Category: Resources

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

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

Chapter 29 – Bottom of the Barrel. Rollo Returns
by Leesa Dean

bottom-of-barrelSo, as promised, the Rollo story.

We hadn’t spoken in months. I, occasionally, thought about him but frankly not too often. Being insanely busy with a web series will do that to you. You tend to prioritize what you focus on. I thought he was just gonna be another one of these cottage industry guys who entered my life with a bullshit story and then evaporated. Well, maybe?

A few weeks back he calls. Wants to meet for drinks. Admittedly my first thought: Is this dude selling Amway? But he caught me on a day when I was feeling crappy–a little blocked with writing; a little frustrated with calls not returned; a little worried about the usual: am I making the right decisions with the relaunch, etc. In short, a perfect needy storm whose grande finale was: yeah, I met him for drinks. read article

McSweeney’s is a Terrific Writer’s Resource

Cuz it brings us helpful bits like this:

McSweeneys-CaptureThe Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do
by Colin Nissan

WRITE EVERY DAY

Writing is a muscle. Smaller than a hamstring and slightly bigger than a bicep, and it needs to be exercised to get stronger. Think of your words as reps, your paragraphs as sets, your pages as daily workouts. Think of your laptop as a machine like the one at the gym where you open and close your inner thighs in front of everyone, exposing both your insecurities and your genitals. Because that is what writing is all about.

DON’T PROCRASTINATE

Procrastination is an alluring siren taunting you to Google the country where Balki from Perfect Strangers was from, and to arrange sticky notes on your dog in the shape of hilarious dog shorts. A wicked temptress beckoning you to watch your children, and take showers. Well, it’s time to look procrastination in the eye and tell that seafaring wench, “Sorry not today, today I write.” read article

Why Videos Go Viral

goingviral

Kevin Allocca, YouTube’s trend manager, shares his thought about something all writers/directors/filmmakers/et al need to know – in a video that didn’t go viral.

Yeah, it’s from TED Talks. Sorry ’bout dat. read article

Peggy Bechko: Writers Writing For Pleasure

laughingwriters

by Peggy Bechko

“Never write anything that does not give you great pleasure. Emotion is easily transferred from the writer to the reader.” ~ Joseph Joubert

As a writer have you ever thought about that? Do you believe it?

Personally I do. read article

5 Questions with a Comedy Showrunner’s Assistant/Writers’ Assistant

The title pretty much says it all. Hope the 5 questions are the ones you’d ask. (They worked for us.)

writersassistantby Amanda

Jessica is the showrunner’s assistant and writers’ assistant for NBC’s Sean Saves the World, which premieres on October 3. She was kind enough to answer 5 questions about her job:

How did you get your job?
I started working with Victor Fresco as a writers’ PA on ABC’s Better Off Ted.Over the course of the show, the other writers’ office assistants were nice enough to train me in their respective jobs, so by the end of the second season, I’d had experience helping out as an Executive Producer assistant as well as in-room writers’ assistant.  When Victor’s assistant got staffed and moved on, Victor hired me as his assistant through his deal at ABC Studios.  From there, I took on the additional responsibility of script coordinator for the pilot of ABC’s Man Up! and served as in-room writers’ assistant when it went to series. And then when Victor made a deal with UTV, I went with him, which led to my position on Sean Saves the World.

What are the duties of your job/what is a usual day like? 
Victor’s a pretty low-maintenance guy, so it’s mostly just scheduling, communicating with other departments, and taking notes on calls for him. As writers’ assistant, I’m in the writers’ room typing the script or notes on a computer hooked up to two big monitors, trying not to make any real-time mistakes. I also help with proofreading and script distribution in my downtime. Annnd judiciously pitch jokes.  Since SSTW is a multi cam, part of my day involves going to set and seeing run-thrus or a shoot, which is always fun and allows time to socialize – something you don’t get on single cam as much. read article