A professional TV writer's real-world guide to getting paid to write great television
"No need for me to ever write a book on TV writing. Alex Epstein has covered it all . . . along with a few things I wouldn't have thought of. Save yourself five years of rookie mistakes. Crafty TV Writing and talent are pretty much all you'll need to make it." --Ken Levine, writer/producer, MASH, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons, Wings, Becker Everyone watches television, and everyone has an opinion on what makes good TV. 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 explains how to decode the hidden structure of a TV series. It describes 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 shows how to navigate the tough but rewarding television industry, from writing your first "spec" script, to getting hired to work on 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 working in comedy, drama, or "reality." Fresh, funny, and informed, Crafty TV Writing is the essential guide to writing for and flourishing in the world of television.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
A great book for Beginners:
This book is perfect for beginners. It uses simply, practical words. Contains a glossary of terms. Displays an example of a breakdown, beat sheet, and Act. It's a straight forward book. Tells the ups and the downs of the business in both America and Canada. Tells you how to break in, and what to expect as a staffer among other things.
Crafty and Wise:
Alex Epstein's CRAFTY TV WRITING is a terrific new book full of great advice about the craft of episodic writing and insights into the business of television (and I'm not just saying that because he quotes liberally from me and my blog). If I didn't have a book of my own, Successful Television Writing, to recommend, this is the one I'd tell every aspiring TV writer to buy.
Great!:
This book was amazing. I read it in one day, and it was really interesting. A lot of real world examples, which was extremely helpful. And this guy is clearly a huge Joss Whedon fan, which made reading it all the more enjoyable! Highly recommend, I learned a lot and had fun doing it!
Excellent:
I've read many books on writing for film and television, and this is one of the best. What I like most about Alex Epstein's style is that it is immensely, if not compulsively, readable. His advice is practical and straightforward, and he approaches the topics in the book with a much appreciated playful sense of humor. There are books that are educational but pretentious and are a chore to go through, this book manages to be instructive and entertaining at the same time; it's a real gem. Highly recommended!
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