Category: Resources

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

John Ostrander: Comics Writing Lessons from Shakespeare

FROM THE EDITOR: And they definitely work for television and film too:

Ostrander_Shakespeareby John Ostrander

When asked my influences, I invariably add William Shakespeare which may seem a bit pompous. Shakespeare? Really? (Aside: this column is not going to deal with the whole “Who Really Was Shakespeare?” debate. If you want to believe someone other than Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s play, you go ahead. It’s not germane and, frankly, I’ve read as much on the subject as I care to and so far as I’m concerned, Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s plays. End of discussion.) Please note I am not comparing myself toShakespeare; simply that I’ve learned some things about writing from him.

Such as: read article

Peggy Bechko: Writer Unchained

HWood Studios 1…And loosed in Disney World!

Yep, I’m a writer and I write a lot of things; novels, screen scripts, articles, blogs, whatever I want to dive into.

But there are limits and even a writer needs a vacation. And I reached my limit. read article

Have We Told You About the BBC Writers Room?

BBC_Writers_Room

Actually, we’re pretty sure we have, but having published one article today from that magnificent site reminded us that it’s probably time to mention it again.

So this is that mention: The BBC Writers Room is one of if not the very best television writing site(s) on the web. read article

A prostitute in a library or a pregnant woman with an AK47?

We (uh, that would mean me, munchman) know which of these women we’d rather hang out with, but the real issue here is which would be the better character? Are they both great? Or both awful? Or…or…

womenintheaterby Sally Stott

“Something must be done,” people on stage are saying to people in the audience who are saying it back to them. I’m at a post-show discussion. It follows twelve short plays aiming to depict women in new and interesting ways. The evening’s been organised by Equal Writes as a response to recent research showing that there are twice as many roles for men as women in theatre. Things aren’t any better in film and TV with statistics  by the BBC and Cultural Diversity Network highlighting that men also outnumber women 2:1 on screen.

Despite this, lots of people want more and better characters for women. In February, I wrote a blog trying to encourage some into the Script Room. But what exactly does a ‘good’ female character mean? Is she someone who breaks down the barriers of a patriarchal society using only a rolled up copy of the Guardian? Is she the familiar wife, daughter or girlfriend but with better dialogue? Or perhaps she’s so different to everything we’ve seen before that we’d struggle to recognise her? read article

Peter Conquers Showbiz – Episode 1

Outside-Looking-In

Television Writing from the Outside In
This week: Where do you live? How much is rent?

I flew to L.A. with a single carry-on, the clothes on my back and a limited amount of cash on my foreign bank card. The plan was to rent a place week-by-week until I could get a better feel for the city, then find the right place for the best price. If you’re considering a similar move, my strongest piece of advice is to save as much money as you possibly can. You have to save money the way you write scripts—with a passion.

If you’re prone to spending money (like me), buy silver ingots if you have to (to satisfy your need to spend) and save those ingots. Every word, every page, every ingot is a step toward phase three of your own plan. So whether you choose to buy silver ingots or not—save your goddamn money. You’re going to be poor before you’re rich, so spend all your spare time writing, watching films/TV or working extra jobs.

If you want to buy Shane Black’s mansion, you can’t afford to get the foot-long Subway sandwich. You have to buy the six-inch, without the avocados, and put the rest of that money in your other pocket, because you’re going to need it. Trust me. You’re going to need it. read article