Customer Reviews

The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts

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I've been using Ellen Sandler's book as a guide for the last few weeks, and I feel I've done much better work in that short time than I did all last year. The book is mainly geared towards sitcom writers, and for those interested in writing a comedy spec, this book is the one to get!

But for the sake of those wondering if they should purchase this or not, I will try to find some. YES, YOU SHOULD BUY THIS! How is that? :) Putting aside the fact that Ellen has written for some of the best TV I've ever watched, I don't see how anyone couldn't benefit from the generous advice she offers in this guide and so inexpensively! Be warned though, this book is not one that you just read. I guess you could, but I would honestly recommend trying the things she suggests. I tried most of her exercises and the differences in my spec script definitely stood out. This book is priceless, in my opinion.

This is by far the BEST TV writing book I've ever read and I have nearly all of them. Sandler doesn't just tell you the steps necessary to write a fantastic spec script, like all these kinds of books do, she guides you through the creative process of mining story material for it. And she tells you how to fashion subject matter that has the most emotional meaning for you, the author--which is the benchmark of great writing. It was a concept that until now, that no matter how many books I read, or how many harsh notes from execs I received on all my previous specs (or so I thought, now I FULLY understand their notes!) that I didn't grasp until now. TV Writer's Workbook, has provided the creative lightbulb I needed to get me out of my sucky spec script darkness. Highly recommended!

If you are serious about writing/producing for TV then this book is a must. What better way to get information from someone who has actually worked in the business and taken the journey many of us are currently forging. I found Ellen Sandler writer/producer of Taxi, Coach, Everybody Loves Raymond, and more to be honest and sincere in her description and advice on what it takes to become success writer/producer in the business.

This book is a rich resource on how to write your first spec script and what qualities besides good writing one should possesses or develop to break through, what often times seems to be a brick wall of Hollywood studio, producers, agents, managers, ect. The content and tone is that of a workbook, however not in a traditional sense, but in a more subtle and simple way. Ellen gives a brief background about how she herself got into the business and then informs the writer of what they need to know about the spec script and how to read to write. She further goes into what you need to do to develop your story, how to make it come alive, and re-edit it until you cant anymore. In another part of the book she focuses on what you need to do when you have your spec script written and gives you sound advice with real world examples on how to break into the door. She offers up helpful tips on FAQ's such as should you move to LA?, the difference between producers and writers, pitching your ideas, dealing with agents/managers, potential salary figures, respecting the industry and business standards and more.

Besides loving the content on writing, I loved the wealth of information contained in the book on such helpful topics as where to get scripts, industry jargon/terminology, bookstores and publication sources for writers, as well as a host of contact information for other beneficial advisors.

Lastly, I love the humility with which this book concludes. Ellen acknowledges here successes and rightfully so, but advises the reader to keep searching and seeking out other advisors and not be afraid to listen to contradictory information, keeping in mind that in Hollywood there is not set path to success.

As a publicist switching careers and having previously written spec scripts I love this book and highly recommend.

While reading, I found the sub-title, "A Creative Approach" a bit ironic. There's one writer's exercise that one might consider creative. The rest of the book is full of rules, structure and more danger signs than you'll find on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. To start, forget writing. Yep, most of it has nothing to do with creative writing.

She recommends spending time honing the central idea and then plotting out the beats with specific emotional targets (and she means specific). While you're doing all this heavy thinking, you have to plan within strict scene lengths that have been set by the showrunner. Have a great 3 page scene after the break, but the show doesn't do 3 page scenes. Forget it. Want to bring in a guest star? Who do you think you are? Want to make any character other than the star the focus? There goes your script to the DNR (Do not read) pile. Oh, and by the way, she once made an innocuous spelling mistake and remembers it to this day. So make sure your script is spelling-perfect down to the last period.

Should you be able to make it past all the "donts" and your script is accepted then you sit in a room for 14 hours a day while 12 writers shred it to pieces and every line you wrote is open-season to someone's better idea. However, as payment for all this work and abuse, your name appears on the credit. She wrote an episode of Everyone Loves Raymond that she is rightfully very proud of. It's a true TV gem.

If you take this book seriously than I believe her prediction is one target. It would take you 6 months to come up with a competent script. If you're looking for a book that is "artistic" this is NOT the book for you. This is a book on craft from an insider. There are NO short-cuts. Indeed, everything I thought was easy, turns out, is anything but.

If you're just curious about writing for TV reading this book will give you a special appreciation for the amount of work that goes into a 22-minute TV show.

I rarely make a recommendation, but this book is the most helpful I have ever read on TV writing. It offers a very practical process that is like a key opening a door to your own creativity.

Personally, I write screenplays rather than TV scripts--but found wisdom and information in this book to be completely adaptable and applicable to my goals. I would encourage anybody else who has interest in writing scripts of any type to consider reading and adding this book to their library. I have read a number of books on different aspects of writing over the years--many both helpful and inspiring in a variety of ways. Far and away, however, the most beneficial are (not surprisingly) written by serious writers themselves, who are speaking from firsthand knowledge and hard-won experience. What really shines through here is that the author is not only an excellent teacher of the craft, but an accomplished practitioner herself. The guidance one gets you will quickly find is in sync with the experience of actually sweating through the hard, but amply satisfying work of doing. The last third of the book, which deals with the practicalities of what to do with a script now that it's been written (and revised enough times to warrant sending it out into the world!) is guidance and information one isn't likely to get unless one actually knows people inside the industry. Love the book.

This is one of the most thorough and entertaining books I've read on the subject of TV writing. Sandler deftly utilizes her experience in the industry to provide examples that are relatable and understandable. Her writing is concise allowing the reader to breeze through the book. She also includes various writing exercises which I found to be particularly helpful to the writing process and offered new, creative ways to not only write stories, but to get ideas as well. This is a fantastic book and one I would highly recommend to someone interested in TV writing or writing in general!

I can highly recommend Ellen Sandler's book. It is so good you wish you could keep it to yourself while absorbing all the clever and inspiring tips Ellen provides. A must if you want to learn anything at all about writing for television!

I had the opportunity to attend one of Ellen Sandler's lectures, recently and was impressed by what she had to say and had to know more, so I bought her book at the event. Best tv/screenwriting book, I have bought in years. This is one that I will continue to reference as needed. It is written in a voice so entertaining, that you can understand why she has been so successful in her career as a tv writer. I recommend this book to anyone who is starting out and to anyone who needs a fresh prospective.