Month: September 2014
From NFL Running Back to TV Writer
Time now for a diversity update: The inspiring story of a successful athlete who gave it all up to become a television writer. You too can switch careers and follow your dream!
That is what this means, right?
by Rashard Mendenhall
I wasn’t supposed to walk away from the NFL, but I did. I wasn’t supposed to be writing television, but I am. I’m supposed to be lost after football. I’m not. I’ve reinvented myself. This is my first transformation. I’m supposed to be broke right now, or maybe the statistics say five years from now. Either way, I’m not even close. I’m not supposed to be anything but a football player. But really, I’m just a guy who used to play football. There’s a reason I’m doing this.
Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 9/3/14
Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman
- Michael Seitzman (INTELLIGENCE) is developing a CBS series called CODE BLACK in which, well, from the P.R. description, it seems that we’ll be seeing and even harder, edgier version of E.R. (Cuz why come up with something new when there’s a whole new generation of TV viewers who haven’t seen what’s old? Which almost sounds logical. No, not creative but…logical.)
- Lindsey Shockly (TROPHY WIFE) has an overall deal to develop series and work on staff for ABC Studios. (And, why not? She has network TV experience on TROPHY WIFE and HELLO LADIES, and yer munchero here is absolutely sure that the fact that they tanked had nothing to do with Ms. Shockly’s contributions.)
- Max Borenstein (GODZILLA) is writing the pilot for a TV version of MINORITY REPORT. (Which makes this particular Philip K. Dick fan flash a major kinda smile. Yes, it’s true, this is one deal methinks I can like.)
- Sarah Watson (PARENTHOOD) is writing the pilot for an untitled CBS medical series about – ooh, you’ll never guess – “a controversial, outrageous, young tech titan who opens his own hospital with a cutting-edge approach to medicine.” Gotta admit – I’d rather watch that than another version of E.R. But it’s hard to imagine CBS doing anything with “cutting-edge” tech.)
Write in and tell me what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)
Cara Winter: The Anglo Files 3
WALLANDER
by Cara Winter
I’ve been a fan of Kenneth Branagh’s work since the early 1990’s. When my parents finally bought a VCR, the first movie I rented from our local mom-and-pop video store was HENRY V, directed by and starring Branagh. I rented it so many times, the store owner eventually just let me keep it.
Over the years, I’ve seen almost everything Branagh has done, both in front of and behind the camera. (By the way, if you haven’t seen him opposite Robin Wright in Michael Kalesniko’s HOW TO KILL YOUR NEIGHBOR’S DOG? Go, watch it. Right now. I’ll wait.) So imagine my excitement when I learned (via LB, from whom all good things spring) of the existence of the BBC’s WALLANDER, starring the man himself. (Yes, a happy dance ensued.)
On the surface, WALLANDER is a run-of-the-mill detective show: a crime is committed, Detective Kurt Wallander (Branagh) is called in, and he attempts to figure out who-done-it. But just scratch the surface, and there’s so much more. Wallander lives alone in a sparsely furnished apartment; he drinks (quietly, in front of the TV) until he passes out; he forgets (or ignores?) his dad’s birthday.
How to write the perfect crime story
This article is from a series of writing tips for kids. But, hey, we’re all kids, aren’t we? Otherwise how could we be writers?
by Niall Leonard
The crime novel, as a visit to any good bookshop will tell you, is a huge category, and I would never claim to know the definitive method of constructing and writing one; I can only go from my own experience of writing for TV shows like Silent Witness and Wire in the Blood, and the crime novel trilogy that started with Crusher.
The best place to start is with a story that fascinates you as a writer. If you feel excited writing it there’s a far better chance your readers will feel excited too. Real life is always the best source of stories, but never rely on newspapers or TV for the whole truth: journalists often omit inconvenient facts, or simply get stuff wrong, and TV writers constantly cheat and fudge reality to make their story work better, or to fit a timeslot or a budget. Recycling other writers’ work is not good writing any more than reheating a supermarket meal in a plastic tray is good cooking – research is essential if you want your tale to ring true.