WRITER’S BLOCK?  NO SUCH THING IN TV

Most successful TV shows make 22-24 episodes per season – the equivalent in terms of length of writing and shooting 6-12 feature films in about 9 months.  Because of this, a TV writer’s life is all about constant deadlines and meeting them come hell or high water.  Writer’s block?  No such thing – no time for it.  They need the script NOW.  CBS will not put up a slide reading, “The writer’s of CSI apologize but they just didn’t have any good ideas this week.  Please enjoy these color bars and some Barry Manilow tunes for the next hour.”

This is one reason why even if you want to write feature films, being a TV writer is fantastic training.  You learn to be disciplined, to write whether you “feel like it” or not.  You learn to be efficient – even about being creative.  This, in turn, builds self-confidence.  You know that one way or the other, ideas will come to you and you will deliver promptly and professionally.

At Chapman, some of the best writing takes place in our TV writing courses.  My students have written outstanding specs for all kinds of shows including The Sopranos, Mad Men, True Blood, The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, The Office, and 30 Rock.  Several have also written great spec pilots – including two that we shot, one of which was nominated as Outstanding Drama at the New York TV Festival.

If you love TV, then Chapman’s the place for you!