How to Become a TV Writer

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What creative person wouldn’t want to be a television writer? You get to create worlds and extended stories, usually in tandem with a host of other scribes and artists across various departments, and make those words come to life onscreen. It really is the dream—at least for some writers (and this one in particular).

But what does it take to break into the world of TV screenwriting? And how does it differ from being a screenwriter for movies? While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all path to land yourself in a writers’ room or sell your idea to the bigwigs at a network or streamer, there are many ways to get there (and things to know along the way). So, take notes—you’re an aspiring writer, after all—as we give you an outline from which you can draft your own career.

 

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What does a TV writer do?

A TV writer is someone who works collaboratively with a group of writers and producers to craft a season of television. While writers are assigned individual episodes to pen on their own, outlines, plot points, and other important elements (such as tone, voice, and point of view) are decided with the group. The final decision ultimately comes down to the showrunner (the person in charge), often an executive producer who was also, once upon a time, a staff writer.

There are several tiers within the TV writer world, from writer’s assistant to staff writer, story editor, co-producer, producer, executive producer, and showrunner. All of these people have elements of their jobs that exist outside of putting words on a page, but they work together to ensure the final product is cohesive.

How to become a writer for TV

Writing for television is a completely different beast than writing a short story, a novel, or even a movie screenplay. It is a skillset all its own with its own vocabulary and structure, and there are even more varied differences between hour-long dramas and sitcoms. But writing for the screen isn’t hard to master—so long as you do the work. 

We spoke with writer, director, and producer Jonterri Gadson—whose credits include “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” and “Everybody Still Hates Chris”—about what it takes to have a successful career in television.

Education and training

The most traditional route to writing for TV is through a television or screenwriting program at a college or university. Some examples of the top schools with bachelor’s or master’s degree programs include: 

  • Emerson College
  • New York Film Academy
  • New York University (NYU)
  • Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
  • The University of Iowa
  • University of Southern California (USC)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

There are, of course, others—choose what’s best for you geographically, financially, and personally. That said, a specific degree isn’t required. Gadson came to television after a successful career as a poetry professor. When she got the itch to write for the small screen, she decided to educate herself on the medium. “I literally looked up what do [you] come out of the NYU MFA with? How many pilots, how many screenplays, all of that,” she explains. “And then I just started working on learning how to write those things.”

Whether it’s in a formal setting or on your own, your education will have one constant: You have to write. Dig into the specific needs of a TV script, particularly pilot scripts. Read as many produced TV scripts as you can (they’re out there, for free). And, this is the fun part, watch a ton of TV! Immerse yourself in the medium and write, re-write, get feedback, and write some more. All of it will help you create the samples you need (be they original ideas or spec scripts for another show already on air) to get seen by the people that hire new writers.

Internships, assisting, and fellowships

Some professional writers take on their own assistants and interns, which is a great way to get hands-on training while getting paid. There are also plenty of fellowship programs (also paid) that can help you get your foot in the door if you’re self-taught. For Gadson, that took several different forms. 

“I took a screenwriting class, and then I would just buy books and teach myself that way,” she says. “I was a creative writing professor, so I was used to using textbooks to write.” After that, she joined a writers’ group to meet other writers and get feedback on her work.

A vital part of getting yourself out there is to network with other writers. Whether they’re just starting out like you or scions in the field, fostering meaningful relationships with people who also love to write and create worlds is crucial to your career and its longevity. “The network is really just as important,” Gadson says. “I taught myself, but then I entered contests, and it was through those contests that I [found] mentors, got my name out there, and got the network.”

To get started, look for entry-level script-writing positions on Backstage, or submit to contests, fellowships, and festivals on platforms such as Coverfly, FilmFreeway, and ScreenCraft

Other creative communal environments

Join a writers’ group, take an improv class (even if you’re not a performer—maybe, especially so), or do some theater. All of these environments will not only increase your storytelling skills, but they’ll help you build a community of like-minded creatives, which is how most people in the industry find their first jobs. 

If you take anything away from this piece, let it be these two things: Keep writing and keep networking.

Is there a difference between writing for network, cable, or streaming TV?

In short, no. The only slight difference is the way scripts are formatted; network scripts might include act breaks for commercials that streamers don’t have to think about. Otherwise, the real variance from job to job will ultimately depend upon your showrunner and how they, well, run the show. “The best writers’ rooms I’ve been in have been with showrunners that have had jobs besides being TV writers,” Gadson says—a helpful reminder to never poo-poo a “survival job” or something outside of the entertainment industry. “Because they know how workplaces work and have some management skills.”

What about screenwriting for film?

At the end of the day, both mediums are about writing scripts that tell a story. In Gadson’s writers’ group—filled with TV and movie writers alike—“we were all going through the same thing…. The only difference is what happens after, what result you’re going for. I was trying to break into writers’ rooms; they were trying to get producers or attachments and different things needed for a feature [to get made].”

Additionally, television writing is often a writing-by-committee experience. Writing feature films is more solitary work—at least in its initial stages.

All writers should just “write what you feel compelled to write—that’s usually the thing that you should focus on…whatever it is that you’re going to finish.”

In a notoriously fickle industry, “it’s already statistically improbable that all of the people who want to make it are going to make it,” Gadson says. Finding success may require some patience, she cautions. “I didn’t quit my job until my second writers’ room. I was working full-time as a professor through my first writers’ room…. I don’t think your career starts until you get that second job. And that second job is often very, very hard to get—if not impossible—for a lot of people.”

Do TV writer skills transfer to other script-writing jobs?

Absolutely! There are plenty of ways to transfer your screenwriting skills to other jobs that aren’t on, say, a traditional screen. “I’ve been working so consistently in writers’ rooms, but there’s good, creative, fulfilling work writing for other mediums,” Gadson says. “Like writing for apps, podcasts, or video games. I’m finding really creatively fulfilling work outside of writers’ rooms, too…. So, I think for aspiring writers, just stay ready.”

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