I used to lament the fact that so many network series focus on cops, lawyers, and/or doctors. I tried pitching and developing multiple series about other kinds of workplaces. I felt, like many aspiring television writers do, that there are many different kinds of job challenges that could make for compelling television. But in my [...]
Having adapted a number of true stories for the screen, I found myself wondering, as I watched Argo, which moments might have been created for the movie. I guess I’m something of an apologist for Hollywood, in that I see a need to do more fictionalizing and authorial shaping of history than aspiring screenwriters usually [...]
Yes, it’s true a writer might only get the opening pages of their script read — and it will likely be put down right away if those pages don’t immediately engage the busy industry professional who has given it a chance by opening it. Most screenwriters who have been at it for a while realize [...]
On August 1 at 1 PM I’ll be teaching a 90-minute webinar for The Writers Store on “Creating Original Series Ideas and Writing Spec Pilots.” You can listen live on your computer and submit questions. It’s $59 if you book it by July 29, and $79 after that. This class will encapsulate all the key things I’ve learned [...]
I’m a Los Angeles Lakers fan. As I’ve followed the team over the past few years, I’ve noticed certain elements need to be present, in a game, for it to be the most engaging and entertaining — the kind that keep me glued to the TV screen. Specifically, there are usually high stakes, intriguing backstory, [...]
When I work with writers giving feedback and guidance on their material and career paths, I often end up giving advice about how to gain access to agents, managers, and producers – which seems to most writers to be the biggest challenge of this business. The common conception is that “who you know” is ultimately [...]
Two-time Emmy®-winning writer-producer Erik Bork (HBO’s Band of Brothers) says saving information for a shocking reveal late in the story can result in reader confusion or alienation. Bork recommends showing your cards, even as you write toward the “big reveal.”
In Emmy winner Erik Bork’s work pitching series ideas and writing pilots (and on good days, selling them to networks such as NBC and Fox), he’s learned a few things about what they’re looking for, and what makes an idea sellable – as well as what a successful pilot script tends to include…
In Emmy-winning writer-producer Erik Bork’s work as a consultant, the most frequent script problem he encounters is lack of a clear point-of-view. He feels a story must be experienced from inside a main character’s perspective, so readers will be emotionally invested enough to want to keep reading.
