What I learned was it doesn’t matter if you get knocked down in life, what matters is that you’ve got to get back up.”
Ben Affleck
Category: Resources
40 years worth of TV writing experience and info, yours for the taking.
Peggy Bechko: Life Lessons for Writers…and Others
by Peggy Bechko
Having been a writer over the course of years, I’ve learned many lessons. So, I thought I’d share some of them with fellow writers and at the same time give readers a glimpse into the writer’s life.
Here’s the thing. A writing life is a great life. BUT, some additional planning needs to go in to it above and beyond what working at say an office or a store or another profession might require. I mean, stuff happens.
And, when it happens, you’re a self-employed indie with few resources other than the ones you’ve prepared and planned on. If you’re ‘laid off’, i.e. can’t get a writing gig at the moment, you don’t have unemployment. You also no doubt don’t have health insurance. Some writers take the route of having an outside job for money as well as benefits, but if you are exclusively an Indie, welllll….. you need to plan for the down times.
Angelo Bell: First Impressions of the Lousy Kind
by Angelo Bell, Writer, Producer
Like most writers, I am a lousy at proofing my own work. I am far too familiar with it to realize that I’ve skipped a letter, or a word. Often my brain finishes sentences that are incomplete on the page. Like the old saying goes, “I do my best proofing after I’ve hit the send button.” Oops.
I had a wake up call today. I’ve been working with an EP who has consistently shown interest in a project that is destined for a bigger budget. I tried to keep the budget in the low seven figures range in order to keep myself attached as director. However, she rightfully acknowledged and suggested that I put aside that pipe dream, step into the producer’s arena and pump up the budget to mid-eight figures. As someone who’s been working with budget in the micro- and low-budget range, I didn’t require a lot of convincing.
Another Thing Being in the WGA is Good For
Katherine Fugate! Josh Olson! Ooh, we feel like we know them (cuz, hey, LB does…which reminds us, why won’t you introduce us, Guv?)
Anyway, this looks like a very worthwhile activity. Looking forward to seeing you there.
John Ostrander: Telling Secrets
…Cuz that’s what good writers do.
by John Ostrander
Everyone has secrets. The thing is, secrets want to be told. The level of intimacy we have with another person is reflected by the number of secrets we share with them.