Category: Resources

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

When you need inspiration, figure out what you really need to know

Nathan Bransford has a few words for us now, about how to handle something he doesn’t believe in. Ah, life’s little secrets – sometimes they seem so overwhelming, and then they turn out to be nothing at all:

need to know

by Nathan Bransford

I’m on record saying writer’s block doesn’t exist.

When I say that, I’m not saying that you won’t experience a feeling of idea-lessness or that life circumstances will never get in the way of your writing. Lots of people go through stretches where it is legitimately impossible to write. read article

Interview with MYSTIC PIZZA Writer Amy Jones

This article teaches so many lessons it makes our head spin. But the most important may be: “Be careful out there. Those showbiz streets can be treacherous.” You’ll see what we mean:

by Jameson Brown

amy-jonesThe art of storytelling, screenwriting specifically, is like a golf swing, it can get rusty fast if you do not practice every day. To have a canon of work (especially in today’s industry) in screenwriting and for it to be an actual career is one of the hardest feats to accomplish. Cue Amy Jones.

Her work includes some of our favorite films: Mystic Pizza, Indecent Proposal, The Relic, Beethoven, The Rich Man’s Wife and the list goes on. But what’s most important is that she has mastered this field with damn good storytelling. That’s a near impossible task to achieve. She did. This is her story. read article

Troy DeVolld Tells Us the Truth about “Owning” your Reality TV Work

by Troy DeVolld

I spoke a little bit about this to some attendees at Story Expo this past weekend, and it bears posting here.

You’ll often hear reality producers talk about taking “ownership” of their shows.  It’s that satisfying feeling wherein the time and emotional investment you’ve made at the episode or series level feels like it has paid off, and that your voice has come through in the show.wpid-20150911_2209141

What has to be remembered when seeking “ownership” of your work is that ultimately, you have a showrunner, execs, and a network to please.  Your idea of what the show is can be compromised by everything from its bottom line to any one of a host of issues beyond your control. read article

Surprise: You made me do it!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Monday, Peggy Bechko had a few words to say about plot construction and “killing your darlings.” Today, totally coincidentally, Diana Black presents another perspective on an important if ultra-writerly situation:

surprise shock

by Diana Black

Are you the servant or the master?

While we’re beholden to serving the story once we’ve settled on a solid premise and now heading out on the journey – at least until the obligatory rewrite, do we also allow the character free reign in the writing room once we’ve all in the boat? read article

Emmy Nominated Writers Agree – TV No Longer is “The Idiot Box”

Easy for them to say. In fact, considering the circumstances – these folks being Emmy writing nominees and all (and as of Sunday night a few also are winners) – they’d better tell us how great TV is.

Even if, all things considered, the product should – let’s face it – be speaking for itself.

IdiotBoxBlue

by Ross A. Lincoln

“If there had been a Rotten Tomatoes in 1601, he would have gotten a 73.” So WGAW Vice President Howard A. Rodman compared Shakespeare to television. What he meant is that the Bard in his day was, like television until rather recently, seriously underrated and disrespected. Things change, however, and now, so Rodman asserts, whatever genre you pick out of a hat, the best work is happening on TV. That’s a good a scene-setting as one could hope for tonight’s panel discussion held at the Writers Guild Theater featuring this year’s Emmy writing nominees. read article