Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box

This is a real-world guide to getting paid to write great television. A professional TV writer takes readers inside the world of screen writing. Everyone watches television and everyone has an opinion on what makes a good show. The difference between knowing what makes a good show and being able to write one is this book. TV writing is a highly specific craft that requires knowledge, skill and a raft of insider's tricks. It is not enough simply to have good ideas, or to be able to tell what ingredients make a show work where others make it suck - any aspiring television writer needs to be armed with the practical know-how that people outside the business are not privy to. Epstein, a veteran TV writer and show creator, provides essential information on the entire process of television writing, both for beginners and professionals who want to go to the next level. He explains how to understand the hidden structure of a TV series - the best ways to generate a hook, write an episode, create characters the audience will never tire of, construct entertaining dialogue and use humour.He shows readers how to navigate through the tough but rewarding TV industry - from writing their first "spec" script, to getting hired to create a show, to surviving - and even thriving - in the event of being fired. Fresh, funny and informed, "Crafty TV Writing" is the essential guide to writing for and living in the world of the small screen.

“"After offering insightful writing hints and tips on how to write comedy, Epstein walks writers through finding jobs writing for television--and how to get along with everyone from story editors to show runners once one does. Enlightening and straightforward, this is a must for anyone who wants to write for television."- Booklist”

"Alex Epstein brings...honesty, skill and expertise to a field otherwise crowded with how-to-write quacks." - John Badham, director of Saturday Night Fever"

Alex Epstein has worked as a development executive, television writer and TV story editor for more than a decade. A graduate of Yale University and the UCLA School of Film and Television, he writes the popular weblog Complications Ensue -

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