Paper Team

Alex and Nick discuss how to take feedback in your TV writing. Whether you're on staff or working on your own projects, why and how should you take notes, and when should you say no?

Why is it important to be malleable with your TV scripts? What are the differences in approaching notes as a staff writer and with your own material? How do you deconstruct feedback and understand what needs to be fixed? How should you take a note? When is it worth saying no? How do you reject a note?

Content

1 - The mindset of receiving criticism (00:23)

2 - Why and how to take a note (07:26)

3 - Deconstructing feedback and "the note behind the note" (15:10)

4 - Why and how to reject a note (20:16)

Takeaways and Next Week On (27:28)

Links

Feedback and Notes: Building Your Reading Onion (PT08)

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick welcome Charla Lauriston, writer on Hoops, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and People of Earth, to discuss pitching in the writers' room and working as a stand-up comedian.

How can you be effective in a writers' room? Should you gauge your own pitches? How does stand-up translates to TV writing? What is the process of writing a comedy routine? How do you sustain a TV writing career beyond that first job?

The Paper Team is a laugh riot...

Content

Performing In and Out of the Comedy Writers' Room with Charla Lauriston (00:30)

Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (46:33)

Links

Charla Lauriston

Charla Lauriston on Twitter

Charla Lauriston on Instagram

Hoops on Netflix

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick answer your questions about writing routine, episode formats, and international writing education.

Plus, we give our thoughts on the latest TV writing news, including The Good Place's final season and the UTA/Paradigm rumors.

Content

Records, shout-outs and reviews (00:28)

Audience Questions: international writers, music routine, formats, experience (07:39)

TV Writing News: The Good Place and UTA/Paradigm (25:09)

Links

Should You Pay for TV Writing Education? (PT19)

TV Writing Resources We Use (PT139)

La Femis (Cursus Ecriture et Création de Séries)

Storyhive

Putting Yourself Out There (PT75)

Breaking in as a TV Writer Later in Life ft. J. Holtham (PT92)

"The Good Place Boss Explains Why He's Ending the Show" - TV Line

"UTA-Paradigm Deal Chatter Heats Up as Agencies Feel Urge to Merge" - The Hollywood Reporter

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick share the TV writing resources they use for the screenwriting craft, from books, websites, and podcasts, to apps, tools, and hardware.

We go over some of our personal recommendations for television writer resources that we've discussed over the years, and why they matter to us.

Content

1 - Books (00:30)

2 - Finding Scripts (11:05)

3 - Apps/Software (14:19)

4 - Hardware/Tools (19:08)

5 - Websites (25:46)

6 - Podcasts (34:55)

7 - Miscellaneous (39:06)

Links

"The Cheeky Monkey" - Tim Ferguson

"Writing the TV Drama Series" - Pamela Douglas

"Television Writing from the Inside Out" - Larry Brody

"The TV Writer's Handbook" - Ellen Sandler

"Write to TV" - Martie Cook

"Elephant Bucks" - Sheldon Bull

"Crafty TV Writing" - Alex Epstein

"Successful TV Writing" - Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin

"The Coffee Break Screenwriter" - Pilar Alessandra

"The War of Art" - Steven Pressfield

"The Hollywood Standard" - Christopher Riley

"The Emotion Thesaurus" - Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman

William C. Martell's Blue Book series

"On Writing" - Stephen King

WGF Library

TV Calling Script Library

Other TV script library

Final Draft

Highland

Scrivener

Sublime Text

Slack

Moleskine Notebooks

Kindle eReaders

Kobo eReaders

Time Timer

ThinkVision P27h-10 IPS Monitor

TV Tropes

John August Blog

Go Into The Story Blog

r/screenwriting (reddit)

r/worldbuilding (reddit)

"Screenwriting Lessons From" series on TV Calling

Hemingway Editor

Thesaurus

RhymeZone

Rainy Mood

Bose QuietComfort 35 II Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Paper Team Cheat Sheets on Patreon

Breaking Bad Insider Podcast

Battlestar Galactica podcast by Ron Moore

The Writers Panel

3rd and Fairfax

To Live and Dialogue in LA

Scriptnotes

Children of Tendu

Draft Zero

Parker/Stone NYU Lecture (Video)

Big Brother Live Feeds

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick advance in their Paper Team Mentorship with winner Paul Chang, and his comedy pilot MID-DEATH CRISIS.

Step three: an outline of the pilot episode, with every act broken down scene-by-scene.

We answer some feedback and discuss our thoughts on the outline live.

Content

Updates and listeners' thoughts on the second mentorship episode (00:37)

Discussion of the "Mid-Death Crisis" outline (07:24)

Links

"Mid-Death Crisis" outline

Paper Team Mentorship I – "Mid-Death Crisis" Overview (PT128)

Paper Team Mentorship I - Paul's Update

Paper Team Mentorship II – “Mid-Death Crisis” Beat Sheet (PT134)

Paper Team Mentorship II - Paul's Update

Paul Chang on Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick return to their "Inside the TV Writing Program" series – a deep dive into what goes on inside every major TV writing program from the decision makers themselves.

Our fifth part takes a look at the Fox Writers Lab, with Moira Griffin, who oversees the program as Executive Director of Production and Creative Labs for 21st Century Fox.

We discuss everything, from the latest update about the program and its application process, to what they focus on in scripts, loglines, and what comes after.

Content

About the Fox Writers Lab (00:43)

1 - The application process (06:41)

2 - The selection process (23:27)

3 - The program (31:10)

4 - After the program and final advice (41:33)

Links

Fox Writers Lab

Fox Directors Lab

Moira Griffin on Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick answer audience questions about similar premises, quality of dialogue, and cultural experiences.

Plus, we catch up on some of the TV writing news from the past few weeks, including a discussion on staffing opportunities, Netflix and Disney.

Content

Shout-outs (00:24)

Audience Questions: Similar ideas, quality of dialogue, cultural experience, animation (02:46)

TV Writing News: Staffing opportunities, Netflix and Disney (20:29)

Links

"To Live & Dialogue in LA" podcast

Inspiration vs. Stealing in TV Writing (PT58)

TV Dialogue 101 (PT51)

Writing Samples and Preparing for TV Staffing ft. Liz Alper & Kai Wu (PT119)

"Feeling the Churn: Why Netflix Cancels Shows After A Couple Of Seasons" - Deadline

"Disney+ to Launch in November" - Variety

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick invite Ning Zhou, story editor on Ozark, to discuss how she worked her way up through the assistant ranks and into the fabled writers' room.

What is the process of writing for Ozark? How do you transition into the writers' room? How can you nail that assistant interview? What are ways of being a valuable showrunner's assistant and writers' assistant? Why is it important for the support staff to make their career goals clear? Why is communication so important in television?

The Paper Team moves up the Ozark writers room...

Content

Earning Your Way Into the Writers' Room with Ning Zhou (00:32)

Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (47:08)

Links

Ning Zhou on IMDb

Ozark on Netflix

Damages

Bloodline

Resources

"Bird by Bird" - Anne Lamott

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick continue their Paper Team Mentorship with winner Paul Chang, and his comedy pilot MID-DEATH CRISIS.

Step two: a beat sheet of the pilot episode, including general acts and story arcs.

We hear about the pilot episode, and discuss our thoughts live.

Content

Quick recap and listeners' thoughts on the first mentorship episode (00:30)

"Mid-Death Crisis" – Beat sheet (06:41)

Discussion of the beat sheet (08:30)

Links

"Mid-Death Crisis" beat sheet

Paper Team Mentorship I – "Mid-Death Crisis" Overview (PT128)

Paper Team Mentorship I - Paul's Update

Bringing the TV Writers' Room Process Home (PT06)

Paul Chang on Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Alex and Nick expand their "Inside the TV Writing Program" series – a deep dive into what goes on inside every major TV writing program from the decision makers themselves.

The fourth part is all about the Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop, with Rebecca Windsor, director of the program.

We cover everything, from what they want in the application and selection process, to how they adapt the workshop to fit the evolving industry.

Content

About the Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop (00:50)

1 - The application process (03:43)

2 - The selection process (18:08)

3 - The program (31:54)

4 - After the program and final advice (45:44)

Links

Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop

Warner Bros. Television Directors' Workshop

WB TV Workshops on Facebook

WB TV Workshops on Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode and others, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:

Alex - @TVCalling

Nick - @_njwatson

For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]