Ross Brown, Director of AUSB’s MFA in Writing & Contemporary Media, shared his expert advice in Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Writing a TV Spec Script for Scriptmag.com.
Know your show inside and out. Do your homework!- Make your story memorable. Showrunners read tons of specs all day, go beyond “typical.”
- Write a great episode, not an okay one. An average episode is never enough.
- Dig deep within the characters. Explore a character in a new or deeper way.
- You can’t remake the show. Demonstrate that you understand the show’s framework.
- The series must have a future. Pick a show that’s going strong in the ratings.
- Don’t send it out until it’s ready. There are no take-backs for fixing typos.
- It’s tricky writing a spec for a series that is heavily serialized. Try a “next season” episode or a stand-alone premise.
- Avoid major mistakes. Yikes, don’t make a major faux pas like these.
- One spec is never enough. Always have more than one spec to show.
Read the full article at Scriptmag.com.
Brown is an experienced television writer and author, as well as the Director for Antioch University Santa Barbara’s MFA – a program designed specifically for screenwriters, TV writers, and playwrights.
