sododd

[sododd]

25 THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN 25 YEARS IN TV WRITING

Well, it’s actually been 30 years now, but here’s a spew I did 5 years ago on the bird app to commemorate my 25 years as a TV writer. 

I’ve edited it a bit for clarity. Hopefully some of you will find it useful.

1. In TV writing (and writing in general) there is only one unbreakable rule: Thou shalt not be boring.

2. Write characters people want to hang out with for an hour or so once a week for years to come. Even if they’re bad people, make them interesting, engaging bad people.

3. If your lead is a bad person, make them funny and/or sexy. Direct most of their bad behavior toward other bad people or themselves. Make them well motivated. Maintain rooting interest.

4. What makes a character special should be intertwined with what makes them struggle. Perfect people are boring.

5. Characters should complement/conflict with each other. No two characters should serve the same purpose/have the same backstory/have the same voice.

6. Cast the best actor, adjust the character to suit.

7. Give your leads the best lines/moments. No one is tuning in to watch the funny guest star. Like Garry Marshall said back on HAPPY DAYS, “I’m paying Henry Winkler $25,000 an episode. Give the Fonz the jokes.”

8. Your characters, good & bad, should reflect the reality of our wonderful, diverse world. White male shouldn’t be the default.

9. Avoid stereotypes. Stereotypes are boring.

10. If all your POV characters know some secret, the audience should know it too.

11. If your show hinges on a big mystery, know more or less what the truth is from the beginning. You can change it later if you need to, but write to a specific.

12. If your story doesn’t test your characters mentally, physically, psychologically, emotionally, or spiritually, you don’t have a story.

13. You can start by figuring out the Beginning, the Middle, or the End, but you don’t have an episode until you have all three.

14. Big suspenseful act outs (the last moments before the commercials) aren’t just a gimmick. They’re a good way to structure an hour of entertainment to make sure the audience is invested and your pacing is solid.

15. Every scene should be a consequence of the previous scene or a refutation of it.

16. A scene also needs a Beginning, Middle, and End. The end should propel the characters and/or audience into the next scene.

17. Every scene is a negotiation/confrontation between two or more characters who want different things or have different ideas on how to solve the same problem.

18. A good action scene is still a character scene. With punching. (This applies to sex scenes too, but you know, with sex.)

19. A crap page is better than a blank one.

20. It’s easier to cut than to add.

21. Good things rarely happen in the Writers Room after dinner. Go home, get some rest, write pages at home if you have to, start fresh in the morning.  Writers who have a life outside the writing room are better writers. Beware the showrunner who doesn’t want to go home to their family. That said…

22. Script by day one of Pre-Production. No matter what.

23. You’re a writer first. Almost nothing happening on set or in post is more important than the writing. Delegate when possible.

24. Make an extra effort to surround yourself with writers who are different from you (background, race, gender, orientation, etc). Listen to their perspectives, especially on experiences alien to you.

25. And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make. In TV writing and life in general. 

PART TWO HERE:

https://at.tumblr.com/writergeekrhw/25-things-in-25-years-part-2-25-things-ive/okjzwofyiq6i

[sododd]

I’ve seen lots of interpretations of Aziraphales line at the end of S2

“I forgive you.”

And I just clicked as to what I think it actually meant…

Aziraphale meant that he forgives Crowley for choosing to stay locked in his bitterness and anger instead of choosing to let it go so they can be together.

And we know this isn’t true, but Crowley hides things. Crowley didn’t even tell Aziraphale he was living in his car, so he definitely has not opened up about his fall. So Aziraphale thinks that all Crowley feels about Heaven is angry. He doesn’t see the mile deep iceberg of pain and trauma bellow it because Crowley has built up this unbothered, confident, smooth talking persona as an enormous wall to hide it from everyone.

So Aziraphale thinks Crowley is rejecting him in favour of staying angry and bitter. He believes Crowleys hatred for Heaven is stronger than his love for Aziraphale. Just like Crowley thinks Aziraphale is rejecting him in favour of Heaven and that Aziraphale loves heaven more than him.

Aziraphale is saying I forgive you for choosing to live in bitterness instead of coming with me to do something good with what happened you. He says it because he doesn’t fully understand the gravity of what he’s asking of Crowley because Crowley has not told him.

[sododd]

How to create internal conflict in your characters

Developing internal conflict in book characters is essential to creating well-rounded and compelling characters that readers can relate to and empathize with. Here are some tips to help you create internal conflict in your book characters:

Give your characters a goal

Every character needs a goal, and their internal conflict should stem from the obstacles they face while trying to achieve that goal. When a character has a clear goal, it helps to create tension and conflict within themselves.

Create a backstory

A character's backstory can be a powerful tool in creating internal conflict. Explore their past experiences and how they have shaped the character's current beliefs and values. This can help to create internal conflict by highlighting contradictions or inconsistencies in the character's beliefs or behaviors.

Use a character's flaws

A character's flaws can create internal conflict by causing them to question their own judgment or struggle with their sense of self-worth. Consider giving your characters a flaw or two, and show how these flaws cause them to make mistakes or struggle with their decisions.

Show conflicting emotions

A character can experience conflicting emotions, such as feeling both love and hate towards another character, or wanting to do what is right but being held back by fear. By showing these conflicting emotions, you can create internal conflict within the character.

Use external events

External events can also create internal conflict in characters. For example, a character who has always believed in following the rules may be forced to break them to save someone they love. This can create an internal conflict within the character as they struggle with the consequences of their actions.

By using these techniques, you can create complex and engaging characters that readers will be invested in. Remember that internal conflict can be just as important as external conflict in creating a compelling story. And as always, our tips are just suggestions! Hope this helps you with your writing :)

[sododd]

Some of your books make it seems like you believe in actual literal magic, do you? ()

I can write down a few words and make people thousands of miles away, whom I have never met and will never meet, laugh tears of joy and cry tears of true sorrow for people who do not exist and have never existed and never will exist. If that isn't actual literal magic I don't know what is.

[sododd]

Hi sir ! I was wondering, how did you end up casting Jon Hamm as Gabriel ? Did he submit an audition tape, did you offer him the role ? He is brilliant in the show and a perfect match w David and Michael.

I knew Jon was a Good Omens fan, because he had told me that when he was young it was his favourite book, so I emailed and offered him the part (apologising that it wasn't in the book).

[sododd]

Just finished binging Our Flag Means Death cause I was sad about Good Omens. Thought it would make me feel better. It did not.

[sododd]

American 60s female presenting you say????? Well don’t mind if I do!!!!!