facebook_pixel Press "Enter" to skip to content

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts tagged as “Books”

How to Get Away with Writing a Hollywood Assistants Handbook

How to Get Away with Writing a Hollywood Assistants Handbook

When I first moved to LA, the only things I knew about being an assistant in the industry were through books I had read. It was only natural that one of my first stop in ‘Merica was to another bookshop (Borders) to check out their collection.

I ended up getting a promising guide entitled “The Hollywood Assistants Handbook“.
The book touts “86 Rules for Aspiring Power Players”, all conveyed in a pretty snarky tone.
(And before you ask: yes, it’s still available.)

As I was cleaning my bookshelf last week, I picked up the book to see if the content was still relevant.
Before I had a chance to glance inside, I did a double-take noticing one of the authors– Peter Nowalk.
As in, the creator of ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder.
Clearly, some of the advice he gave worked out for him!

The book was published in 2008, so there’s definitely information that’s a bit outdated (specifically relating to technology or hot-spots).
That said, it still packs some fun and useful advice.
Interestingly, a lot of the perspective on industry bosses is through the lens of “you need to accept you’ll get a jerk boss and do their insane bidding”.

You can listen to Peter Nowalk and co-author Hillary Stamm discuss the book, way back in 2008 on KCRW’s The Business (starts at 10:00).
2008, what a time trip!

It’s always fun/cringe-inducing to look back at your past writing, as Peter Nowalk attested in 2014:

VULTURE: You co-wrote a book called “The Hollywood Assistant’s Handbook: 86 Rules For Aspiring Power Players.” You are a power player yourself.
PETER NOWALK: That is so embarrassing.

The best part of this story however isn’t that Nowalk got a book published– it’s what happened to his professional career afterwards.
Thanks (in part) to putting himself out there, he ended up with a literary manager, and the curiosity of Betsy Beers (Shonda Rhimes’ producing partner). She read his script, passed it on to Rhimes.
Cut to Nowalk beginning his professional TV writing career on ABC’s (and Rhimes’) Private Practice.

Moral of the post? Harness all your experiences (both professional and personal). Know when to use them to advance your career on the business side (in addition to applying them in your writing).

Peter Nowalk did it, and less than a decade later he’s able to justify murder on national television.
Or something to that effect.

How to write TV specs for adapted series? (Readers’ Mail)

How to write TV specs for adapted series? (Readers’ Mail)

On this week’s Readers’ Mail, Jason wonders:

I wanted to ask about writing a spec script for an existing series that is itself an adaptation.
Let’s say I want to write a spec for a TV series based on a comic book – Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Arrow, The Flash, etc – or one based on a series of novels – Hannibal, Game of Thrones, etc. What would be your advice on how to utilize the source material in the spec script?
Say there’s a particular story from the source material that I’d love to adapt for one of these series – would that be fair game for a spec? Or would you recommend avoiding any use of the source material, and creating something completely original – as though the TV series existed in a vacuum?

This is an interesting and complicated question that ties into several factors: faithfulness of the adaptation, faithfulness from your own spec, and originality.

Let’s start off with…

Is it fair game to use inspiration from the source material when you’re speccing an adapted show?

A spec is in of itself an adaptation of a show (the same could be said of fan-fiction).
The real issue behind the question is where “inspiration” ends, and where “plagiarism” begins.

If you are using the source as only a jumping-off point, then that’s probably fair game.
There’s really nothing wrong with being inspired by something. It’s all about how you use that inspiration.

That’s why we also need to look at how the show you’re speccing uses its own material. Ask yourself: how closely (or not) does the series tie to its original format?
Does it actively seek out to copy narrative arcs? Or does it only bear the names of characters, but without any of their attributes?

Daredevil and Jessica Jones have very serialized arcs that relate to particular comic arcs and villains. The same could be said of The Walking Dead (just look at who’s coming in).
On the other hand, Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl are inspired by the comics, but they really make the various DC villains and characters “their own”. Even some iconic comic elements present in the series (e.g. in Flash, characters like Zoom, Vibe, Jay Garrick, Reverse Flash) are truly infused with the personality of their TV adaptations.

The number one “spec rule of thumb” dictates you should strive to mimic the style of the original show; meaning also its faithfulness to the original work.
But if a show is too faithful to its original source, where does your own originality come in?
Well, this brings us to another question…

Should you avoid using the source material altogether?

I’d argue it is downright impossible to write a great spec of an adapted series AND be like Jon Snow (i.e. know nothing) about the original source.

Game of Thrones has a complex mythology and populated world because of George R.R. Martin.
The Walking Dead has emotional baggage behind Negan because of Robert Kirkman/Charlie Adlard.
The Flash has its iconic Rogues gallery because of all the talent behind DC comics.

You simply cannot bury your head in the sand and ignore the source material. Because that is not how the shows you’re trying to spec operate.
If anything, you need to understand all the rules of the world, and those of its adaptation.

That usually means you shouldn’t transpose a complete story arc and just add some TV dialogue on top of it.
Greg Berlanti shows are notorious for first looking at their central character’s episodic conflict before even glancing at the DC roster. The writers want to nail what the characters are going to go through first, which will then dictate what villain is the best antithesis to that problem.

In fact, there are several issues at play with copying something beat-for-beat for a spec:
1) It defeats the point of a spec. As is oft-repeated, a spec is here to show you can blend in with the source, which in this case is the show not the comic/book it originated from.
2) You run the risk of the series doing a similar run of storylines down the road. And they’ll probably do it better than you could (since they know their own show better).
3) Depending on how major the story arc is, there’s a strong chance someone out there is already speccing it.
4) You risk being branded a copycat, especially if a reader is very familiar with the material and sees you copied it. Do you really want that reputation?

To summarize:
Will you be penalized for using an existing DC Comic villain in a Flash spec? Probably not.
Will you run into trouble for copying an entire issue of said DC villain? It’s a definite possibility.

Since all adaptations have their own degrees of faithfulness, and people tend to imitate that same for their specs, it’s therefore not surprising that Game of Thrones (a close adaptation of its novels) is not accepted by the Warner Bros. program.

So, if you want to have some inspiration without copying it…

How do you utilize the original source material?

The answer is clear: do your research on how the show compares to the OG book or comic. Read, learn, and more importantly look at the differences.
Don’t just look at the contrasts in story, or how characters are portrayed on the show, but understand why the writers decided to diverge from the books.

There always are specific idiosyncrasies of adaptations; thematic ideas that they focus on over others (vis-à-vis the original).
How central was Catholicism in Netflix’s Daredevil compared to some classic Daredevil comic runs?
How different was Tyrion’s portrayal in the books versus a show where he’s played by a popular actor?
How important is Cisco’s character journey to becoming Vibe/Reverb in the Flash comics?

Once you have answered that, you’re a step closer to figuring out what makes the show “the show” and the book “the book”.

If you’re drawn to a particular story, then you’ll need to find your own take of the material, all within the tone of the show.
Although you may run the risk of someone using that villain in the future, if you really made that character your own, then you may still be able to use the sample.

Infusing that original creation with your own personal take, and the spirit of the TV show, is ultimately what will separate stealing from adapting.

—

If you’re a reader with a question of your own, feel free to send me a message!

Write on.


You’re probably also interested in these resources:


Seven Years of TV Writing (and advice)

Seven Years of TV Writing (and advice)

Television writing is, for all intents and purposes, the core subject of this website.
It would be foolish to recap seven years worth of TV writing-related content and advice in a post.
Let’s do it anyway.

We began our journey by tackling a very simple problem: how to land that first job in television. Yes, that “simple” comment was sarcasm.
It was shortly thereafter that I started mentioning a few of my favorite TV business books, and some great TV writing books.
Note to self: make another updated list. Other note to self: add previous note to self to to-do list.

June 2010 meant kick-off time in South Africa, which led me to write what the World Cup can teach you about TV writing. Hint: it does not involve corruption.

A big event of the past seven years was also my “spec experiment” in 2013 of writing and publicly publishing my spec pilot of Star Trek: Terran.
I explained my thought-process in a much-debated post entitled “Breaking Rules” — Speccing And Sharing Star Trek: Terran.

Television is a collaborative medium. We’re not writing novels, we’re making episodic scripts. And we should be learning from each other.
Sadly, besides produced scripts being traded in the shadows of Internet, there’s almost no TV writer, aspiring or pro, willing to openly share their work.
And I have to say: it’s weird.
I’m not talking about sharing projects currently in development/production or making the rounds. What I’m referring to is all the other stuff. The failed pitches, the finished projects, the canceled ventures.
This isn’t a question of getting/wanting validation from the outside. It’s obvious most writers already have a group, or an entourage whose opinion they care about. It’s about sharing the craft. The experience of TV writing.
That’s one of the reasons why I put Terran out there. Like any spec, it’s an ongoing work in progress, and I do welcome any feedback I get. Yet, I don’t expect it to be made (copyright issues notwithstanding). I put it out, in part, to share the process (good and bad).

I concluded with the following sentiments:

Writing can be a personal affair, but TV is communal. It’s teamwork. We’re all in this together.
I wish writers were more willing to openly share their work, especially when it comes to television.
It’s high time we started learning from each other’s craft. Why not become a team writer yourself?

Sounds like people need another bump to the bum!

Moving on to one of our most popular TV writing series–
“Screenwriting Lessons From” is a great little series of articles where I reverse-engineer screenwriting lessons from finished series. We’ve tackled Coupling, Friends, Parks & Recreation, Farscape and Six Feet Under.
Last December, this tweet happened:


Yes, that’s a tweet from motherfrelling Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon praising my “Screenwriting Lessons from Farscape” post! I’m still in shock that happened.

And speaking of professional TV people and popular series (greatest transition ever?), we’ve had since last year our “Profiles of Television” interview series, which mixes both TV writing and TV business advice. Posted as of today:
– Kiyong Kim – TV Writing Fellow (Nickelodeon/NBC WOTV/CAAM)
– Meghan Pleticha – TV Writer’s Assistant & Script Coordinator (Silicon Valley/Married)
– Jill Weinberger – TV Writer/Story Editor (Chicago Fire)
– Matt Thilenius – TV Literary Assistant (CAA)
(and someone else we had to remove for secret reasons)
Fun fact: this is just the beginning! I’ve already got four upcoming interviews in the can, ready to fire off. All that’s left to do is the transcript for each. Shouldn’t take more than hours and hours of work.

Of course, our big takeaway for most people have always been my annual spec script lists. I’ve published, so far, 13 spec lists since our creation (or, more accurately, since 2009).
It’s fair to say that over the past few years, our focus has slowly shifted to the TV writing fellowships and specs.
The first venture into the “how-to” spec guide was with the super-duper Canadian police procedural Flashpoint and our “Spec Flashpoint” series. I broke down over seven articles how I specced that show. Everything from research to, well, development.
Let’s not forget also the various how-to articles on spec scripts, mainly how fresh a show should be to spec it, and ten spec writing rules (and why you should care).
Over the past seven years we’ve had a ton of other articles on TV writing, including:
– The difference between a “spec script” and “spec pilot”
– How to land a writing gig on a TV show
– Script Registration 101
– How to get a TV agent
– How late you can spec something
– Animated vs. live-action specs
– Is a pilot script needed when pitching?

And many more.

It has been a very fruitful journey so far, and I hope you continue living it with us.

Write on.