Category: Resources

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

Julie Livingston: 3 Rules for Writing Workshop…And Life

NCIS-Gibbs-Rules

by Julie Livingston

So here I am. Finally settled in L.A.. Well, settled-ish anyway. I’m actually moving again in a couple weeks, but that decision was motivated more by my personal desire to live in a neighborhood where no one pees in the produce section of the super market than anything professional. Workwise, after the initial flurry of activity of having a manger and then not having one, things have been fairly quiet. Hollywood hasn’t exactly been beating a path to my door. The phone isn’t ringing off the hook with job offers and pilot deals. Fortunately, I’m not sitting around waiting for that to happen. I am doing what I always do when I’m not sure what else to do, I’m going to school.

A few weeks ago I started the UCLA Professional Program For Television Writing. It’s a year-long intensive in which students essentially get all the writing classes they’d get in the MFA program without all the theory. And so far, I have to say, it’s awesome. There is something truly exquisite about geeking out over the thing you love with other people who love it as geekishly as you do for six hours a week. I am impressed with how smart and experienced my fellow students are and inspired by the sacrifices everybody has made to be here, but the thing really solidified the belief that I am in the right place is the set of rules set out by my teacher, Rick Williams. No one is more surprised than I am that my favorite part of the program so far is the rules, but these rules are not about page counts or act breaks. They are instructions on how to be a person who creates and guidelines to becoming someone people want to work with, which makes me feel they are worth sharing outside the ivory tower.

Rule Number One:
Attendance Is Mandatory. You must be present, not just physically, but mentally too. Like everyone, I sometimes struggle to put away my cell phone and let go of the distractions of the day, but I know I owe it to my classmates to try. Television writing is, after all, essentially a team sport. I get that. But to be honest, my real motivation to follow rule number one is selfish. I generate more ideas, make better jokes and generally have more fun when I am fully engaged. So while I hope my classmates feel like it’s a benefit to get my full attention, truth is, I do it as much for myself as for them. read article

Peggy Bechko: Character Motivation – The Wounds That Don’t Heal

motivationby Peggy Bechko

Have you considered what motivates your characters? What their background is? Whether it is your hero or a villain or some other character in the piece he or she has been affected by life. We’re all bombarded by tiny wounds, hurts and influences (sometimes large ones) throughout our lives. Your characters should be no different.

Think about it. Everything that happens, or we cause to happen defines us. Painful things even more so. They influence character. Whether focused on one ‘big one’ or a culmination of multiple lacerations (death by a thousand paper cuts) those things can chip away or blast away at a character’s self-worth, or can elevate it to the point of ego-mania.

So think about this; what kinds of events can come together to form this mudball of experience? read article

Speaking of Motivation

Elsewhere on today’s page, the wonderful Peggy Bechko has a very helpful article on one of the essential ingredients of good storytelling: Creating believable motivations for your characters. We couldn’t resist being funny when it came time to finding illustrations for it, but now, here’s a more serious breakdown of what could be pushing your characters forward. (Or backward, or making them stand still, come to think about it.) Anyway:

Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needsMore about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs HERE

Deadlines & Other Hardships…

Ken Levine knows all about ’em – having learned the hard way, you betcha:

rookie-570x250Rookie mistakes
by Ken Levine

Everyone has to start somewhere. For me and my writing partner, David Isaacs our first paid writing assignment was for an episode of THE JEFFERSONS. Prior to that we had been writing spec scripts, schlepping down to the Writers Guild to register them for protection, and then we peddled them to anyone who would read them.

Our spec MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (which had already been rejected by THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW and RHODA) found its way into the hands of Gordon Mitchell, one of the story editors of THE JEFFERSONS. He liked it well enough to invite us to come in and pitch story ideas for the show. One hit the mark and we got the assignment. read article

Top UK TV writer, Chris Chibnall tells us a bit about the theater

Chris Chibnall (DOCTOR WHO, BROADCHURCH, much more) is one of TVWriter™’s favorite UK television writers. In fact, we’ve been rooting for him to be the new showrunner whenever that Moff guy gives up the DOCTOR WHO reins. (We’re also rooting for that to happen soon, but we probably shouldn’t go there – now.)

Recently, Chris spoke out about his love for more than just TV as a medium, and believe us when we say, we’re listening:

‘Broadchurch’s Creator Chris Chibnall Gets Theatrical with a New Play
by Leah Rozen

tennant
A thoughtful moment in BROADCHURCH

After scoring an international success with his mystery thriller TV series, Broadchurch, writer Chris Chibnall has turned his pen to a stage comedy. read article