- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I How Hollywood Works
- Part II Comedy
- Chapter 4 Situational Comedies
- Chapter 5 Developing Your Sitcom Story
- Getting Started
- The Importance of a Good Story
- How to Create an Original Story
- Making Original Stories Work for Existing Shows
- Study Up
- Beating Writer’s Block
- Stories to Stay Away From
- Making Sure it Hasn’t Been Done
- Physical Comedy
- Sight Gags
- “A” Stories, “B” Stories, and the Occasional “C” Story and “D” Story
- Conflict is King
- Remember Who You are Writing for
- Getting Feedback
- Checklist for Story
- Chapter 6 Sitcom 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
- Good Writing is Key
- Format Matters
- How Long Should an Outline Be?
- Only Tell What Happens When it Happens
- Pass on Passive Voice
- Leave Out the “We”
- Sample Outline for Sitcom
- A Few More Rules
- How Multi-Cam Shows Differ in Format
- Reading Your Work, Out Loud
- Getting Feedback on Your Outline
- Checklist for Story Outline
- Chapter 8 Scripting Your Sitcom
- Formatting Your Sitcom Script
- The Difference between a First Draft and a Shooting Script
- Formatting the Single-Cam Script
- Formatting the Multi-Cam Script
- A Word about Covers
- 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?
- Incorporating Universal Humor
- Should You Avoid Jokes that Could Be Considered “Offensive”?
- Beware of Jokes that Center Around Current Topics
- In Comedy Three’s a Charm
- Alliteration
- Comedy that Goes Against Character
- Putting the Audience in a Superior Position
- Don’t Forget to Blow
- The Dreaded Punch-Up
- Watch Where You Step
- Time to Cut
- Chapter 9 Other Kinds of TV Comedy
- Part III Prime Time Drama
- Chapter 10 Plot-Driven Dramas
- Ripped from the Headlines
- The Importance of Creating Authentic Worlds
- Getting the Facts: How to Research Cops, Lawyers, Doctors, and Others
- Colleges and Universities
- The WGA
- Creating Powerful Protagonists and Antagonists
- Building Conflict and Jeopardy
- One-Hour Dramatic Structure
- 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
- Chapter 12 Formatting for Prime Time Drama
- Chapter 10 Plot-Driven Dramas
- Part IV Creating Original Series
- Chapter 13 The Television Pilot
- Chapter 14 Finding an Original Premise
- Networks Long for Longevity (Or at Least a Big Hit)
- Knowing the Market
- Tapping into Future Trends
- Adding Your Own Unique Point of View
- A Tall Order: Introducing Characters and Premise All in One Episode
- Premise Pilots vs. Non-Premise Pilots
- Big Love
- Know What’s Out there
- Sample Treatment for a Pilot
- Kyle’s Turn
- Laying Out Your Show’s Future
- Note to Self: You Don’t Need to Know What’s Going to Happen in Episode 111
- First Pages
- Riding Coattails
- Checklist for Pilots
- Chapter 15 Selling an Original Idea
- The Big Idea
- Developing the Big Idea
- Disappointment Knocks
- Back to the Drawing Board
- Time to Put it Out There
- Preparing the Pitch
- Pitching to the Studio
- The Deal
- Attaching Showrunners
- Working With the Showrunners
- Network Pitches
- The All-Important Script
- Green Light, Red Light…What’s it Gonna Be?
- My Takeaway
- Part V Made-for-TV Movies
- Chapter 16 Made-For-TV Movies
- Hallmark is the Benchmark
- Target Audience for TV Movies (Think Pink)
- Most Common Types of TV Movie Stories and Why They Work
- Stories to Stay Far Away from
- Breaking into the TV Movie Business
- Adapting True Stories
- Protagonist vs. Antagonist
- 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
- Structuring Your TV Movie
- Stories that Can Double as Feature Films and TV Movies
- Classic Three-Act Structure
- Chapter 16 Made-For-TV Movies
- Part VI Characters
- Chapter 17 Creating Complex and Compelling Characters
- Character Broken into Threes
- What is Backstory?
- 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
- Minor Characters Matter
- How to Write Quirky Characters (And Why Audiences Love Them)
- Character Bios
- Twenty Questions to Ask Yourself About Each Character
- Chapter 17 Creating Complex and Compelling Characters
- Part VII The Tween Market
- Part VIII Dialogue
- Chapter 19 Writing Dialogue That Dances on the Page
- First and Foremost: Dialogue Comes from Character
- Dialogue is Like Ping-Pong
- Incorporating Character Catch Phrases
- Diverse Dialogue
- Talking the Talk
- Swear Words and Slang
- Right-on Dialogue: Wrong!!
- Watch Out for Names
- 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
- Checklist for Dialogue
- Chapter 19 Writing Dialogue That Dances on the Page
- Part IX Rewriting: A Necessary Evil
- Part X How to Pitch your Comedy, Drama, or Made-for-TV Movie
- Chapter 21 Essentials of a Great Pitch
- Who Will Be in the Room?
- Don’t Forget to Google!
- Why it’s Essential to Be Early
- Dress for Success
- Practicing your Pitch
- Controlling the Room
- A Couple of No-Nos
- 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
- Be Prepared for Questions
- The Pros and Cons of Putting your Pitch on Paper
- Practice Makes Perfect
- Chapter 22 Pitching Ideas for Existing Series and TV Movies
- Chapter 23 Pitching Pilots
- Chapter 21 Essentials of a Great Pitch
- Part XI Writing for the Web
- Part XII Reality Television
- Part XIII The Business Side of Television
- Chapter 26 Agents, Managers, and Entertainment Attorneys
- Why you Need an Agent
- What Agents Actually Do
- How Much Does an Agent Cost?
- Don’t Pay People to Read your Work
- Referrals are the Way To Go
- 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
- Do you Need a Manager?
- Entertainment Attorneys
- Querying Agents and Managers
- Sample Query Letters: Good and Bad
- Making Sure you are Ready
- Patience is a Virtue
- Should you Put your Script on Web Sites?
- Checklist for Getting an Agent or Manager
- Chapter 27 The Writers Guild of America
- Chapter 28 Writing Teams
- Chapter 26 Agents, Managers, and Entertainment Attorneys
- 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)
- The Importance of Internships
- 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
- Resumés and Cover Letters
- How to Write your Resumé
- Sample Resumé
- How to Write a Killer Cover Letter
- Five Paragraphs to a Good Cover Letter
- Sample 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
- How and When to Use E-Mail
- Chapter 30 Getting the Interview
- Chapter 31 Congratulations, You’ve Got the Job…Now What?
- Chapter 32 The Power of Networking
- Keeping in Touch is Job Number Three
- Order Your Own Personal Note Cards (You’ll Need Them)
- Stock Up on Business Cards
- Creating Your Own Little Black Book
- The Importance of Sending Holiday Greetings
- How to do Lunch
- Who do you Invite?
- Taking the Lead
- When and How to Ask for What you Really Want
- Who Pays?
- Should You Bring Your Spec Scripts?
- Chapter 33 Other Things That Can Help You Succeed
- Get Yourself Out There as Quickly as Possible
- Writing Buddies
- How to Turn Up Contacts When you Think you Don’t Have Any
- Attend Seminars and Conferences
- Using Technology to Get YOUR Work Seen
- Enter Your Work in Contests
- Use Your Talent to Help Others
- Learn to Be a Good Critic
- Off to See the Wizard (Or Five Months to My Dream Job)
- Not Giving Up on What you Want
- AWord to Women
- Take Care of your Mind and your Body
- Oh, The Places You’ll Go! The Warmth and Wisdom of Dr. Seuss
- Some Final Thoughts
- Some Leftover Pearls
- Chapter 29 How to Get Work as a Television Writer
- Index
—————————PART XIII—————————
THE BUSINESS SIDE OF TELEVISION
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