People Die
When I was in playwriting school, there were three distinct groups of artists under the umbrella of the school's Drama Division: playwrights, directors and actors. We collaborated on occasion, but [...]
Curating, Conversing or Creating?
Someone told me this week that they're cutting back on Facebook. I get it. It can be a time-suck. It's tempting to spend time liking and posting and commenting. Your creative work [...]
Start Again!
I was talking, recently, to an artist friend who was experiencing some frustration about his creative life. His big issue was that he felt like his projects weren’t moving fast [...]
Break All The Rules!
I'm teaching a class at the UCLA Extension School about developing your original story. Over 12 weeks, we're exploring the basics behind TV movies, mini-series and TV shows. The class [...]
What Happens When Your TV Show Gets Cancelled
Last week when it was announced that ABC wouldn’t be renewing American Crime, I received the news like a punch in the gut. I knew, intellectually, that it might happen: [...]
You’re Not Writing
I was in a deep coaching conversation with a talented writer who said he wasn't writing enough. Feeling really disappointed in himself, he was reportedly doing any number of productive [...]
Anybody Want To Read My Script?
I can't tell you how many times I've seen those words in a Facebook group or a chat list. "Anybody want to read my script?" I think writers who post this [...]
What John Ridley Taught Me
Last week, I got notes from ABC studios and the TV network on my script for American Crime. It's the last step in a process of brainstorming, discussing, outlining, rewriting, [...]
Think You Have Nothing To Say?
I'm teaching again at the UCLA Extension school, after a stint there last year. This class is about developing your own story. We started our adventure together with an exercise. I invited the [...]
