I recently read “Breaking into TV Writing: How to get your first job, build your network, and claw your way inside the writer’s room” by Anton Schettini. Below are the quotes I found most interesting. If you like them, buy the book here.
“In TV, the writers are the be-all and end-all. They decide what happens in every episode of every season, and they are even the final word on a set. A scene isn’t done shooting until the writer tells the director they are clear to move on. Unlike feature films, where the director takes over as soon as the studio buys the writer’s script, in TV the director is a hired gun.” (5)
“A great script isn’t anything if the right person isn’t reading it.” (12)
“In a comedy room, a successful staff writer is often one who is quick with a great joke that keeps the room from getting stuck. A good story pitch gets tossed and turned around in the room, and it’s hard for the showrunner to decipher who it came from or where it started. But a good joke gets credit immediately. And when you’re in this position, credit is important.” (38)
“When entering a new room, it’s best to gauge the next level writer up from you, see how much they’re pitching, and mimic their frequency. They can’t fault you if you’re a staff writer and you’re speaking as much as the story editor. But if you’re talking as much as a co-executive producer or the show runner, you should probably chill out for a few weeks until you get a feel for the room.” (66)
“If you don’t feel that strongly about the pitch, let it go. But if you do feel that this is important for the show, here’s how to approach it. The general rule is that you get two more cracks at it. The second time, you can reiterate your point, present it in a slightly different way, and explain why this is important. If it gets shot down again, then you’re playing with fire. But if it’s important to you and you really need to get your point across, you can give an
“I’m sorry, I’m going to pitch this one more time and then I’ll drop it, but it’s really important to me that..” This shows that you’re aware that you’re harping on the same point, and you feel it’s important enough to pitch again.” (66)
“There may be a time in a writers’ room when a particular plot point is giving everyone trouble. And maybe a fresh framework could shake things up. In that case, it’s perfectly okay to say “Is it all right if I pitch a general area?” or something to that effect. That way, the room is aware that you know you’re not providing a pitch, just an interesting idea that may help the room break through whatever’s holding them back.” However, that should only a be employed when it’s clear that the room is at an impasse.” (67)
“More than anything, it’s important to follow the flow of the room.” (67)
“When a room is really moving, dialogue, story ideas, and character moves flow easily. A good showrunner will follow the direction a story is going and will dictate where to go next. That’s why it’s so important to follow the showrunner’s lead and not go backwards. Rooms that are in the zone can be turned upside-down by somebody saying “Can we go back for a second?”” (67)
“When you know you’re using a piece of someone else’s idea for your pitch, use a “bouncing off of what [writer who was being ignored] was saying” to frame your pitch. This keeps that person in the game. Also, if you hear an idea being taken and repurposed as their own, feel free to call it out. It doesn’t have to be offensive. It can be as simple as “Right, that was a great pitch by (ignored writer].””(68)
“Your goal should always be to maintain and add to your network.” (89)
“The only people who get what they want are the people who ask for what they want. So, keep following up with people and keep them aware of what you’re looking for.” (89)
“With each new revision, a new color is given to the pages of the script, and those colors are nearly identical across all TV shows. In draft order, it goes like this:
- White (this is the first draft of any script)
- Blue
- Pink
- Yellow
- Green
- Goldenrod
- Buff
- Salmon
- Cherry
- Double White
- Double Blue (and on and on)” (115)
“At the end of the day, you can’t expect success. You have to go in with the mentality of “How do I just keep writing?”” (140)
“I took freelance jobs in advertising, and I made time to write six nights a week—usually from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., at a minimum. Every single night after my wife went to bed, I was writing.” -Howard Jordan Jr. (149)
“she gave me three sentences of notes: push all your stories up, your characters all sound the same (they speak in the same rhythmic pattern), and if you’re gonna do a spec, then don’t get so creative that the supporting characters are the stars of the show.” -Howard Jordan Jr. (149)
“What I say so often now is, write a story that only you can write in a way that only you can write it. I noticed that people had mastered that presentation of self. I’ve always sold brands; l’ve never had to sell me.” -Howard Jordan Jr. (150)
“volunteer to write on the board (because it might be the only time you get to speak).” -Howard Jordan Jr. (151)
“presentation matters, your room image matters.” -Howard Jordan Jr. (151)
“realize and accept that only 20 percent of the job is writing-if that.” -Howard Jordan Jr. (151)
“I knew coming in that if there’s a one-in-a-million chance that this can be done, I’m that one. That’s the conviction you have to have when you pursue these creative endeavors, because creativity by nature is subjective.” -Howard Jordan Jr. (152)
“Some of the arbiters of whether your great idea succeeds or not have no imagination. That doesn’t make you a bad writer. But it does mean you’re not getting hired. So, you have to figure out your way. You have to work so that you’re always getting better. Don’t keep writing the same version of the same script. Always work smarter.” -Howard Jordan Jr. (152)
“It’s not enough to just be a good writer. And it’s not enough to just be a good salesman. You have to have both, and you have to keep getting better at both.” (152)
“WHAT SHOWRUNNERS LOOK FOR IN A WRITER
The script has to grab me, and the story has to start real fast.
If it doesn’t start by page four or five, I toss it and move on to the next one. Start fast. If it’s a comedy, you better hit me over the head with a big joke real fast, and those act break moments have to pop. I don’t even care if act three is no good. If acts one and two are good, we can fix act three.” -Michael Jamin (173)
“These days, I think it’s easier to break in, but harder to sustain a career.” -Michael Jamin (176)
“All my friends who came up in drama have houses and families. All my friends who came up in comedy are single and unemployed.” (188)
“There is much more turnover in comedy, and it is much harder to get your writing to stand out because so much is dictated by how you perform in the room.” (188)
“TV shows hire writers and form a writers’ room long before their announcement ever happens in Deadline. So, being in the know helps you get to the front of the line.” (206)
Liked the quotes? Buy the book here.
