Deviate

Writer-producer LaToya Morgan on TV storytelling and creative self-discipline


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“It’s better for characters if their arc isn’t a straight line. You get to see how far they will go for something. You get to test them.” – Latoya Morgan

LaToya Morgan (@MorganicInk) is screenwriter who currently serves an executive producer on AMC’s Into the Badlands. Previously, she has worked on the shows Shameless and Turn. She is currently developing a drama for AMC based on Wesley Lowery’s best-selling book They Can’t Kill Us All.

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and LaToya talk about her early upbringing and influences (2:30); diversity on television (8:30); her decision to become a writer (15:00); the role of research versus personal experience in writing (28:00); the the experience of working in a writers’ room (34:00); and managing work/life balance (48:00).

Notable Links:

  • Stephen King (author)
  • The Twilight Zone (television show)
  • Black Mirror (television show)
  • General Hospital (television show)
  • One Life to Live (television show)
  • Oprah (television personality / media executive)
  • Friday Night Lights (television show)
  • Mad Men (television show)
  • Game of Thrones (television show)
  • The X-Files (television show)
  • John Steinbeck (author)
  • American Film Institute
  • Charlie Chaplin (actor)
  • City Lights (film)
  • Final Draft (screenwriting software)
  • Melrose Place (television show)
  • Sunset Boulevard (film)
  • Warner Brothers Television Writers’ Workshop
  • Southland (television show)
  • Books mentioned:

    • Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
    • The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
    • Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck
    • The Art of Dramatic Writing, by Lajos Egri
    • Save the Cat, by Blake Snyder
    • The Hero’s Journey, by Joseph Campbell
    • Story, by Robert McKee
    • On Writing, by Stephen King
    • Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
    • The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

      Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at [email protected].

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      DeviateBy Rolf Potts

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