by Peggy Bechko
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
? Jack London
One of my favorite quotes on writing.
Peggy Bechko’s World: Writer’s, Don’t Wait for Inspiration
Category: Resources
40 years worth of TV writing experience and info, yours for the taking.
Peggy Bechko’s World: Yo, Writers! Time to get Organized!
by Peggy Bechko
Okay, so here is where everyone is going to yell at me. I’m going to say a very dirty word (at least in some circles). Ready? Here it comes:
“Routine.”
I don’t know where it ever got started that writers are freewheeling I-don’t-know-whats and that writing can be done on the fly and it’ll all somehow come together like a little miracle. Really? Helloooo!
The Mirror Maze World of the Private Eye Part 2
by Diana Black
EDITOR’S NOTE: Haven’t read Part 1 yet? You really should GO HERE
#3. First deception uncovered, usually perpetrated by the Client.
- Q. What is this Dick embarking on?
What dangers are looming?
What’s different about this Dick’s journey compared with other Dicks’? How is it typical?
Why the deception in the first place? What is the client hiding from the Dick (or from themselves)?
Why the ‘red herring/s’ –
why is the client trying to throw the Dick off the scent?
#4. Detective hassled by the cops.
The Mirror Maze World of the Private Eye Part 1
by Diana Black
Think back to every detective story you’ve seen on screen – big or small. Even the briefest recollection makes it abundantly clear that detective stories follow a pattern. All stories do, hence the term ‘genre’ – a specific form or style associated with a narrative.
All of those detective stories you’ve recollected vary in some way, but the ‘structural arcs’ (of the good ones) contain specific scenes we’ve come to expect in this genre. Without them the reader will dump your master-piece in the trash can and if the project is miraculously green-lit, the viewer will channel-surf. So those scenes had better be there.
You’ll find lists of the essential – one might in fact say “obligatory” – scenes for almost every type of story (and much more) in TVWriter™ honcho Larry Brody’s Booklet, “Storytelling Patterns in Genre Films”. No, it isn’t available on the web or in stores. You can’t pay for it anywhere. But you can get it as a Free Bonus Gift when you enter the PEOPLE’S PILOT COMPETITION…which is worth entering for many more reasons as well. But here’s a sample scene listing from the booklet, which by no coincidence whatsoever is exactly what this article is about:
Tips for Creating Your Own Web Series
Yes, it’s true. The Writers Guild of America West wants to help us make it big. And, as we pointed out yesterday, using an indie web video or series as a stepping stone to bigger things is an idea whose time definitely has come:
This is important business!