Write to TV by Cook, Martie -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Part I How Hollywood Works

Chapter 1 An Overview of the TV Industry

Out With the Old, in with the New Get on the Ball It’s Called Show Business for a Reason What are Television Sweeps? Staff Writing vs. Freelance Writing Do you Have to Live in L.A.?

Chapter 2 The Spectacular Spec

Writing for Existing Shows is Your First Step What is a Spec Script? 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! Time to Flip

Chapter 3 Getting Your Scripts Read

Plastering the Town with Your Work The Initial Meeting The Invitation to Pitch What Happens if They Buy Your Story? Will You Write the Teleplay? Odds are They Won’t Steal Your Ideas How Much Will You Make and When Will You get Paid? Where Does it all Lead?

Part II Comedy

Chapter 4 Situational Comedies

What it Takes to Write Comedy Checklist for Funny How Sitcom Writing Staffs Work The Make-Up of a Sitcom Staff 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

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

The Importance of Story Structure Classic Two-Act Structure vs. Modern Three-Act Structure Cold Openings Tags Big Block Comedy Scenes Creating Twists Running Gags No-Fail Sitcom Structure Example of Structure Checklist for Story 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

Writing for Animation Writing for Late Night Sketch Writing Stand Up and Improvise

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

All about Character Serials 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 The Dirt on Soaps

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

Why You Should Write a Pilot How Pilot Season Works 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) 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

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

Part VII The Tween Market

Chapter 18 Tapping into Tweens

The Premise The Characters Tween Talk Tickling a Tween’s Funny Bone

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

Part IX Rewriting: A Necessary Evil

Chapter 20 Rewrite the Heck Out of It

Your Own Private Table Read 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

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

How Many Ideas Should you Pitch? The Order of your Stories How Much Detail Should you Give? Example of a Pitch What to Do if They Don’t Buy Anything Respecting the Big Foot

Chapter 23 Pitching Pilots

The Big Idea Brevity is your Friend The Emotional Connection The Heart and Soul of your Pitch Some Sample Episodes Sell it Like a Used Car Salesman

Part XI Writing for the Web

Chapter 24 Writing the Web Series

TV Series vs. Web Series Creating your Web Series Think Small, But Outside of the Box Sizzle Reel Nice

Part XII Reality Television

Chapter 25 Writing for Reality Television

Reality Television is Not New Why Reality Television is Here to Stay Why Americans Have Become Reality-Obsessed Documentary vs. Game Show Reality is a Producer’s Game 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

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

What is the Writers Guild of America? How do you Become a Member? Key Things the WGA can do for you How Residuals Work What is Arbitration? In the Event of a Writers’ Strike How to Protect your Work Miscellaneous Guild Benefits

Chapter 28 Writing Teams

Should you Get a Writing Partner? The Pros of Partnerships Being Responsible for Someone Else’s Career The Cons of Partnerships 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) 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

Preparing for the Interview Controlling the Interview Confidence is Key The Power of Snail Mail Thank-You Notes Placing the Dreaded Follow-Up Call Turning a “No” into a “Yes”

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 Finding a Mentor 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? Planning the Next Step

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

Index

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