Category: Resources

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

Peggy Bechko’s World: Writing the Wham Bam Action Scene

mad_max_fury_roadby Peggy Bechko

I’m a writer. And, I admit it, I’m a writer who’s a sucker for creating action scenes. Now it’s possible you might think my everyday life is full of excitement and action to spur such scenes, but no, it usually begins with a cup of hot green tea at my computer desk.

Nonetheless I’m an action junkie; books, movies, tv, whatever.

Star Wars, Deadpool, Sword Dancer Novels, Orson Scott Card! Yes, I like detail as well, background, the backstory, but what really sucks me in is the action. Don’t make that backstory and setting too lengthy or I’ll be peeking ahead or see where the action again picks up. Not everyone is like this, but that’s me. read article

Dennis O’Neil: Why Fix What Ain’t Broken?

quickeraseby Dennis O’Neil

A naked old man squatting near a small fire on a barren hillside, surrounded by children who listen as the old man’s voice enters the stillness…

A scene from a time near the beginning of storytelling as a communal activity, or hear the end, a time when myth and religion finally reunite, or a time before their sundering.

Here’s a few words from George Lucas, of Star Wars fame: “Mythology is a performance piece that gets acted out over hundreds of years before it actually becomes embedded in clay on a tablet or is put down on a piece of paper to be codified as a fixed thing. But originally it was performed for a group of people in a way in which the psychological feedback would tell the narrator which way to go. Mythology was created out of what emotionally worked as a story.” read article

Should We All Write at Starbucks?

Super writer-blogger Ken Levine gets to the heart of the matter – again:

coffeeshop

by Ken Levine

An interesting discussion arose from Sunday’s post – whether or not to write at Starbucks. It brings up the question: where do you write and why? For you non-writers, it brings up the question: why do you go to Starbucks at all when Dunkin Donuts has better coffee?

Usually I write with a partner and most of the time we dictate scripts to our assistant while I pace back and forth with a yoyo so a public coffee house is generally not the ideal workplace. It’s bad enough when the assistant says, “No, really? You really want me to put that in?” without total strangers chiming in the same thing. But when we’re just working through a story we’ll often meet at a Coffee Bean. Yes, there’s always that danger people will think we’re just posturing pretentious writers so we counter that by wearing priest collars. read article

Frank Spotnitz on Creating Complex TV Series

frank spotnitzFrank Spotnitz
(photo by Glen Golightly)

by Kelly Jo Brick

The Writers Guild Foundation recently hosted an evening with Frank Spotnitz as he shared his experiences and insights from his time writing for a variety of TV series including THE X-FILES, HUNTED, STRIKE BACK, ROBBERY HOMICIDE DIVISION as well as taking us into the world of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, an Amazon series he has written, executive produced and developed. TVWriter.com’s Contributing Editor, Kelly Jo Brick, was there to bring you highlights from the event.

ADVICE FOR WRITERS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THEIR CAREER read article

Peggy Bechko’s World: Six Formidable Reasons to Write

why
image found at http://mphprogramslist.com/

by Peggy Bechko

…And One Unquestionable Reason Not To

Well, here we are again writers – or those contemplating being writers, or those who really shouldn’t be considering writing.

It seems like it’s about time to consider why you, as a writer, want to write. No, no, I don’t mean the airy fairy stuff where we get all philosophical on the wonders of the written word. I mean let’s get down, dirty, and face reality. read article