Tag: TVWriter™

LB on Writing: The Rule of 10,000

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladstone

Hmm, an internet success meme that almost makes sense. Unless, of course, you take it literally:

What Is the 10000 Hour Rule?

The 10000 Hour Rule is just that. This is the idea that it takes approximately 10000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill.For instance, it would take 10 years of practicing 3 hours a day to become a master in your subject. It would take approximately 5 years of full-time employment to become proficient in your field. Simply work out how many hours you have already achieved and calculate how many more you need to clock up before you reach 10000. (As interpreted on Squidoo.) read article

SMASH Creator-Ex Showrunner Tells Us Why She Left

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again…and again and again. Television writing is not for the faint-hearted. But don’t take our word for it, read what the creator of NBC’s SMASH has to say:

Former ‘Smash’ Showrunner Reveals Why She Exited – by Philiana Ng

Smash creator Theresa Rebeck is shedding light on her exit from the NBC musical series. read article

A Whole Lot of the Universal Lot

TVWriter™’s longstanding friend, Angelo Bell, has been having some meetings lately and wants us all to know what they’re like:

  by Angelo

Monday I returned home after a visit to the NBC-Universal Lot. Building 1230 to be exact.

That makes 2 visits to the building in 4 months, to be really exact.  read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 11/30/12

Latest News About Writers Doing Better Than We Are

  • Rumors abound that Kevin Costner’s 1995 feature film fiasco, WATERWORLD, is headed for Syfy as a series. No writers have been mentioned, so, hey, now’s the time to put your hat in the ring. (In other words, how long will it take you to write a complete spec science fiction script to prove your genius expertise adequacy?)
  • Chris Cantwell & Chris Rodgers (SHADOW RUNNERS, feature film) are writing HALT & CATCH FIRE, a drama about the PC boom in the early ’80s intended as a series on AMC. (In other words, nerds are in, for which we at TVWriter™ give heartfelt thanks.)
  • Alexander Rose’s book, Washington’s Spies) is the basis for Craig Silverstein’s (NIKITA) AMC pilot, TURN. (In other words, why let a good, descriptive name get in the way of confusing TV viewers, right?)
  • It’s official. DOWNTON ABBEY creator Julian Fellowes will write and produce NBC’s THE GILDED AGE, described by the network as “a sweeping epic in the style of DOWNTON ABBEY. (In other words, the U.S. finally gets its own overly-manipulative soap opera about rich people nobody in the audience will be able to stand. Awesome.)

3 Ways to Get Your Story Unstuck

Believe it or not, even LB, our boss, agrees with what follows, even if it is from Writers Digest:

 by Brian Klems (Writers Digest)

It will happen eventually—that moment when you realize you’re bogged down in the muck of your story. You don’t know where to go next or what the character should do. The seed of doubt sprouts then, unless you’re careful, will take root and bloom into full-on writer’s block. Here are suggestions on how to stop it—and make your story even stronger in the process.

1. Give your readers what they want, but not what they expect. read article