The Importance of Reading and Writing as Concerns Television Scripts

Alright, we all know that the more you write, the better. And I'm pretty sure that you've all heard that if you don't read, you might as well put the pen down. (I know that is not always the case, but the majority of really good script writers are also avid readers as well). I'm not saying give up if you're not a reader, but I am saying add a new book a month to your bookshelf. And then read it. I know you're busy. So am I. I have a full time job, I write articles for a local magazine, I am working on a sitcom that I hope to produce locally, I have a husband to take care of who is also in school and whose work I have to help edit, so I know that busy-ness exists. But even if you are reading a couple of pages a day, that is a help.

In the same way, sitting down to write is something that needs to be a daily habit. And I don't just mean writing a blog or your twitter posts or anything like that. I mean, seriously sitting down for the amount of time you designate (or the amount of pages) so that good writing is a habit, not just an inspiration.

In that regards, maybe you've ignored National Novel Writer's Month (NaNoWrMo for short) until now. NaNoWriMo is an event in which, every November, thousands of people around the world make the sacrifice to hack out 50,000 words of a novel. Yes, the novel will suck and this is your rough draft. But it gives you the opportunity, for 30 days, to do something every day. If you sit down and write the word count, it is a very manageable process and following that word count puts you in that habit that you need for script writing.

If your goal is to become a television writer in Hollywood, the most important things are story and speed. If you can't tell a good story and if you can't do it quickly, I hear you will not make it. So you'll say, "But Angel, I'm a script writer, not a novelist!" NaNoWriMo doesn't require that you be a novelist, just that you sit down and beat out 50,000 words in 30 days. Because that's what we need as aspiring television writers. We need the discipline to sit down and we need the storytelling format of the novel or several short stories arranged like a novel. Yes, there is ScriptFrenzy in April, but the good thing is that you can use the work from your novel to set up your script.

We just need that first draft, and we can't be afraid of how ugly that first draft is.

Also, keep in mind that you have a year to work on your Warner Brothers and Disney Fellowship scripts. Make them the best possible!!!

Good advice on remembering to read if you're gonna write. Another interesting trick I do occasionally to study television a bit is to watch a show without looking at the tv, just listen to the words and the sounds. You'd be surprised how much dialogue, noises, music and more you miss out on the first few times around when you watch your favorite show.