Category: Resources

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

Peggy Bechko: Gifts for the Writer in Your Life – Or Just For Yourself

by Peggy Bechko

scripts shelves

There are many occasions when you might want to get a gift for the writer in your life, or maybe you want to get him or her a gift for no reason at all. Or maybe you’re a writer and just want to be nice to yourself.

Whatever the reason, occasion or person, I thought I’d ponder a few gift suggestions for the awkwardly stuck.It’s so very easy to run into a stone wall when trying to think of what’s right in front of you, so I’ll spell it out; even break it out into categories – sort of. All you need is a bit of time, some thoughtfulness and some money (whether a little or a lot and in a couple of cases no cash at all).

Books on writing often come to mind. They’re good too. There’s “Writer’s Market” both hard copy and online subscription for when one is looking for somewhere to sell his or her work. A new edition comes out each year. read article

Is Social TV Ready for Primetime?

Yes, it’s true. There really is something the tech/media world(s) call “social TV.”  It seems to be the study of the interaction between social websites and television, with brand new “experts” trying to determine if the sharing of  TV info and opinions on Facebook, Twitter, etc. influences what what we watch and, if so, how much.

We think that’s kinda cool, but then we’re always interested in things that have the potential to change the television business model – because we’re always looking for changes that will benefit creators and not merely, you know, advertisers. So, with that in mind, here’s a primer on the whole deal:

twitter social tvby Ed Keller

“Social TV” is all the rage, or so it feels. An estimated 40% of Twitter traffic during the prime time period is about television, according toWired Magazine’s recent “Platinum Age of Television” issue. “And that’s why, some day in the near future, a show’s tweetability may be just as crucial as the sheer size of its audience,” writes Wired. read article

Leesa Dean: Guess Who’s Coming to Chilltown

Adventures of a Web Series Newbie - Chapter 19: Five (More) Things

Adventures of a Web Series Newbie: Chapter 19 – Five (More) Things
by Leesa Dean

So, another week of being absolutely swamped and not attending a cool YouTube seminar. I have so much coming up–the TOP SECRET PROJECT, working on the relaunch and getting the whole Lele expansion into place, I literally don’t have the time for nearly anything.

And…I’m prepping for the Chilltown Season Finale. Yes, it’s coming up next week and it’s wonderful and sad and scary all at once. This has been an unbelievable six months (feels like I’ve been at this for years.) In July, I’m taking a few weeks to just write and put plans together and then hitting the ground running in full production mode. read article

Kathy Fuller Sees TALES FROM THE SCRIPT

All these writers and many more!
All these writers and many more!

Ah, Netflix. How I love thee. Although you’re far from perfect and need to a) offer more current streaming options and b) not wait so long to release new seasons, I can’t complain because you bring me gems like this: Tales from the Script. 

I love documentaries and biographies. Netflix is full of them. Somehow this ended up on my recommendations list and when I saw that it featured not one, not two, not even three but 50 Hollywood writers telling their stories I pounced on it. Honestly, I expected it to be soundbites and superficial interviews of just a few writers who made it and a bunch more writers who were trying to break in. Not so. If you’re a writer–any writer but especially a screenwriter–you MUST see this doc.

No spoilers here. No details here because you HAVE to watch it. But I will say this: you will find a lot of truth, inspiration, discouragement, encouragement, and advice. read article

If You Can Be Talked Out of Your Dream, You Don’t Deserve for It to Come True

Or to put it another way:

Ostrander-Art-130616John Ostrander: Conviction

My very good friend, William J. Norris, is an excellent actor, a wonderful director, an inspiring playwright (I wrote my first play because I really admired a play that he wrote and that led, in turn, to my writing career), and one helluva teacher. I should know. I’vestolen cribbed borrowed applied so many ideas and concepts from his teaching into my own attempts.

I met him one night for drinks after he taught an acting class and he told me that a student came up to him after a session and asked Bill if he thought the student could act. Bill said, “No.” William J. says that every time a student asks him that question, he gives the same answer. That seemed a little brutal to me in this nurturing, everyone-wins-an-award-for-showing-up era we live in. Bill said he was being kind; the life of an actor – of any artist, actually – is hard enough and if someone can be talked out of it, they should be. read article