Why is TV writing different from any other kind of writing? How will writing a spec script open doors? What do I have to do to get a job writing for TV? Writing for television is a business. And, like any business, there are proven strategies for success. In this unique hands-on guide, television writer and producer Ellen Sandler shares the trade secrets she learned while writing for hit shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and Coach . She offers concrete advice on everything from finding a story to getting hired on a current series.

Filled with easy-to-implement exercises and practical wisdom, this ingenious how-to handbook outlines the steps for becoming a professional TV writer, starting with a winning script. Sandler explains the difference between “selling” and “telling,” form and formula, theme and plot.

Discover:

• A technique for breaking down a show style so you’re as close to being in the writing room as you can get without actually having a job there

• The 3 elements for that essential Concept Line that you must have

in order to create a story with passion and consequence

• Mining the 7 Deadly Sins for fresh and original story lines

• Sample scripts from hit shows

• In-depth graphs, script breakdown charts, vital checkpoints

along the way, and much, much more!