How To Write For Television
1.
Introduction
TV is where it's happening. It's where the money is, where the jobs are, where product is pumped out fast, and where writers have the privilege of seeing their material produced. This isn't necessarily so in films, where the process is very slow and the writer can be a one-hit wonder.
According to Writers Guild of America statistics, TV jobs outnumber film jobs by two to one. There are about four hundred movies made a year, and about three thousand television episodes. In television, if writers can find a way in, if they have the talent and know how to play it, they can go from a freelancer to a staff position, to story editor, to producer/creator, and even rise to the pinnacle of television, the showrunner. It happens; one of my former students even managed to pick up four Emmys along the way. And there are others who have achieved success. They have wonderful stories, some of which I will share with you.
I don't take credit for their success. It doesn't validate me as a teacher: they had what it takes. But their success validates what I believe in -- that achieving dreams does happen.
read full excerpt from: How To Write For Television ebook
