Month: July 2012

Before You Dedicate Your Life to Facing the Blank Page…

by Larry Brody

…Take a look at this:

Writers Guild of America Inc., West Annual Financial Report
June 29, 2012

Dear Fellow Members:
we are please to present the Guild’s annual financial report. this year’s report reflects that, as the
economy continues its slow recovery from a deep recession, the Guild remains financially sound
and strong.

In this booklet, you will find the wGAw’s financial statements and a summary of industry and
employment data for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. these are the headlines: read article

HBO Orders more of THE NEWSROOM and TRUE BLOOD

This Just In: HBO Orders New Seasons of The Newsroom and True Blood
by Kimberly Roots

HBO renewed two of its popular hour-long dramas Monday.

The cable net announced that it would bring back The Newsroom for a second season after airing only two episodes of the first season. read article

BATES MOTEL: Yeah, Baby!

We’ll definitely give this one a try:

A&E Network Orders Carlton Cuse Series ‘Bates Motel’ Direct To Series

A&E Network is checking into Bates Motel without even a pilot, it was announced today. The network is putting in a 10-episode order of the Alfred Hitchcock Psycho-inspired series from Universal Television.  Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin will serve as executive producers. Cuse wrote almost three dozen episodes of Lost and served as executive produce on the show. Ehrin served as a writer and producer recently on Parenthood and Friday Night Lights. Roy Lee, John Middleton Jr, and producer Mark Wolper originally put Bates Motel together. As A&E announced earlier this year, the series goes into the story before Psycho. With a contemporary touch, Bates Motels looks at the twisted relationship between serial killer-to-be Norman Bates and his mother Norma. Bates Motel will debut on A&E in 2013.

USA Orders Some More Pilots

A doctor with the same last name as the disgraced deejay who popularized rock ‘n’ roll, and a gaggle of baddies from The Odyssey. Cool.

USA Finalizes Pilot Orders For Comedies ‘Paging Dr. Freed’ & ‘Sirens’
by Nellie Andreeva

It took almost a year, but USA Network has closed a deal for a pilot order to single-camera comedy Paging Dr. Freed. The network has finalized the pilot pickups for both Paging Dr. Freed and the Denis Leary-produced single-camera comedy Sirens. The move is significant as it creates a deal template for half-hour series on USA, which is returning to the comedy business after more a decade.Paging Dr. Freed is from 20th TV’s Fox21, while Sirens is produced by Fox TV Studios, which also operates under the 20th TV umbrella.

munchman: Romance Writing Tips (WTF?)

Yuch

Because we know some of you may want/need these (FTR: I don’t.):

5 Romance Writing Tips from Sarah MacLean
By Jason Boog

1. No Mary Sues. Ever! Boring heroines are, in my opinion, the most common romance mistake. We loathe hanging out with women who define themselves purely through their relationships…why would we want to read about them? Make sure your heroine has a purpose. Make sure she has character. Make sure we like her *without* her hero. That will make her journey toward love that much more rewarding.

2. Heroes can (and should) be flawed. I real life, I’d say that your commitment-phobe/narcissist/bad boy boyfriend is a lost cause, but romance is shelved in fiction for a reason. Here, we get to test the old adage of love conquering all…and it had better conquer without question. Don’t be afraid to give your hero flaws. And once you do, don’t be afraid to make him face them. read article