Category: Resources

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

Peggy Bechko’s Writers World

writers-worldRemember the Basics
by Peggy Bechko

Admittedly, I write and I write about writing. I write a bit of everything – at different times – and I’ve given basic mechanical advice at times.

Today I want to revert to the very basics and give a few reminders. How basic?

Well, for starters the writer needs to show up. Every day. And by that I mean write every day. Have a place where you can sit down and write and do it. And if you can’t do it every day, have a schedule and stick to that. Barring an ultimate emergency, stick to it no matter what happens. You simply have to ‘show up’ if you want to get it done. read article

DREAM BIG, WORK SMALL-ISH

A good way (well, as good as any, all things considered) to break into showbiz as a writer is to write indie screenplays. What’s an indie screenplay? There are a lot of criteria we could use to come up with a definition, but the best working one we have is this: Indie screenplays are low-budget screenplays.

So, keeping that in mind:

cinemaOn Writing Low Budget Screenplays
by Paul Zeidman

I recently had lunch with a friend who’s a working writer. read article

Brian Helgeland on How It Feels to Win an Oscar & a Razzie on the Same Weekend

We’re publishing this just to make sure everybody gets a taste of what it’s like to, you know, succeed:

Thoughts About Writing Queries…and Coverage Too

The Bitter Script Reader’s blog is one of the best resources on the web for aspiring script, um, writers. Here are some examples of why:

by The Bitter Script Reader

The Bitter Script Reader wrote this very funny book, and we all should buy it
The Bitter Script Reader wrote this very funny book, and we all should buy it

R asks:

I’ve read the feedback on all the online sites, BL, Inktip, ISA, et all, and found none of them seem to be worth the money or effort. So, in your humble opinion, for someone not located in California, what is the best way to approach an agent, manger or producer? Send a logline only? A logline and synopsis? Hold their children hostage? Threaten to send them back if they don’t read it?

If you don’t have feet on the ground in LA, then I’d first try reaching out through any connections you might have through your college’s alumni network. The next thing I’d do is research managers and (assuming your script is low budget enough) smaller producers who might accept queries. read article

A Couple of Questions for LB

by Larry Brody

I know, I know. The backlog of career questions I’ve promised to answer but haven’t gotten around to yet is almost as big as Donald Trump’s ego. I’m genuinely sorry about not through them all (or even making a dent). I mean, who doesn’t want a chance to tell old war stories carefully making her or himself the hero?

Now that the People’s Pilot Winners have been announced and I have a (very) short breathing space until plunging into the Feedback, let me reach into ye olde emailbag and see what I can say:

Fp-i-crom SZ: read article