I. Introduction
This book is an experiential book. By that, I mean that you aren’t going to find academic discussions on the Entertainment Industry, diagrams of story structure, or pedantic examinations of the creative process. No, this book is all about my experiences and the knowledge I have gained from them. I’m going to attempt to write it in a very accessible and friendly manner, much like I would speak if you were to just sit with me for lunch and ask questions or ask for advice. Sometimes, these might be questions that are just curiosities that occur to you, some things you don’t normally hear people talk about. Or questions about the difference between the theory of the Industry and the reality of it. That’s the real core of this book.
So how did this come about?
In my many years of working as a professional in the Television industry, I have had numerous people ask me questions about the business. With the expansion of the Internet, this has increased a hundredfold. Obviously, there would be many things that just kept cropping up over and over again. Not too long ago, I finally got it through my head that it would be easier to document my answers so that I wouldn’t have to retype everything each time I was asked.
I soon realized that I had compiled a list of questions from these aspiring Television Writers. This list implied two things: One, these were questions that really meant something to them and, two, they weren’t getting the answers anywhere else. But when I responded, I soon found out that many times they weren’t always happy with the answers I gave. In some cases, they even debated whether I was telling them the truth or not.
My conclusion? I wasn’t telling them what they wanted to hear; but I was telling them the truth. Good or bad, the truth isn’t always what we wish it to be, but it is still the truth. Without it a person is unprepared and defenseless. I can’t tell people what they want to hear; I can only tell them what they need to hear. That philosophy created this book.
In fact, though, this was never intended to be a book. I had compiled these questions and answers for a long time, but never intended to publish them. But when I decided to do it, I really thought I was onto something original. An approach that was unique. Something that would stand out. I was in a book store chatting with a friend, who was the store manager, about the possibilities of such a book. She liked it. In fact, she liked the one that was already on the shelf.
Oops.
Max Adams is an awarding winning Screenwriter who wrote “The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide” and, like myself, has a high internet presence. Max uses the same format; mining her material from the volumes of e-mail she has received. Fortunately Max’s area of expertise is in Film. And, though there is cross-over and grey areas, Television and Film are two different animals with the same genealogy.
So why would I mention it here? For the obvious reasons. Although many won’t believe me, I developed this idea and structure on my own. So did Max. Elsewhere in this book I’ll talk about how some ideas just happen to more than one person at a time, no matter how original you think it is. Well, this is a good case in point. You can accept this as truth or not, but I have a pretty strong bar for my own ethics. I give kudos to Max for acting on her idea immediately and getting it published. And if you like this format and want to see the Feature side of the business, I recommend that you give her book a look-see.
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