Category: Resources

40 years worth of TV writing experience and info, yours for the taking.

The Precarious Writer-Agent Relationship & How to Survive It

Over the years TVWriter™ has been online – just a few months shy of 20! – the most popular question by far has been, “How do I get an agent?” The idea behind that question seems to be that once a writer has representation the dark days will be gone and writing life will be all sun and smiles.

Our short retort to that concept is, “Not so!” But for those who want to fully wrap their minds around the reality of the situation, we present the following post. It’s about writing for print, but we guarantee you – if you’re writing for TV or films it works exactly the same way:

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What Makes an Action Scene Work?

This insightful analysis of action scenes in today’s superhero film world was recommended to us by our old buddy the munchman himself, and we think you’ll be as glad he did that as we are.

More cool stuff from the same creators is HERE

EDITOR’S NOTE: We didn’t use the title of the video as the title of this post because the video title seems much more limited than the lesson – and it definitely is a lesson – that we’re getting here.

SUCCESS, FAILURE & THE DRIVE TO KEEP CREATING

A TED Talk that genuinely helped this TVWriter™ minion get through a long, dark, and quite miserable thank you, cold spell. Hoping it’ll work for you as well:

More TED Talks

Tony Gilroy, writer of ‘The Bourne Identity,’ Schools Us About Using Our Imaginations

Wikipedia on Tony Gilroy:

Anthony Joseph Gilroy is an American screenwriter and filmmaker. He wrote the screenplays for the first four films of the Bourne series starring Matt Damon, among other successful films, and directed the fourth film of the franchise.

Don’t you just love people who not only know what they’re talking about, they fucking love it? read article

What TV Can Teach You About Lazy Writing

The negativity inherent in the title of this article definitely captured our attention. After we read it, we felt that it would attract that of our visitors as well.

Bottom line: Yes, the writer of this article dishes on TV writing pretty well. But what she says is true. And what she recommends for writers is, well, absolutely on the proverbial money. (Yeah, using that old phrase was a fine example of “lazy writing.” But, well, you know….)

by Noelle Sterne

As a writers, you are sensitive to words. After all, they’re your currency. Even when you’re taking a break to watch TV, you may unconsciously be evaluating—with disdain or grudging admiration—the words you encounter. Developing sensitivity for lazy language can help you assuage any lingering guilt for taking breaks, especially with TV shows. read article