Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts

Saturday, July 10, 2010

A-Team Leader

Those of you who don't know the name Stephen J. Cannell (shame on you) may nevertheless be familiar with his classic end credit vanity card which featured Cannell himself typing on an old typewriter before pulling the page out and tossing it into the air, where it becomes animated, floating down to form his production company logo.

And certainly you're familiar with the shows that end card was attached to. Cannell's real claim to fame is as a creator, writer, producer of classic, enduring 80s/90s television. "The A-Team," "21 Jump Street," "The Rockford Files," "The Greatest American Hero," "The Commish" and "Wiseguy" among many others.

On his site Cannell gives you insight into how he writes so prolifically in a great, free "online writing seminar":
Part One - The discipline of writing
Part Two - How to choose your story
Part Three - Creating characters
Part Four - The three act structure
Part Five - Other things to think about

Cannell's older works seem to be in vogue at the moment. With the "The A-Team" getting the big screen treatment, NBC recently pursuing a new version of "The Rockford Files" and a "21 Jump Street" movie in the works. What will we see resurrected from Mr. Cannell's oeuvre next? An updated "Greatest American Hero," (this show has evaded my viewing over the years, though I did discover -and love- the theme song long before I knew it was attached to a show) "Renegade" re-imagined?




Buy a laptop already:

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Just the Tip

Check out Screenwriting Tips... You Hack. I'd hate to liken the page to Twitter but it's short, quick advice on screenwriting with some bite to it. You can blast through a lot of these. A recent tip that I like:

Screenwriting Tip #305

Never settle for good enough. Not in your word choice, dialogue, emotional beats, anything. Don’t stop rewriting until you get it right.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Spec Scripts and Pilots

Even after you've gotten your first job or your fourth, television writers always have to have current scripts. This page on the WGA site features spec scripts by diverse mid-level television writers.

Better than the specs, there are also sample pilots. Maybe a future hit series is among these scripts.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Recommended Reading

The WB Writers’ Workshop recommended reading list to help you with writing those spec scripts.


Craft of Comedy Writing by Sol Saks

Teleplay: An introduction to television writing by Coles Trapnell

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field

Robert McKee Story Structure by Robert McKee

Comedy Writing: Step by Step by Gene Perret

Successful Sitcom Writing by Jurgen Wolff

101 Plots Used and Abused by James N. Young

The 101 Habits Of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider's Secrets from Hollywood's Top Writers by Karl Iglesias

The Comedy Bible: From Stand-up to Sitcom--The Comedy Writer's Ultimate "How To" Guide by Judy Carter

The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Not by John Vorhaus



You can also find this list here, sans the snazzy graphics.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Craft

The craft section of The Writers Guild of America site features interviews with screenwriters. New interviews are added on a semi-regular basis and feature writers with new projects hitting the theaters or airwaves.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Amanda the Aspiring TV Writer

On her blog, amateur screenwriter Amanda dispenses advice on a plethora of screenwriting topics, answers reader questions and chronicles her rise to the top.

Her infectious can-do, never-say-die attitude will inspire you.

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