Aha! The world is going to end this year. Just not in the way we expected:
So here’s the deal. According to Toni Fitzgerald of MediaLife, broadcast viewing is continuing its slide. With the exception of NBC, which is up 23% in the ratings so far this season, the broadcast networks are down a total of 11% among adults 18-49. (Ooh, that’s TVWriter™’s demo. We’re so damn significant!)
Whoo-hoo!
(And, speaking from a slightly more writerly perspective, “Whew.”)
A few years ago I wrote a book called Television Writing from the Inside Out, spilling everything I’ve learned about the art/craft and business of television writing and television in general after many, many, many (oy!) years of dedication, joy, and, yeah, the inevitable moments of despair.
Many times I’ve heard the questions, how do you write? How do you learn to write? How can I learn to write (or write better)?
Good questions, and believe it or not there are some pretty simple answers. Much easier than finding your way through a maze.
Ken Levine says this is the best comedy writing book evah…and who are we to disagree?
If anybody ever had great credentials for a book about comedy – what it is, what it ain’t – Dan O’Shannon, Emmy winning showrunner of MODERN FAMILY, former showrunner of FRASIER, former executive producer of CHEERS is the guy. His approach – analyzing the “comedic event” as opposed to examining joke structure, makes you wonder why anybody ever even thought of looking at what’s funny another way. To O’Shannon, context is everything…and he’s convinced me of it too.
With that in mind:
