THE OTHER NETWORK WRITER'S ROOM
INSIDE THE ART, CRAFT AND BUSINESS OF WRITING for Film, TV, Books, Stage, Print or Digital Media (with Particular Attention to Comedy)
Category Archives: Writing Strategy
A Galaxy of Franchises: The New Yorker Interactive Infographic of Movie Franchise Profitability
Hollywood is enamored with the franchise. A profitable one can sustain sequels across multiple decades that are worth billions of dollars in ticket sales alone. But, as the box-office ups … Continue reading
(Almost Everything You Need to Know About) Writing for TV
Bless the Writers Guild of America – and not just for their awesome health plan (which includes dental coverage!). There’s lots of great info on their website, including this set … Continue reading
Short is Beautiful: The Comeback of the Short Story?
Two years ago, my friend wrote a beautiful collection of short stories. She got them to a well-known lit agent who told her that there was no way any traditional … Continue reading
6 Elements to Include in Your Original TV Drama Series Pitch (According to a TV Lit Agent)
My friend’s agent supplied the following list/outline to use while the pitch for an original TV series. This is specifically intended to help focus the pitch for a one-hour network … Continue reading
Work Habits: Thomas Edison, Power Napper
Thomas Edison bragged about only needing a few hours sleep at night, but frequently napped and had cots all over his lab, including one in his office. He judged people … Continue reading
How the Kingdom Came: Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola on Collaboration
Writing partners can be tricky, time-consuming and problematic, but when it works, it works. It worked for Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola, who co-wrote Moonrise Kingdom. They talked about the … Continue reading
Self-Published Success Story: Trolls and Lots of Them!
Amanda Hocking started writing, and self-publishing, fantasy fiction as a teenager in Minnesota. After she proved her own market, traditional publisher St. Martin’s gave her a $2 million deal. She … Continue reading
19 Ways to Increase Your Drafting Productivity
I’m sure you feel your writing isn’t going fast enough. This is an almost universal complaint of almost all writers in almost every project. Here are a few ways to … Continue reading
Do It Yourself e-Publishing 101: A Report From the Trenches on the Thrill, Agony and Drudgery of Self-Publishing an e-Book
I knew from the start that I wanted to self-publish my new book “How To Be A Writer Who Writes” as a digital e-book. No publisher was going to give … Continue reading
5 or 6 Guidelines for File Management (Yes, Really!)
I’ve worked with lots of aspiring and beginning writers and one of the biggest stumbling blocks to their creativity is simple mundane disorganization. They can’t find the latest revisions they … Continue reading
12 Stories That Almost Always Work
If you are looking for a story to tell, or have elements for your project, but are still searching for a genre, format, spine or central storyline, consider one of … Continue reading
Billy Wilder on What It Takes to be a Writer Who Writes
You may have heard of him or seen some of his movies like, oh, for instance, “Some Like It Hot”, “Sunset Blvd.”, “The Lost Weekend” and “The Apartment”. No shock: … Continue reading
