Rarely do I write a three-parter… in fact, this is a first for Balls of Steel… but Mike Wolfe’s journey from the American Pickers show idea to The History Channel and beyond can’t be summed up in one article. If you’d like to catch up on the first two parts, Part 1 covers how Mike [...]

Los Angeles is full of thousands upon thousands of aspiring screenwriters desperate to prove they’re talented, creative, and interesting any way they can … including via their business cards.

If your story’s characters don’t end up in a different emotional space from where they began, neither will your audience. (Even on a sitcom.)

Aspirants often think cold-calling, querying, and unsolicited submissions are viable methods for getting an agent. But they’re actually a waste of time, energy, and postage. So let’s take a look at some methods that work …

Recent news from the Writers Guild of America, West and Writers Guild of America East, including Congressional hearings on net neutrality and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces campaign.

There is no bigger sign of an amateur than someone who’s worried about their stuff being stolen. If you worry your show can be stolen… you haven’t written it well enough.

While it’s exciting to watch TV’s new shows and schedules being unveiled during Upfronts Week, this week is actually—for the networks, the kingpins of the TV world—just the beginning of an even more critical period.

This week we have an absolute treat… a 46-minute interview with Emmy-nominated writer-producer, playwright, director, and author of the TV Writer’s Workbook, Ellen Sandler!

If screenwriting is not a “calling,” if it’s just something you’ve thought about trying when you have some spare time… then I say, “don’t bother.” Because you will be trampled by hordes of other screenwriters—of all ages—who want it more badly, and are willing to do more to get it, than you do.