For screenwriters working in the entertainment industry, outlining is key when it comes to delivering a great screenplay, television pilot, or episode of TV. Learn how to write a comprehensive screenplay outlines from some of the top screenwriting experts in the industry.
When I first conceived of my WHAT’S POSSIBLE, WHAT’S PROBABLE? series this past August, I didn’t quite anticipate that it would be as well received as it was. After all, the possible/probable distinction is one I’ve been making for years. I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that,… read more →
Every year, around this time, as the prestigious television network writing programs, labs and workshops begin to announce their crop of writers selected for participation, the rumor mill starts to bubble and stir. After all, everyone wants to know: Why was someone else selected and not me? If I submitted… read more →
If there is one thing I’ve learned over my many years working with screenwriters, it is this: When it comes to making or breaking your screenwriting career, your body of work can make all the difference. Before we go into the “why,” let’s address the “what”: What should a screenwriter’s… read more →
A writer calls me the other day: “So I wanted to get notes on my script. How much do you charge for that?” Me: “I’m a career consultant. I’m not a reader or – for that matter – a script consultant. Did you find me through my website?” Writer: “Ahhhh…… read more →
If you’ve yet to hear the name JEFF PORTNOY… Seriously? Where have you been? Not only did Tracking Board’s 2016 Spec Book name him the top manager when it comes to setting up feature specs (getting 13 specs to market, and setting up an unparalleled 6 this past year), but… read more →
I am a sucker for advice. Any advice. I collect it like kids used to collect stamps (or like today they collect Shopkins or Pokemon cards), catalogue it, organize it, put it away for safe keeping only to pull it out again at just the right time, should it ever… read more →
As I conducted interviews for my new book, BREAKING IN: TALES FROM THE SCREENWRITING TRENCHES, there was one mistake that agents, managers and executives kept reminding me that writers, and especially new writers, are continuously making: Getting their work out into the professional space, be it to a potential agent… read more →
Misconceptions about what it takes to become a working screenwriter, e.g. what is required in order to attract the right sort of industry attention, and where your time and resources are best spent, are everywhere. Is it all about the writing? Or all about relationships? Do you have to have… read more →
With 2017 chugging along, and the first fellowship deadlines (Sundance, Humanitas and HBO to name a few) already behind us, many emerging television writers eager to push their television writing careers to that elusive next level are hard at work preparing their TV specs, original pilots and myriad essays for… read more →
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