Category: Resources

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

Grammar Checkers for All of Us

What’s that? You say that all the grammar mistakes in your scripts, books, short stories, outlines, et al are nothing more nor less than literary license? Fine and dandy, but just for your own peace of mind, not to mention your real world economic futures, it might not hurt for you to read the following…and take it to heart:

The Best Grammar Checkers for Every Type of Writing
by Jennifer Allen

We all want to write better and more effectively. It’s easy to become both paranoid and complacent over one’s writing style. Fortunately, there are plenty of online services that help by checking your grammar. We’ve looked at some of the best grammar checkers out there. read article

Are You the Kind of Writer Showrunners are Looking For?

The title of this article is a question of immense importance to all of us noobs, so let’s get to the answers, from Stage 32, ASAP:

by Anna Henry

I recently attended a panel discussion on writer’s rooms and wanted to share some of the insights offered by the panelists who are two prominent showrunners from network and cable: A streaming network executive, and a production company executive. read article

TV CREATORS ON HOW THEY KILL OFF YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS

Hint: Very few of them go the “Killing me softly with his song” route. So it goes:

by Jennifer Vineyard

We all saw Rick Grimes exit The Walking Dead after being impaled by a rebar, blown up by dynamite, and then whisked away by a helicopter for a future in Walking Dead movies. So, how does the show muddle on without its hero? How do a show’s writers plan for a big change like that? We consulted some of our favorite genre TV writers and showrunners — Phil Klemmer of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Erin Levy of Counterpart, Sera Gamble and John McNamara of SYFY’s The Magicians — about the art and science of killing off (and writing off) characters.

How does it feel to kill your darlings? Why do it? read article

Peggy Bechko: The Path to Genius Ideas

by Peggy Bechko

Today I’m not going to talk about writing directly, but hey, we’re writers and we’re all geniuses, right? So let’s consider instead how to pump up those ideas, where they come from.

Have you ever pondered why you seem to get all the best ideas when you’re in the shower, taking a walk, or just drifting off to sleep? We’re all wired that way. If we’re not doing something that makes us laser focus our brains, some demanding task, then you’re in the open and ready to create. read article

3 SURE-FIRE WAYS TO COME UP WITH A COOL SCREENPLAY TITLE

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s another helpful as all hell article from TVWriter™’s buds at Script Reader Pro. Sit back and enjoy:

The Complete Guide on How to Make Your Screenplay Title Page Stand Out from the Pack
by Script Reader Pro

While you’ve probably heard a lot about how the first page of your story is the most important when it comes to first impressions—it’s not. It’s actually the title.

Screenplay titles matter. A lot. read article