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CONTENTS
Chapter 1 AN OVERVIEW OF THE TV INDUSTRY
Out With the Old, in with the New
It’s Called Show Business for a Reason
Staff Writing vs. Freelance Writing
Chapter 2 THE SPECTACULAR SPEC
Writing for Existing Shows is Your First Step
Choosing a Spec Script That Will Work for You
Studying the Show Before You Write
Getting Your Hands on a Sample Script
The Reason Your Spec Probably Won’t Sell
One Down (Sigh!) at Least One More to Go!
Chapter 3 GETTING YOUR SCRIPTS READ
Plastering the Town with Your Work
What Happens if They Buy Your Story?
Odds are They Won’t Steal Your Ideas
How Much Will You Make and When Will You get Paid?
Chapter 4 SITUATIONAL COMEDIES
How Sitcom Writing Staffs Work
Multi-Camera Comedies vs. Single-Camera Comedies
A Week in the Life of a Sitcom Staff Writer
How a Freelance Writer Fits in
Chapter 5 DEVELOPING YOUR SITCOM STORY
The Importance of a Good Story
How to Create an Original Story
Making Original Stories Work for Existing Shows
Making Sure it Hasn’t Been Done
“A” Stories, “B” Stories, and the Occasional “C” Story and “D” Story
Remember Who You are Writing for
The Importance of Story Structure
Classic Two-Act Structure vs. Modern Three-Act Structure
Chapter 7 OUTLINING YOUR SITCOM STORY
Why You Must Break Your Story Down Act-by-Act, Scene-by-Scene
What a Good Outline Should Accomplish
How Long Should an Outline Be?
Only Tell What Happens When it Happens
How Multi-Cam Shows Differ in Format
Getting Feedback on Your Outline
Chapter 8 SCRIPTING YOUR SITCOM
The Difference between a First Draft and a Shooting Script
Formatting the Single-Cam Script
Formatting the Multi-Cam Script
Scene Writing from Start to Finish
How Many Jokes Should you Have on Each Page?
Setting Up Jokes and Paying Them Off
Why Smart Jokes Will Get a Bigger Laugh
Where Do Good Jokes Come from?
Should You Avoid Jokes that Could Be Considered “Offensive”?
Beware of Jokes that Center Around Current Topics
Comedy that Goes Against Character
Putting the Audience in a Superior Position
Chapter 9 OTHER KINDS OF TV COMEDY
The Importance of Creating Authentic Worlds
Getting the Facts: How to Research Cops, Lawyers, Doctors, and Others
Creating Powerful Protagonists and Antagonists
Building Conflict and Jeopardy
Scripts for Cable Vary Slightly
How to Structure Your Plot-Driven Drama
How Index Cards can Help (And Why Studios Order So Many)
Checklist for Plot-Driven Drama
Chapter 11 CHARACTER-DRIVEN DRAMA
How Structure for Character-Driven Dramas Differs from Plot-Driven Dramas
Why Colored Index Cards are Key
Everything in Your Life isn’t Fit for the Screen
How to Dramatize Personal Experience
Checklist for Character-Driven Drama
Chapter 12 FORMATTING FOR PRIME TIME DRAMA
Sample Outline for Prime Time Drama
Scripting Your Prime Time Drama
PART IV Creating Original Series
Chapter 13 THE TELEVISION PILOT
Network Schedule: Friend or Foe
Why Some Cable Networks Operate Under a Different Time Clock
Chapter 14 FINDING AN ORIGINAL PREMISE
Networks Long for Longevity (Or at Least a Big Hit)
Adding Your Own Unique Point of View
A Tall Order: Introducing Characters and Premise All in One Episode
Premise Pilots vs. Non-Premise Pilots
Note to Self: You Don’t Need to Know What’s Going to Happen in Episode 111
Chapter 15 SELLING AN ORIGINAL IDEA
Green Light, Red Light…What’s it Gonna Be?
Target Audience for TV Movies (Think Pink)
Most Common Types of TV Movie Stories and Why They Work
Breaking into the TV Movie Business
Bringing Novels to the Screen: How to Get the Rights
Should You Write a Mini-Series?
Don’t Make Your Two-Hour a Four-Hour
Stories that Can Double as Feature Films and TV Movies
Chapter 17 CREATING COMPLEX AND COMPELLING CHARACTERS
Characters Based on Real People
Some of the Finest Characters are not Human
Why it’s Important for the Audience to Like at Least Some of your Characters
Creating Characters with Opposing Viewpoints
How to Write Quirky Characters (And Why Audiences Love Them)
Twenty Questions to Ask Yourself About Each Character
Chapter 18 TAPPING INTO TWEENS
Chapter 19 WRITING DIALOGUE THAT DANCES ON THE PAGE
First and Foremost: Dialogue Comes from Character
Incorporating Character Catch Phrases
Keeping Dialogue Where it Belongs
Why Using Dialogue to Reveal Backstory can be Deadly
A Piece of Advice About Devices
What to do When all of your Characters Sound Alike
PART IX Rewriting: A Necessary Evil
Chapter 20 REWRITE THE HECK OUT OF IT
The Road Ahead is Filled With Notes
Things to Look for on your First Pass
PART X How to Pitch your Comedy, Drama, or Made-for-TV Movie
Chapter 21 ESSENTIALS OF A GREAT PITCH
Why it’s Essential to Be Early
The Use of Index Cards and Note Pads
Reading the Room: Why No Usually Means No
Going With the Flow When the Story Starts to Change
The Pros and Cons of Putting your Pitch on Paper
Chapter 22 PITCHING IDEAS FOR EXISTING SERIES AND TV MOVIES
How Many Ideas Should you Pitch?
How Much Detail Should you Give?
What to Do if They Don’t Buy Anything
The Heart and Soul of your Pitch
Sell it Like a Used Car Salesman
Chapter 24 WRITING THE WEB SERIES
Think Small, But Outside of the Box
Chapter 25 WRITING FOR REALITY TELEVISION
Why Reality Television is Here to Stay
Why Americans Have Become Reality-Obsessed
How to Write a Treatment for a Reality TV Show
The Ethics of Reality Television
PART XIII The Business Side of Television
Chapter 26 AGENTS, MANAGERS, AND ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEYS
Don’t Pay People to Read your Work
Why Writers Can Be Protective About Their Agents
Choosing an Agent Who’s Right for you
Los Angeles or Bar Harbor? Does it Matter Where your Agent Is?
Agents Who Take Unsolicited Scripts
Sample Query Letters: Good and Bad
Should you Put your Script on Web Sites?
Checklist for Getting an Agent or Manager
Chapter 27 THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA
What is the Writers Guild of America?
Key Things the WGA can do for you
In the Event of a Writers’ Strike
Should you Get a Writing Partner?
Being Responsible for Someone Else’s Career
How to Choose a Writing Partner
PART XIV How to Get Your Foot in the Door
Chapter 29 HOW TO GET WORK AS A TELEVISION WRITER
Why you Need a Plan (And a Back-Up Plan)
Contact Everyone you Know and Tell Them What You Want
Entry Level Jobs That Can Lead to your Writing Break
Ways to Uncover Entry-Level Jobs
How to Write a Killer Cover Letter
Five Paragraphs to a Good Cover Letter
Generating Informational Interviews
When a Company Says They’re Not Hiring (Baloney!)
The Power of Overnighting your Resumé (Even if you Live One Block Away)
Brushing Up On Phone Etiquette
Why It’s Important to Get the Assistant’s Name
How and When to Use Voice Mail
Chapter 30 GETTING THE INTERVIEW
The Power of Snail Mail Thank-You Notes
Placing the Dreaded Follow-Up Call
Chapter 31 CONGRATULATIONS, YOU’VE GOT THE JOB…NOW WHAT?
Some Tasks May not Make you Smile
Even the Most Mundane and Menial Tasks can Lead to a Break
Taking Responsibility for Your Goof-UPS
Remember Your Goal: Get a Writing Schedule and Stick to it
How Long Should you Stay in an Entry-Level Job?
Chapter 32 THE POWER OF NETWORKING
Keeping in Touch is Job Number Three
Order Your Own Personal Note Cards (You’ll Need Them)
Creating Your Own Little Black Book
The Importance of Sending Holiday Greetings
When and How to Ask for What you Really Want
Should You Bring Your Spec Scripts?
Chapter 33 OTHER THINGS THAT CAN HELP YOU SUCCEED
Get Yourself Out There as Quickly as Possible
How to Turn Up Contacts When you Think you Don’t Have Any
Attend Seminars and Conferences
Using Technology to Get YOUR Work Seen
Use Your Talent to Help Others
Off to See the Wizard (Or Five Months to My Dream Job)
Not Giving Up on What you Want
Take Care of your Mind and your Body
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! The Warmth and Wisdom of Dr. Seuss
