Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box by Alex Epstein
Everyone watches television, and everyone has an opinion on what makes a good TV show. But, as Alex Epstein shows in this invaluable guide, writing for television is a highly specific craft that requires knowledge, skill, and more than a few insider's tricks.
Epstein, a veteran TV writer and show creator himself, provides essential knowledge about the entire process of television writing, both for beginners and for professionals who want to go to the next level. Crafty TV Writing shows how to understand the hidden structure of a TV series so you can write it.
It explains the best ways to generate a hook, write an episode, create characters the audience will never tire of, construct entertaining dialogue, and use humor. It explains how to steer your way through the tough but rewarding television industry: from writing your first "spec" script, to getting hired to create a show, to surviving—even thriving—if you get fired. And it illuminates how television writers think about the shows they're writing, whether they're writing comedy, drama, or "reality".
Fresh, funny, and informed, Crafty TV Writing is the essential guide to writing for and navigating in the world of TV.
