The Next Step

[K-Mark]

I've been working on a television series (as some of you saw in the critique section) and I just finished the pilot episode. It is roughly 5300 words and about 35 pages.

Besides continuing to write the following episodes, what is the next step?

1) Do I ask a professional to critique it (30+ pages is too long to post here). Do I wait until the series is done before asking for a critique?

2) Do I query an agent with only one episode, or do I need to write a whole season?

3) Do I write a treatment for the pilot or the series?

Any direction would be great. I'm not going to jump right in and start querying, asking to be read, etc...I just want to have some kind of game plan.

I know from my novel and freelance writing, it's hard to break in...very hard...so I'm curbing my enthusiasm, I am just curious how one would proceed in this situation.

Thanks in advance

[dpaterso]

Alex Epstein's site may interest you (it certainly interested me): http://www.craftyscreenwriting.com/

There's a TV FAQ link in the left hand column with loads of questions and answers.

Also check out the tips (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24087) thread for more links which odocoileus posted previously.

-Derek
My Web Page - shameless vampyre fiction & other shameless writings. (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/DPaterson57)
That was a big mistake, Bart. No children have ever meddled with the Republican Party and lived to tell about it. ~Sideshow Bob

[K-Mark]

This is good stuff. Thanks, Derek.

[whistlelock]

Is Brody's site still up? He was the exec producer on series like Walker, and Fall Guy. His was a great TV writing resource, but I don't know if it's still up and running.

[dpaterso]

A quick Google search listed a bunch of links for Larry Brody, including an interview on Absolute Write:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/screenwriting/larry_brody.htm

A link to Larry's site is at the bottom of the article.

-Derek
My Web Page - shameless vampyre fiction & other shameless writings. (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/DPaterson57)
Take the critiques you get with a grain of salt. Invariably, some of the critics will be kooks, bitter curmudgeons, or complete fools. ~odocoileus

[Goodwriterguy]

I've been working on a television series (as some of you saw in the critique section) and I just finished the pilot episode. It is roughly 5300 words and about 35 pages.

Besides continuing to write the following episodes, what is the next step?

1) Do I ask a professional to critique it (30+ pages is too long to post here). Do I wait until the series is done before asking for a critique?

2) Do I query an agent with only one episode, or do I need to write a whole season?

3) Do I write a treatment for the pilot or the series?

Any direction would be great. I'm not going to jump right in and start querying, asking to be read, etc...I just want to have some kind of game plan.

I know from my novel and freelance writing, it's hard to break in...very hard...so I'm curbing my enthusiasm, I am just curious how one would proceed in this situation.

Thanks in advance
You've been turned on to Larry Brody and I'd urge you to get over to his site. He runs an on-going tv series competition that would be the perfect event for you at this stage of your game, methinks.

Brody used to be in Calabassas but he relocated to his homestate of Arkansas a few years back, and seems to be a happier camper with the change.

You'll have to write what's known as a "Bible" for your show, which is a package that outlines the dramatic deal and provides bios on each of the main characters; it becomes the thing that new writers hired on the show are given to guide their writing. If you have a segment, estensibly the pilot, and a Bible, you'll have what's needed, and I guess you'd wanna write up a "leave behind" or a "one sheet" which describes the show and would be left with producers after pitches.

Personally, I think any new writer who's looking at an opportunity to sell something should have that something critiqued by competent hands; hey you've done everything to make your piece shine like new money, you oughta get it "vetted" before throwing it out there for the world to chew on and maybe chew up.

I'm assuming Brody is still running his TV contest dealie, but even if he's not, you can get a ton of insight about the whole television world at his site.

Best you you! :)

[dreamsmadetext]

Alex Epstein is a great resource. I have both Crafty Screenwriting and Crafty TV Writing and I recommend them highly. Lee Goldberg's Successful Television Writing is a another very helpful look at the business.

I suggest starting with Crafty TV Writing. It's a good overview and he has a whole chapter on pilots.

Is your show a half-hour comedy or a one-hour drama? If it's a one-hour show, your script should be about 50 pages long. (That assumes standard margins and 12 point Courier font.) The usual estimate is one page of script per minute of screentime. 35 might be okay for a comedy.

I wouldn't worry about writing a bible and future episodes just yet, unless you really want to. They aren't necessary to sell the pilot and it's unlikely anyone will look at them until the pilot's picked up.

Most agents won't look at a new writer unless they have two spec scripts. They generally prefer one to be a sample episode of an existing show. For a published novelist, this might be different, especially if you have an audience for your novels that might carry over to television.

Once you've done some research, you can get a list of agents from wga.org or the Hollywood Representation Directory and start querying agents. Make sure any agent you're dealing with is a Writer's Guild signatory.

Use the same precautions in Hollywood as you would in the publishing world - stay away from anyone who's charging *you* money.

Good luck!

[K-Mark]

Wow, this is great info. Thanks for the links and the insight. I'll print this out and have it for my reference. Thanks, everyone.