ABSTRACT

Learn to craft smart, original stories and scripts for a variety of television formats and genres, including comedy, drama, pilots, animation, made-for-TV movies, late night, and reality television. Hear directly from studio and network executives, agents, and managers on what they’re looking for in new writers and how to avoid common pitfalls. Gain access to sample outlines, script pages, checklists, and countless other invaluable resources that will help you break into the industry and put you on the path to immediate success.

In Write to TV, Second Edition industry veteran Martie Cook offers practical advice on writing innovative television scripts that will allow you to finally get that big idea out of your head and onto the screen. This new edition has been updated to include:

    • Tips and techniques from industry vets Jay Leno, Norman Lear, Paul Haggis, David Magee, Susan Rovner, Tal Rabinowitz, Jonathan Littman, Peter Jankowski, Steve Stark, and Doug Herzog that you can immediately apply to your own projects
    • Expanded coverage of writing pilots, pitching, writing webisodes, writing for tweens, writing for late night, and rewriting

    • Useful advice for navigating the confusing television hierarchy, including how to network, get an agent, land that first writing job, and even "do lunch"
    • 25 new interviews with writers and producers of hit shows such as New Girl, Parks and Recreation, The Blacklist, Curb Your Enthusiasm, CSI, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and many more
    • An all new companion website (www.writetotv.com) featuring blog updates, industry trends, a Q&A discussion forum with the author, and many other resources

part |2 pages

Part I How Hollywood Works

chapter 1|8 pages

An Overview of the TV Industry

chapter 2|9 pages

The Spectacular Spec

chapter 3|9 pages

Getting Your Scripts Read

part |2 pages

Part II Comedy

chapter 4|12 pages

Situational Comedies

chapter 5|12 pages

Developing Your Sitcom Story

chapter 6|8 pages

Sitcom Structure

chapter 8|31 pages

Scripting Your Sitcom

chapter 9|14 pages

Other Kinds of TV Comedy

part |2 pages

Part III Prime Time Drama

chapter 10|11 pages

Plot-Driven Dramas

chapter 11|9 pages

Character-Driven Drama

chapter 12|16 pages

Formatting for Prime Time Drama

part |2 pages

Part IV Creating Original Series

chapter 13|7 pages

The Television Pilot

chapter 15|16 pages

Selling an Original Idea

part |2 pages

Part V Made-for-TV Movies

chapter 16|16 pages

Made-for-TV Movies

part |2 pages

Part VI Characters

chapter 17|10 pages

Creating Complex and Compelling Characters

part |2 pages

Part VII The Tween Market

chapter 18|4 pages

Tapping into Tweens

part |2 pages

Part VIII Dialogue

part |2 pages

Part IX Rewriting: A Necessary Evil

chapter 20|6 pages

Rewrite the Heck Out of It

part |2 pages

Part X How to Pitch your Comedy, Drama, or Made-for-TV Movie

chapter 21|9 pages

Essentials of a Great Pitch

chapter 23|6 pages

Pitching Pilots

part |2 pages

Part XI Writing for the Web

chapter 24|6 pages

Writing the Web Series

part |2 pages

Part XII Reality Television

chapter 25|6 pages

Writing for Reality Television

part |2 pages

Part XIII The Business Side of Television

chapter 27|4 pages

The Writers Guild of America

chapter 28|5 pages

Writing Teams

part |2 pages

Part XIV How to Get Your Foot in the Door

chapter 29|17 pages

How to Get Work as a Television Writer

chapter 30|5 pages

Getting the Interview

chapter 32|5 pages

The Power of Networking

chapter 33|12 pages

Other Things That Can Help You Succeed