This week, I’m writing a script for Stargirl, the TV series I have the pleasure to work on. In creating my episode, I work in some very specific ways. Chances are some of those methods might be helpful to you. Here are a bunch of the things I do (in no particular order) to find my way to a completed TV script.
As a bit of background before I hit the methods: We start with an idea that the showrunner has for a particular episode. Then, we break our stories as a group – putting up cards on a board (or a virtual board) to brainstorm moments that might take place in the episode. When our showrunner gets a sense of what he likes, we narrow down the cards to represent the key moments, then we build story from there. It’s usually clear what we need (in terms of ramp up or resolution) once we know where we’re headed. Everyone chimes in and the showrunner says “Yes” or “No”. We start to put the cards in order (on broadcast TV we do this by “act” – which is the number of scenes we need before a commercial break). We put them in order in columns on our board. We read the cards over and over until we’ve sharpened the moments down to the typical number of scenes for our show. (For us that’s about 25 scenes.) Each day our writers’ assistant sends out the notes (a transcription basically) of all the ideas from that day – along with a copy (or photo) of our board. An outline (where each card is essentially written out as a paragraph) is generated by the writer of the episode (episodes are randomly assigned by the showrunner). Then for each episode, the writers’ assistant will send a document (in Final Draft) that basically mimics the cards. In other words, it looks like a script: it has scenes, and dialogue, but it’s extremely rough – containing random ideas and suggestions from the writers’ room discussion. It’s my job, as the writer of an episode, to flesh out the character interactions, to make the dialogue sing, sharpen the stage directions, add humor, and strengthen the moments with research – and turn the rough thing that looks like a script into a tight dramatic piece that’s ready for production.
Here are some of the steps I take to turn that rough set of notes into a finished script.
I start wherever I want to start. It can be really fun and energizing to jump to the juiciest scene or moments and start there. I’ll eventually put it all together, but fast-forwarding to the moments I love is exciting. I may just pop into one scene to get me going and then decide where to go from there. I keep doing that until I’m done with the script.
I write one storyline at a time. Often, I’ll pick one character and hit all of her scenes before I do anything else. That allows me to see the entire experience of the show from her point of view. Every finished episode will jump around from story to story, but in writing, I tackle one at a time to preserve the energy, momentum and character logic from one angle.
I write in short sprints. I’ve never been a successful “all-nighter” guy. I get tired pulling marathon sessions. So, I pace myself. I’ll write for an hour or less. Then take a break and do something unrelated. That might be listening to music or exercise or meditation. I clear my head. And often during that time, new ideas will occur to me about what I’ve just written. I come back with a fresh take on what I’ve done.
I play music. I’m a big fan of listening to music that inspires the writing or, in the case of a TV show, I play the soundtrack of the show. Sometimes that music is published and available for purchase, sometimes I get it from the editors on the show. This is a great way to put myself in the energy and vibe of the scenes, the characters and the show overall.
I watch the show again and again. It’s helpful to re-watch episodes to see what the actors bring to the table and to refresh my memory about the flavor of each character’s dialogue. In TV, the job (overall) is to imitate the voice of the showrunner, so finding ways to remember what template the creator has forged is very useful.
I read previous episodes. Often, I can find similar scenes from previous episodes to base my scenes on. Maybe I’m writing a character who hasn’t been seen for a while, or I’m describing a location that we use in a very specific way. Going back to see how another writer has written those moments can tell me how much (or how little) I have to do to re-establish a scene or an energy.
I read my scenes out loud. After getting the scenes down, I go over them repeatedly to make sure I’ve got dialogue that sounds like the characters. I also feel my way through the emotions of the scenes. Am I laying out the points of view in ways that seem true to the story? I read aloud to imagine how the scenes will play.
I rewrite. My first instinct may be good, but it’s never “done” with that first pass. (All writers know this.) Before my showrunner gets the material (and inevitably rewrites some of the script) I revise again and again – trying to make sure I’m preserving what we talked about in the room when breaking the story, but also trying to fill in any gaps we might have missed. I’m also trying to smooth over any rough edges – taking into account shifts of tone or story turns and making sure those seem logical and playable for actors. I rewrite with all these things in mind.
I’m always struck by how smooth the process can be because I’ve got so much prep behind me: breaking the story with the other writers, having the notes from the writers’ room, looking at the story cards, working from a narrative outline and building from a basic Final Draft document. This makes the job a great deal easier than starting from scratch. I can focus on telling the agreed upon story in a way that’s fun and entertaining, without doing any re-inventing. Each show has a particular style and rhythm and my job is match that while laying out an entirely new adventure according to the map I’ve been given.
This week, as you dive into your own writing, consider using some of these tools and methods. Even if you don’t have a writers’ room behind you, you may find it liberating to approach your writing this way.
Hit me back with any questions or observations!
