Category: Resources

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

October TVWriter™ Advanced Workshop Still has Openings!

writersm1Who’d a thunk it? The next TVWriter™ Advanced Online Workshop starts October 2nd, a week from today, and we have three openings left.

If you’re ready to dive in and learn more at each of the four meetings than you ever thought you’d learn in, oh, a whole semester in a normal writing class, then now’s a perfect time to sign on and be amazed by Our Beloved Leader, Larry Brody, the dude behind this site.

Editing/cutting down on wordage is everything to LB, so we’re going to follow his lead. Which means that instead of going into all those details, details, details about what the Workshop is and how it operates, we’re sending you straight to the Advanced Online Workshop Page. read article

11 Things You Learn In the 1st Season of Your Own TV Series

Stephen Falk has written for ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK and WEEDS, and is the creator of YOU’RE THE WORST, an FX comedy series that’s – well, it’s genuinely funny is what it is, and that’s a rarity. Here’s what Stephen has to say about his experiences on his new show:

youre-the-worstby Todd VanDerWerff

Stephen Falk first became known to TV fans for his work on two of Jenji Kohan’s series — Weeds andOrange Is the New Black, writing episodes for both. But those who get really into following the careers of TV writers might have known him for Next Caller, a sitcom he created that was to star Dane Cook. NBC picked that show up and produced four episodes, then declined to finish out its six-episode order or ever air said episodes. Falk wrote a semi-famous, blisteringly funny Tumblr post about the experience that made the TV fan rounds.

But this summer, he returned with his first “created by” credit to make it on the air, FX’s brilliant You’re the Worst. And to commemorate the end of the show’s first season tonight, Falk talked with us about some of the things he learned over the course of making that first season. What follows is in his words, which have been lightly edited for length and clarity. read article

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie 76

THE WEB SERIES IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE WEB SERIES
by Leesa Dean

rip-spokeo-info-bubble-copyRecently there was an article in The Guardian about the future of web series that’s been causing a bit of an uproar in the indie web series community.

It says that web series are in decline because Hollywood has stepped in and indie creators can’t compete with the big guns: Netflix and Amazon.  It goes as far as saying that aside from a few established talents/series that have managed to sustain themselves, everyone else seems to have “packed their bags and gone home.”

Wow.  Harsh!  I agree.  And disagree. read article

Writing Basics for, Um, Basic Writers

Are you a total newbie? Somebody with that burning need or desire to write who hasn’t a clue about how to get started? Great, that means you won’t be any competition for us TVWriter™ minions. Not to worry, this article’s got all the info you need to get started:

basic-imageby Rita Karnopp

People often talk about the all-important first draft.  After writing the past hundred or so years (a bit of an exaggeration there) I realized early on several important facts about writing.

  • Set a daily writing routine.
  • Set goals.
  • Period.

Daily writing routine – Let’s give this some thought.  We are by nature creatures of habit.  We generally get up around the same time every day (most times it’s because we have a JOB) and we get home around the same time.  We also eat and go to sleep about the same time every day.  So why not start and stop writing around the same time – unless you’re in a ‘writer’s surge’ and nothing – but nothing should stop or interfere with that wonderful experience. read article

Peggy Bechko: Time for Writer’s Introspection

 by Peggy Bechko

wolf printsWriters, at least fiction writers, pretty much live in a world of make-believe. We live in worlds of our own creation and in that living attempt to make those worlds real to everyone else; readers, listeners, watchers.

But it’s not as simple as sitting around spinning tales. Don’t we wish. There’s a whole lot that goes into writing a story and one aspect of that is research. No you can’t skip it.

Getting facts straight brings believability. If your setting is in the 1920’s Chicago you better know what you’re talking about to get the mood set and not flush readers and watchers right out of their ‘suspension of disbelief’ mode. Yes that goes for Sci Fi and Fantasy as well – get some facts in there that will make your ‘way out of our experience’ world more real. If you trim unreality with reality you bring belief and immersion. read article