Never, ever ‘like’ or shrug your shoulders about your subject or message, feel the emotion and whatever you create will matter. 

Bake & sell every slice of your creative pie

If you cringed at the thought of a money blog, read on. If you were tempted by the thought of cherry pie, read on.  Many creatives think money and art don’t go hand in hand but it doesn’t need to be that way. We aren’t driven to create for money but that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to be paid for our creations! Stop waiting around for Hollywood to come knocking, get savvy and learn to go fund yourself...

Many creatives are struggling in these times which has inspired us at Collab HQ to offer practical and supportive tips to help monetise creative talent. You are talented and deserve to be rewarded. As your grandmother hopefully taught you, never put all your eggs in one basket. Rather than having another Netflix binge, grab a pen and paper and draw a circle. How many slices are there to your creative pie? In each section, label a creative talent you could earn from. We invite you to take one action every day for the next 21 days to monetise your creative talent pie.

1.Examine your thoughts & money habits

This is the hard bit. Examine your relationship with money. Do you see money as negative? Listen to your thoughts and conversations about money. If you are in debt and moan about never having enough, you’ll attract more of the same. For a bit of fun, why not try Rhonda Byrne’s the Secret and write yourself a cheque for your creative projects, put it up on your fridge and manifest!

2.Reframe your money relationship

If you tell yourself your life is abundant then you might just end up attracting more money. This isn’t pie in the sky, for more motivation on earning money whilst doing what you love, check out ‘The Money Tree’ by Chris Guillebeau. Keep a ledger of your incomings and outgoings for the next 21 days (including direct debits). If there are things you don’t want to spend money on that you don’t have to, don’t.

3.Pie chart your creative income sources

Back in school we drew pie charts. Think of your creative life as a warm juicy cherry pie. Decide whether you are going to cut your pie into halves, quarters, sixes or sevens. Label your creative talents into pie portions and write down a monthly figure that your time is worth. Stick your pie chart on your fridge, alongside your cheque from the universe.

4.Develop a portfolio of creative outlets to help fund your projects

Once you’ve cut your pie, let the cherries ooze out. One of our founder collaborators is fluent in a second language and in lockdown has been tutoring via Zoom. Another member has been mentoring and coaching actors, soundproofed a cupboard and recorded an audio book. These are just some of the countless ways to get creative in ways that’ll reap rewards. If you play an instrument, can that be a slice of pie – piano lessons via zoom? Can you write for a magazine? Baking a creative pie is building your brand and showing you aren’t a one trick pony.  Get creative and don’t be shy about hustling for work and flaunting your skills.

5.Patreon your projects – it’s as easy as…pie

My dad’s an artist, always has been, always will be. Self taught, no posh art school diploma, his art was a product of hard graft, passion and grit. He painted whenever he could and built up a collection he exhibited in local art galleries. This created a fan base and demand drove commissions. A local hotel loved his work so much they filled it with his local watercolour paintings that adorn the walls today. It was hard to get creative work out there in those days, there was no social media, it was word of mouth worthiness. Today, it’s a piece of pie, so there is no reason not to be earning from your work (if you want to). All you need to do is get it out there and remember, money is applause!

Do you want to get paid for the art you are creating? Do you want to build a fan base for your work? If so, PATREON is a no brainer contestant for a slice of your pie!

In a nutshell, it’s a virtual shop/online channel to you and your creative projects. Supporters pay per post or creation, or on a monthly basis. You decide the frequency of your creations, whatever suits you. The other cool thing is you get to engage directly with your supporters. Unlike Kickstarter or Indiegogo, there is no end date, Patreon support is ongoing.

6.Crowdsource

Many members developing projects are eager to crowdsource but having not done it before don’t know where to start. On top of Patreon, you could do a one-off campaign to fund a social/creative movement, book or movie. There are many options – first off, do your homework, plan your campaign, think up rewards, shoot a short video on your phone, tell people about your project through social media, market the project and you’re ready, steady, GO!

Indiegogo – the preferred site of filmmakers. Current creative projects include writing and publishing, TV and web series, music, photography, film, comics (the list is endless).

Kickstarter – as it’s all or nothing, the fees are lower than Indiegogo but there is a risk that you might not hit your goal. Another reason your marketing and social media campaign is critical to its success.

The key difference between these two platforms is that Indiegogo has a ‘flexible funding’ method so you get whatever amount you’ve raised (even if you don’t meet your goal). Kickstarter, is a ‘fixed funding’ site so if you don’t hit your goal you walk away with nothing. Remember that supporters are buying into ‘you’ so make your campaign as genuine and real as possible and deliver on your promises.

From experience, add a year to your timeframe. Creative projects take longer than you imagine and there are unexpected events like this year that you can’t foresee. Two years on, we are still editing Consequences (the novel that was one of our crowdfunding rewards). We will get it out to our backers (hopefully this year) but it has been later than planned and we really appreciate the patience of our supporters.

7.Apply for film grants, enter contests and seek charitable funding to support your work

Whilst many organisations have cut funding for the arts, some remain and you’ve got to be in it to win it. So, use this ‘indoor time’ to throw your creative hat into the ring. The BFI Fund remains. If you’re a screenwriter, The ISA has multiple contests, including the Emerging Screenwriter contest for TV pilots or features (deadline June 30th 2020). If you are telling stories that matter that reflect the issues of our time, you may be in with a chance. And, let’s remember, Film Festivals that can showcase your work like the Raindance Film Festival, established by Founder Partner, Elliot Grove.

On the theme of stories that matter, have a think about charities that might be interested in the work you are creating. If your film promotes diversity or mental health support then contact charities and ask how you might work together. If your goals merge, they might give you a mountain to shout from. Many creatives don’t get paid because people who might support them don’t know they exist. You are ‘real’ influencers, you have something to say through your creations, so it’s time to get on social media and give future generations someone to follow who can teach them something that matters.

8.Walls are tumbling down – send your work to publishers /industry and enter writing competitions

Publishers who were once closed to unrepresented writers are opening their doors to unsolicited manuscripts. You don’t need an agent to get noticed these days. Take advantage, knock on those virtual doors and submit your work.

If you’ve got any slices of pie left (are you hungry yet? I am) please offer one slice to writing competitions. There are so many out there. It’s fun, good practice and if you’re lucky you might be long or short listed or better still, win! Here’s a list of this year’s top writing competitions. Don’t be put off if they don’t bite, accolades are just applause and like marmite you’ll never be everyone’s cup of tea. Your pie is delicious whether you got paid for all of it or offered up a slice or two for free. And none of those ‘I don’t have time’ excuses, how many Netflix series have you watched this year?? Some writing contests are 100 words for micro fiction, check out Retreat West.

Conscious that many of you are keen to learn from industry professionals about how to finance your writing and movie projects, one of our favourite Film Producers and Writers, Ali Mashayekhi has accepted our invitation to the next Collab Writers’ meet-up on July 2nd to share his top tips on crowdfunding and tricks of the trade.

Tune in to hear Ali’s top tips on Thursday 2 July at 7pm BST. Till then, I’m off to bake and eat that delicious cherry pie…and I hope you will too.

Isolation is testing many of us. It may be bringing up some of the old self-doubts and criticisms or others’ issues that they project onto you.

If you let it, it can make you uncomfortable. Taken to the extreme and buried it can cause dis-ease that affects you mentally, physically or both.

The time has come to let it out – let go and transmute the negative by telling positive stories of easing dis-ease to help future generations.

Artwork by Charlotte, my angel of a neighbour who has brought me food and looked after me in isolation. I will be eternally grateful!

Easing Dis-ease project

In November 2019, Collab Writers launched a call for interest in the ‘Easing Dis-ease’ project inviting stories of the dis-ease of life (of body, mind, love, work and other peoples’ stuff) and the ways we have found to reframe and transmute dis-ease. The project will be in print and audio and a portion of profits will go to charities that ease dis-ease.

Now is the time to join Collab Writers in writing about dis-ease and using positivity and creativity to reframe it. If you are reading and thinking, ‘I’m not sick, this isn’t for me’, dis-ease goes beyond the physical, it’s any pain or suffering, mental or physical about any aspect of the life you are living, in any which way.

Dis-ease is the body or mind telling you something, somewhere in your life is out of balance.

Many believe that ‘journaling’ is one way of ‘letting go’ of negative thoughts, feelings or beliefs; memories that are trapped in your mind or body and no longer serve you. I for one, use writing and creativity to reframe in an effort to turn pain and suffering into something positive.

Chicken soup for The Soul

Like everything in life, cathartic story telling is not new. We read Fairy Tales as children and if you are old enough, you will remember the much loved self-help series of books, Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield. This was a collection of stories and tales bringing wit, wisdom, hope and empowerment to see you through life’s darker moments.

Be of service to future generations – share your reframes

Many believe that a ceremony of burning the pages you’ve written releases the story you’ve been telling yourself and let’s it go. This is a wonderful ceremony to release negative beliefs and thought patterns but given many of us are isolating in apartments, I’m not advising this!

Burning pages or scrunching them up and throwing them in the recycling bin, also feels a little indulgent when others might benefit from your learnings and reframes. It’s not to say you need to share all of the gory detail of your suffering in your story but you can keep the pages as a record, and transmute it into a reframe to help future generations.

Whilst each of our lives is unique and individual, dis-ease is something we all experience in some measure and we know from the current chaos that future generations will not be immune to it. This is your opportunity to serve those future generations to help them to transmute and transform feelings and thoughts to help reframe the dis-ease of life.

Journaling /Cathartic writing

How? Well, it’s pretty easy. Just write. If dictation is your thing, dictate and get your software to put the words on a page for you.

I first heard about journaling from Julia Cameron’s ‘Morning Pages’ featured in The Artists’s Way in my dad’s library when I was a teenager. Julia recommended three pages of writing first thing in the morning about absolutely anything.

Allowing subconscious streams of consciousness to flow out of the shadows of your psyche is both therapeutic and revealing. It gives you insight into parts of you that you might have buried, that when fully awake you might not want to step into.

I share Julia’s view that as tempting as it is to do everything online, we discover a special connection to ourselves when we write long hand, paper or pen on the page. Subconscious streams of writing is also a great way to release the negative. In a strange way, writing it down, allows you to be a silent observer, acting like your own counsellor.

Journaling can help you be your silent observer 

Journaling may give you a different perspective on life. Remember not to beat yourself up about thinking life’s events over. When you are an empath and tuned into your emotions you invest emotionally in life, people and situations. Many people in this world lack empathy and compassion and behave without a care for others’ thoughts and feelings. Beware of these people, the stories they tell you may be their own stories and fears projected onto you. Embrace your inner empath. Be proud of you compassionate, creative, emotional self and tell stories to help others channel their energy for the greater good.

And, if I may finish with one tip, don’t be afraid of what comes up when you journal. Getting it out is the first step in addressing the dis-ease of life. Look for the reframe, the hopeful and positive opposite and channel your thoughts into stories – get creative!

If you would like to get involved in Collab Writers or contribute to the Easing Dis-ease project drop us a line on info@collabwriters.com