The One-Hour Drama: Writing the First Draft Winter 09

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1 Note to students: While this syllabus is posted to give you an overview of the course, it is subject to change. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Writers Program at (310) or via at Syllabus Instructor: Greg Elliot An Overview The One-Hour Drama: Writing the First Draft Winter 09 This course assumes you have a well-worked-out outline, in industry-standard format, of the story you want to write, or that you have a draft of your spec which is in need of major revisions. Classes consist of lecture and exercises, both of which are designed to help you write your spec. We begin by reviewing your outline, to ensure that you are ready to go to draft. Early in the course we also review the mechanics of TV writing. As a class, and also in smaller groups, we discuss your story, your plot choices, your characters, your dialogue, and we do this in a way similar to a working writers room. (On a show, this is called breaking the story.) As the course progresses and you write your draft, we continue to examine your plot choices, dialogue, and character beats, in addition to discussing story and character arcs. Selected scenes from your script are read out loud and discussed, and your action beats are examined as well. We also discuss the current TV season and read scripts from shows now on TV. We may or may not hear from a few professionals in various writing-related fields, depending on our time and their availability. The bulk of our time is spent working to improve your draft as you write it. The goal of this course: to leave with a completed first draft of your spec. If You Are Taking This Class for Credit or a Grade: Grading criteria: Attendance: 10% Class participation: 20% Completion of assignments: 35% Turning assignments in on time: 5% Do this much and you get a passing grade. If you want an A or a B: Reworking of assignments per notes from instructor (or your classmates): 30% Writing is rewriting. Writing is rewriting. Writing is rewriting. Whether you're taking this course for a grade or not, you will learn the most from your second or third attempt at the assignments. As your dialogue improves, as your characterizations improve, as your plotting improves, so will your spec, and so will your grade.

2 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 2 Week One Welcome If you are open to it, this class can be the place where you bring in your outline, tell us what you're having trouble with, and kick it around before you go to script. But this is also the place to present your work and have us point out to you what might not be working. The advantage to ironing out these story kinks before you go to draft is huge. This process is good for everyone in the room, because it s often true that you learn more by watching someone else fall on his or her face. If you worry that this sharing process might make you defensive, please don t. You will see that everyone goes through the same drill. It s how your work gets better. The Basics Viewing television like a writer, not just a fan. "Oh please," vs. "Oh, wow" moments. How, and when, to do research. Keeping your story fresh. Three basic rules of spec writing: Put things back where you found them. Keep the series regulars true to their characters. Keep your story about the series leads, not about your guest stars. Stay ahead of the series you're writing, or stay away from the stories they're writing. Reviewing Your Story: the outlining process. We review the series for which you have chosen to write, and we look at your story specifically. Your outline will be your road map, guiding you through each scene you intend for your script, in order. Your outline should already contain slug lines, characters, important action and important dialogue: in other words, all the prompts you will need in order to sit down and write your script. We will talk often about the Big Four, which must be in every scene: where are we; who is here; what are they saying; what are they doing. All four questions must be answered for every scene in your outline. If your outline is not in the industry standard of the example, you have until week three to get it in that format. IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN OUTLINE, please see me.

3 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 3 Questions to ask yourself as you review your outline: How long is your outline? Twelve to Fifteen pages? Longer? Shorter? How many scenes do you have? The average television drama contains around 35 scenes. How does your spec compare? What shape is your work in now? Do you have an A story, a B story (a C story)? How are your A, B, (and C) stories paced throughout your outline? Where do they begin/end, and where do you choose to cut from one to the other? Are you true to your main characters, or do they have to step outside themselves in your story? Does your story hold together? Are there holes? Dead spots? Moments that don't work? Get these fixed now, before you write scenes that you already know don't work for you. Workshop. We, as a group, act as one big writing staff on a story. Smaller workshops. We break into smaller groups to continue the workshop process. Assignment for week two: Review and strengthen your outline. Have it ready to turn in by next week. Script we ll read: TBD.

4 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 4 Week Two Housekeeping for Outlines: Making a bible for your characters: How did they get here? What motivates them in your story to act the way they do? What relationships or events from their past influence how they behave now? Little of this information may make it into your script, but know it anyway. Reworking your outline, the A-to-C progression (no, not your A, B and C stories): tips for adding new scenes, restructuring scenes, and dropping scenes. Your Teaser and Act Outs: how do you keep us involved till the end? Where does your story start? Is this the best place? What is the goal of your teaser? Is it accomplished? Where do you choose to break for your acts? Why? Are these the most dramatic choices? Does your story drive from one end to the other? Is every scene necessary? Really? Discuss how to write efficiently. Review rules like Come in Late/Leave Early, and Ozzie and Harriet. In-class workshop: polishing your outline. Assignment for week three: Polish your outline until it shines. Bring it back to class next week. Script Assignment: TBD

5 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 5 Week Three Minding your Ps and Qs: the grammar of scriptwriting. Scripting software options vs. writing scripts the old-fashioned way. A quick review of the rules of writing for TV. The formatting hand-out, and what the margins mean. The rules of parentheticals. What goes (and what doesn t go) into action lines. When to use a slug line(scene heading) vs. when to use a shot. Should you use transitions? Using INSERT, INTERCUT TO:, POV, BACK TO SCENE, END INTERCUT, etc. A few words about script length and scene count. Assignment for next week, week four: Write your Teaser and opening act. Script Assignment: TBD

6 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 6 Week Four A quick note about story fatigue. Your Script: Strengthening your Characters Are you true to the characters as they exist in your series? How do you know? What makes truly memorable characters? When can your characters be flawed, and how do those flaws improve your story? What is the rule of putting people (characters) and things back where you found them? Can you ever break that rule? What works in real life vs. what makes believable characters. Workshop: sharpening your script opening, with an eye to your characters. Assignment for week five: Begin your second act. Write at least four scenes. Bring your script to class. Script Assignment: TBD

7 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 7 Week Five TVs conundrum: the three-act drama structure in four (or five, or now six) acts. The basics of the three-act drama and why they work for one-hour TV. Joseph Campbell's mythical journey every hero takes and why that works for one-hour dramas. Arcs What is the arc for your A story? Your B story? What is the arc for your main character? What journey does he/she take? What about your guest stars? Your villains? Your supporting cast? Find the arc for each. In-class workshop: a look at the journey your script takes. Assignment: Finish your second act. (If you are writing five or six acts, finish the first half of Act Three.) Bring your script to class. Script Assignment: TBD

8 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 8 Week Six Your Dialogue: Writing living, breathing characters. The two things all dialogue must do. The good, the bad, and the ugly of exposition: how to get away with exposition that your characters should already know; how to make exposition sound natural. The pink elephant in the corner. How to write in a visual medium: what do we need to hear? To see? Don't leave it in your action lines. Rules of dialogue, how to make your characters sound like normal people talking without actually writing the way people talk. Idioms, accents and cadence, you know? When a little goes a long way. The art of writing the believable argument. When your characters should mouth your own story concerns. When your dialogue becomes monologues. Assignment: Begin (five or six acts? Then finish) your third act. Write at least four scenes. Bring your script. Also, bring one copy for each of us (including me) of one dialogue-heavy scene to class. Reading Assignment: TBD

9 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 9 Week Seven Action lines and parentheticals: make sure they work for you. Reviewing the rules of action lines and parentheticals. How to ensure that what is in your action lines gets onto the screen. A look at action scenes: when dialogue may be necessary, and how much. In-class workshop: Making your action lines better, when more is less. Assignment: Finish your third act. (Five or six? Write your fourth as well.) Bring your script and copies for everyone of one action-heavy scene to class. (As in action lines, not car chases, but bring those if you've got 'em.) Reading Assignment: TBD

10 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 10 Week Eight Pacing: how to keep your story taut. Just what is pacing anyway? Balancing the action with the quiet moments. Where does your story lag? How do you know when your story loses steam? In other words, what's the difference between good pacing and a story that's dragging? In-class workshop: Balancing the action in your script. Assignment: Begin your fourth act/your fifth act/your sixth act. You know the drill by now, write at least half of your scenes. If you wish to receive a final set of notes from me before the end of this course, finish your script by next week. Bring your script to class. Reading Assignment: TBD

11 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 11 Week Nine Is your script still working? Now that your script is nearly finished, how does it look to you? How to know what to cut. How is your overall length? Pacing? How are your A, B, and C stories gelling? Where do your B and C stories begin to wrap up? In-class workshop: Finding the best place to end each of your stories. Assignment: Finish your script. Reading Assignment: TBD

12 Writing the One-Hour Drama Syllabus 12 Week Ten The rewrite: Now your real work begins. How to know when to listen to that little voice that says something's not working. How to know when to ignore that little voice. A review: Your dialogue Your action Pacing The journey your story takes over the course of the hour. The arc for each character, the arc for each story. How and where your stories end. Your climax and what follows. In-class workshop: Where do you go from here?