Network TV premiere week is here, and if you’re like me, you’ve been watching some really excellent new shows (and some old favorites). It’s also likely you’ve seen some not-so-good shows as well. I love this time of year! (Let me know what you’re watching so we can compare notes.)

In between catching some of the new programs, I’ve been reading scripts for several TV writing contests. I love doing it, it’s great fun and really interesting. There’s no doubt that writing a good pilot script is tough to do, and it’s exciting to see writers taking chances on the page. But how do you make your TV script stand out from the crowd?

Here are six things writers should be aware of when creating a pilot.

1) Include a series arc! Pilots should allude to a longer (series long) story that will unfold. If you’ve only got one episode on your mind and there aren’t threads to a juicy future of storytelling, find a way to insert them.

2) Focus on your main character! Every story has one (even ensemble shows). Firmly establish your protagonist’s POV even if you include other storylines.

3) Check for typos multiple times. Nothing says “amateur” more than misspelled and left out words and other obvious mistakes. Have other people read your work too, so it can be as clean as possible.

4) Let character trump humor. Any funny moments will fall flat if they aren’t truly connected to a dramatic purpose and a solid story. A joke for joke’s sake will feel like what it is.

5) Make your stage directions clear and seamless. Scripts are literature as well as a blueprint for a visual medium. If the descriptions are tight and easy to follow, you’ll help any reader move through the action smoothly. Choppy or jarring stage directions will likely pull a reader out of the world of the script.

6) Find stuff to love about your characters. If you think of the people in your script as chess pieces – only attached to them for what cool or funny moves they do, they’ll feel two-dimensional to the reader. Spend time sinking into the humanity of all of your characters. Give the reader a chance to fall in love with them, too.

Of course, there’s more to know about creating pilot scripts, but these 6 items are fundamental to creating good material.

Working on a pilot and need a reader? Check out the details of the Page by Page Punch-Up and Polish.

A TV Writer Reveals: “What I learned on the job…”

As you know, I’ve been asking my TV writer peeps about the discoveries they’re making at work these days.

My friend James Oliver just completed a run on the CBS drama Under the Dome, based on the story by Stephen King. He was hired as an assistant to the producer and he and his wife, Sharla, co-wrote an episode that aired this summer.

I asked James what he learned on the job. Here’s what he said: “Given that Under The Dome got cancelled a day after my boss said he was going to bump us up to staff writers, this: Even when you do everything right, you will have setbacks. It’s not in your control. All you can control is how well prepared you are when the lucky break comes, so keep at it.”
Excellent advice, James. Yes, preparation is key!

And, while the show has been officially cancelled by CBS, the producers continue to search for another home for the sci-fi series. (Fingers crossed).

You can watch episodes of Under the Dome on Amazon Prime and CBS All Access

A WORKSHOP IN OCTOBER

Your Creative Life Workshops are BACK!

Late next month, I’ll be offering one of my live L.A. writing workshops! Which one? Will it be the TV writing workshop, the Business workshop, the You Can Write workshop, the Birthing Process workshop or the Playwriting workshop? Watch this space for answers (and for a date and time). And drop me a line if there’s a workshop you’ve been dying to take or if you have questions.

Happy Network TV Premiere Week!!