Customer Reviews

Gardner's Guide to Television Scriptwriting: The Writer's Road Map (Gardner's Guide series)

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Writing for TV- or film, for that matter- is a challenge. "Gardner's Guide to Television Scriptwriting-The Writer's Road Map" will help you get that TV episode, even that pilot episode written. And you don't have to have connections in the (entertainment) business to write a pilot (but if it does get accepted, you DO have to move to LA). Very interactive, and informative.

I would have preferred that the author updated this edition, every 2-3 years or so would be fine. As always, TV series come and go, given the volatile nature of (both broadcast and cable/satelite) network TV. But all in all, this is a very good read, and a very good aid to writing for series TV.

I found the book to be informative, well organized, and timely. It helped me immeasurably. The only thing that I didn't like about the book was her descriptives -- comparing the writing process to driving a car. She describes the acts as Streets and lists Roadblocks encountered on these streets. It was kind of silly, but the book is EXCELLENT overall -- even with the goofy metaphors. Marilyn really knows her stuff, and she's an excellent writer. If you were only going to buy one book on scriptwriting (for a one hour show), this should be it!

This is a really helpful book. It does something that most writing books don't: give you a step by step guide to creating your own spec script or series. I really love how it takes you from the very basics (like choosing a genre and the premise of your show or episode), to the very specific (it takes you act per act and tells you specifically what needs to happen in each act). At the end of the book there's a complete spec script written by the author, a rare gem since not found in most scriptwriting books and even in general since most scripts out there tend to be shooting scrips, which are different than spec scripts.

Having said that, I have two problems with the book. The first is that I don't like the shows the author uses as examples throughout the book: Gilmore Girls, 24 and West Wing. But that's a matter of taste. The biggest problem though, is that the road analogy can be a little annoying. Scenes are streets, main characters are drivers, acts are city blocks, etc. However, once you get used to it and learn to navigate through it, it is a really, really helpful book.

I'm sure there is a great deal of useful information in this book but honestly, it strains so hard to force that information into the roadmap analogy that after a couple of chapters I lost heart. The content is chopped into cute little categories of blocks and streets and signs and rocks and . . . it just gets ridiculous. Personally, I don't want to be amused by the author/editor's cutesy cleverness; I just want to know how to write a television script. There are other books out there that give you the info without making you wade through such a bunch of BS.

Television Scriptwriting: The Writer's Road Map by Marilyn Webber is a highly practical guide to the art of writing viable, intelligent, and commercially marketable television shows and scripts. Whether attempting to turn ideas into a television series, or a seeking to earn a living as a professional writer in the exciting and dynamic medium of television, Television Scriptwriting: The Writer's Road Map is a first-rate and highly recommended resource (especially for the novice with no prior experience) featuring basic information, pitfalls to be aware of, useful checklists, and much, much more.