Category: Resources

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

Peggy Bechko’s World: What are writers most afraid of?

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by Peggy Bechko

What’s anyone afraid of? Everyone is afraid of something whether they want to talk about it or not. It might be the dark, spiders and snakes, heights, guns, crowds…something! There is something that sets your nerves to jangling and teeth on edge, not to mention raises a cold sweat.

Just thinking about whatever that is can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, your heart pound and the breath hitch in your lungs if you get into the zone closely enough.

Reason. We all try to use it at such moments, but reason can be at war with that fight or flight we’ve all got so deeply embedded within us. The urge to run or do battle is something hard to deny. So what’s all this about? read article

LB: The 1 Book Every New TV Writer Needs

More Troy Book Capture

by Larry Brody

Yes, it’s true. I’ve finally found the one book every TV writer needs in order to fully understand what the hell is going on in the television production trenches, and it isn’t even one of my own.

The book in question is Troy DeVolld’s And Another Thing…A Beginner’s Guide to the Television Notes Process. 

Because when you get right down to it, as a famous but still working TV showrunner told me half a zillion years ago, “They aren’t really paying us for our writing. They’re paying us for having to listen to their fucking notes.” And Troy’s book tells us how to understand and deal with those notes…and the notes-givers. read article

Format Each New Script Draft Like a Pro Even W/O Pro Software!

Gak! Not the kind of slugline we're talking about here...this time.
Gak! Not the kind of slugline we’re talking about here…this time.

by Diana Black

We’ve heard the mantra, “Don’t give them an excuse to pass on the script” Good advice period. That first pitch is the first-and-only opportunity to impress.

So, you’ve ‘tightened’ in terms of the narrative arc, characterization is multi-layered and reads true across the narrative and character arcs and, having invested in scriptwriting software, the formatting is ‘industry standard’. But what about the SLUG LINES?

Are you absolutely sure you’ve been consistent when going back to the same location? Unless you’ve kept a handy notebook and written down each slug line as you’ve worked, by the time you’ve got to page 60 or 120 – if it’s inconsistent, it may be contributing to confusion and that’s a ‘PASS’. read article

Peggy Bechko’s World: The Gut Knows – Trust It

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by Peggy Bechko

I’m talking about writing, but the big plus in today’s discussion is that it applies to life in general as well.

The simple fact, boys and girls, is pretty much all of us have a ‘gut reaction’, a ‘gut feeling’ a ‘trust your gut moment’ at any time and in most any circumstance. Dating? Have an uneasy feeling with that person? Trust your gut.

You’ve written a novel. You’ve found an agent, but you’re not comfortable with that agent? Trust your gut. read article

If UP Got A Round Of Reality TV Network Notes

Gleeps! Where has Jeez John been all the life of this TVWriter™ minion? This dude’s been around. Not only does he know about the shit we all have to go through when writing US broadcast network TV, he’s able to be funny as hell while he out-bitches the bitches!

UP picby Jeez Jon

“UP” ROUGH CUT 3 NETWORK NOTES

Hello! Thank you so much for turning around our previous round of notes so quickly.  While we appreciate all the time and effort your team made, we unfortunately are a long way off from being ready with this cut.  The show currently lacks focus.  Where was the bite pass we asked for?  We desperately need to guide the audience through the show and the only way we can do that is with bites, especially with Act One. With a thorough bite pass, we can then guide our audience through the dense rainforest that is our story.  Right now, I feel as lost as that old man!  (BTW he looks genuinely old instead of TV old; any way we can young him up in Color Correction?) Once we get this bite pass done, then we’ll give you time coded notes. read article