Category: Resources

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

Peggy Bechko: Chop, Hack and Whittle – A Writer’s Guide to Cutting Your Work

Chopping-Wood

by Peggy Bechko

Cutting? As in shortening the length of your masterpiece? Why would you do that? What does it matter really?

Well, it matters a whole lot. If a magazine says maximum length is 2,500 words and not one more, no exceptions, the editor probably means it. Screen script? Max of 120 pages (yes there are a whole lot of ways to cheat, but it won’t win you any friends if you do), novel 100,000 words – if they say it they mean it.

If there is a stated limit it might well be the first thing the editor/reader/publisher looks at. Over limit, the hard work of hours, days weeks, could well get tossed without a backward glance. Yes, there are exceptions, but why go there? read article

Sitcoms are Hard

Ken Levine strikes again – and brilliantly so:

Miranda
The daring duo in TVWriter™’s current favorite TV sitcom, MIRANDA, on BBC

by Ken Levine

There seems to be a new trend in sitcoms – the knockoff Romy & Michele’s. Two single ditzy twentysomethings who sort of blunder through life. The difference is that the characters of Romy & Michele were carefully developed, well crafted, and there was a definite story.

BROAD CITY on Comedy Central, GARFUNKEL & OATS on IFC, and PLAYING HOUSE on USA are all very similar. Two comediennes who have worked together either as an act or a musical comedy team write and perform their own sitcoms. They’re all single-camera with a very loose format. Most of the dialogue sounds improvised, and occasionally they say some very funny things. But for the most part it’s just vamping. You’re listening to two people grope around in search of something genuinely funny. read article

Call for Entries for Writers Guild of America Video Game Writing Awards

This proves that video game writing is a major league operation. (As if we didn’t know.)

Oh, unfortunately, there are a couple of caveats. You must be a member of the WGA, either East or West, and the game must have been written for a company covered by the current WGA Minimum Basic Agreement.

WGA VIdeoGame Writing AwardsCapture

Have You Visited “Cartoon Hangover” Recently?

You should.

Visit, we mean. read article

Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Writers

Yeah, we know J.R.R. didn’t write TV. And he’s dead. But we found this great infographic on Essaymama.Com and just have to pass it on to you:

Tolkiens-10-Tips-for-Writers