I once read a script that was about a party and the first half of the script was about introducing all the characters at the party.  One person arrived and the writer gave us his name and backstory and why he was there then moved to the next person who arrived.  This is boring when [...]

Your characters’ relationships to one another should be evident in dialogue and action.  You should show what they mean to one another in how they are with one another.  You don’t necessarily need to call it out and say ‘he’s my boyfriend’ but even if you do, it should be evident in how they relate [...]

What shows should you spec? Shows you love to watch A show that’s been around 1-2 seasons but expected to last Highly-rated, critically acclaimed shows Episodic shows One half-hour comedy and one procedural Not the show you want to write for That’s the simple answer. You should always write something you love to watch because [...]

ONE. That’s the simple answer.  A show like Entourage for example, it really does have three “acts” like any story, but if you get your hands on a script, you’ll see it’s written in standard screenplay format like a feature, not like a sitcom.  It has no act breaks because it airs for the full [...]

*Continued from yesterday’s post on how your insecurities could be causing you to write the wrong story. One of the hardest things to figure out as a new writer is what your story is about.  Sometimes it’s not that easy to see that your story doesn’t match your concept.  Some indicators that suggest your story [...]