Inside the Room

by Linda Venis

  Based on my ten years of experience writing on TV dramas like Battlestar Galactica, House M.D., and Falling Skies, as well as selling pitches and projects to the networks, I can tell you that behind every strong spec is a strong story and outline. To learn and master the craft of creating these building blocks of a one-hour script isn’t a fast process, but there are clear steps you can take to acquire the knowledge and skills you need to write a story and outline that executives might want to buy. It is my pleasure to be your coach and to pass along the same techniques and tips I teach to my UCLA Extension Writers’ Program TV-writing students.

  In this chapter, I’ll cover what the story and outline are and why they’re so important, how to choose an on-air show to spec and how to research it, and how to create an airtight story and outline. I’ll share my step-by-step approach to understanding the inner workings of the characters, plot, setting, tone, and style of the show you want to spec; how TV’s major time slots, outlets, and genres come into play with your story choices; and how to create a story and outline that observes the “house rules” of your show’s structure and maintains your authentic vision.

  Forty Percent of the TV Writer’s Paycheck:

  A Strong Story and Outline

  Story and Outline Defined

  The story is an account of incidents or events in a particular order, with a beginning, or premise; middle; and end, or conclusion. In the TV industry, the story is brief: as succinct as four sentences or as long as a short paragraph. A story can also be used to establish, in broad strokes, what your idea for a TV show is about.

  The outline is a detailed, expanded version of the story, generally ranging from eight to twelve pages, and serves as a blueprint for your script. The first step in creating an outline is to write a beat sheet, which is a list of your story’s events, particularly its plot points (beats), which drive your story forward. The beat sheet is then fleshed out into an outline, which includes key bits of detail, scene locations, period of day, and in some cases, dialogue. In its final form, the outline serves as the bridge between your one-paragraph story and your fifty-six-to-fifty-nine-page spec script.

  One of the most commonly asked questions from new writers is “Why write an outline when I already know my story?” For creative reasons, the outline is essential because it is the main tool the writer uses to order the events of the story and determine which incidents fit logically into the progression of the story. The outline is a “story stress test” and is critical to the scriptwriting process.

  The outline is also critical for professional and monetary reasons. First, showrunners, those people with godlike powers responsible for the day-by-day running of the shows, place tremendous value on the outline because it allows them to see the details of a writer’s story and how it fits in among the other episodes. It also gives the showrunner and writer a tangible way to evaluate and discuss the approach to writing the script.

  Second, network executives, who as individuals wield power of the demigod variety and as a group can cut down a showrunner in his or her tracks, have the final say, and they sometimes reject or champion story ideas based on an outline. That’s a big reason why the first 40 percent of a writer’s paycheck for a one-hour script is tied to the story and outline. If both are strong, you’re good to go. If not, there’s no payday.

  The Outline as Your Spec Script’s Blueprint

  Imagine being an architect trying to describe the house you intend to build to a general contractor and a bricklayer without blueprints. No matter how detailed your thoughts, no matter how well you can see the grand plan in your noggin, the three of you are going to share a long and confusing day. Odds are someone’s going to get slapped around with a two-by-four, probably you.

  The same scenario applies to the TV writing business: An outline keeps network execs—or “the suits,” as they’re affectionately called—informed about the story they’ve purchased and the episode they can expect to see produced. In most instances, the outline reduces the chances of any writer getting slapped around with a metaphorical two-by-four.

  Selecting the Right One-Hour Drama Show to Spec

  Selecting the show you are going to spec is a big decision. It’s just like getting married, except without the drunken uncle who makes a toast that embarrasses everyone. Since you’re going to be investing a large amount of time writing your spec, it’s best if you love the show. That said, for those of you jonesing to write that killer Sanford and Son or ER, slow your roll. Actually, make that a full stop. Only shows currently airing are viable choices for specs.

  For that matter, not all of the shows presently airing will get you read by a producer or an agent. For many reasons, your show selection can hurt or help, so how do you know which to choose? First, don’t pick an obscure show that almost no one watches. Agents and producers need to be familiar with the program in order to assess whether you nailed it. Second, choosing a long-running show could be a misstep too. In most cases, by the time a hit show enters its fourth season, agents’ offices are flooded with submitted specs for it, most of which are rejected.

  Think of writing a spec as making an investment that has a shelf life. It’s safest to choose a show no younger than the last third of its first season, and no older than three seasons. For the show that’s in the process of completing its first year, verify that it’s been renewed, because by and large, agents, managers, and producers will use the cancellation of a show as an excuse not to read a spec script. If you base your selection on the above criteria, you’ll get the most mileage out of your spec. That said, if you have an idea for a spec in its fourth season that’s so supercool it damn near writes itself, maybe you should give it a go. Only you can decide.

  One trick to aid you in the selection process is to cold-call an agency or management firm. The assistants are on the front line of which shows are being renewed and accepted as viable submissions. Who better to give tips on the hot shows versus the not-so-hot than the gatekeepers themselves? Don’t be nervous. You’re not asking them out on a date. Some assistants go all day with no one asking them for their opinion. They might be happy that their advice is being sought. Just be polite and keep your questions short and to the point.

  Know Your Show

  You Only Think You Know Your Show

  Once you’ve selected a show that’s right for you, it’ll be tempting to jump in and start writing. Even if you’ve seen every episode, writing a script without doing the research would be a classic rookie mistake. Here’s why: You watched those episodes as a fan, which means that you were not actively assessing dialogue, style, story structure, theme, pacing, and character development. If you were, then, well, okay. You’re a badass. However, I’ll bet you only think you were observing those factors. In actuality, analyzing TV means that you are taking copious notes on every aspect of the show you are specing, making sure to look for subtle details and trends.

  Insider TV note: When you’re viewing something and your purpose is not limited to being entertained, it’s called screening. Using this term will make you sound and feel more professional when you say to your spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, significant other, or insignificant other, “Wow, I’d love to go with you, but I have to screen some episodes tonight.” Depending on how you sell it, this strategy can also work well if you’re avoiding an event you’d rather not attend.

  How to Research Your Show

  Weaseling out of social obligations aside, knowing your show backward and forward is crucial. The worst way to have a spec script rejected by an agent is if she deems that the writer failed to do “research.” When agents read a poorly researched script, they think, If this writer is too lazy to get his facts straight when seeking a writing job, how lax is he going to be if he’s put on a show?

  Obviously, it’s to your advantage to screen every produced episode of the show that you intend to spec. If you can’t get access to all the episodes, the next best thing is to watch as many episodes as you can and then find a
website that provides episode summaries and pore over them. One way to go about this would be to place the title of the show and the phrase episode summaries in your favorite search engine.

  To Construct a Show, You Must First Deconstruct It

  Now that you’ve selected and researched your show, it’s time to get down to business and learn how to construct a story and an outline. When I teach “Beginning Writing for the One-Hour Spec Drama: Building the Story and Outline” at UCLA Extension, the students start by familiarizing themselves with all of the story elements that make up any dramatic television show and that are present in almost every form of storytelling: characters, plot, setting, tone, and style.

  Know the Show’s Main Characters and the

  Role of Supporting Characters

  The protagonist is the lead character, and in most instances, there is only one per show. He or she is the person around whom the show revolves; the events in any given episode will affect him or her the most. Think of a protagonist as the front man in a band, and the remaining characters as backup singers or musicians. These supporting characters, as they are called, directly assist the protagonist in overcoming obstacles and are sometimes in a subplot (B plot or even C plot) that may dovetail into the main (A) plot.

  For example, House M.D. features the challenges and exploits of a protagonist, not-so-coincidentally named Dr. House. As a member of the writing staff, I can tell you that the show’s creator was tremendously thoughtful about his character’s design. Dr. House is a brutally honest, sarcastic superintellect who’s also spellbound by soap operas. He’s phenomenally gifted at diagnosing mysterious rare ailments but blew a diagnosis on his own leg, which left him with a permanent limp and lifelong addiction to Vicodin. The creator’s dedication to having irony course through House’s veins heavily influenced how the staff writers approached this character as well as each episode.

  An exception to the “front and center” protagonist in one-hour dramas is the ensemble show, which has a subtle lead and supporting characters. In Southland, Detective Lydia Adams tends to get the most screen time, but any given episode can feature a different character as the protagonist. Unlike House M.D., in which Dr. House dominates every case, the supporting characters in Southland pursue their own cases even as Lydia works on the episode’s most important homicide. What distinguishes Lydia as the main character is her dogged determination to catch bad guys by the book, her sensitivity, and her patience in living with a mother who has a far superior romantic life to her own.

  He’s a Character, but Does He Have Character?

  It’s All in the Arc

  Your next job as the writer is to show a curved trajectory of your character’s development. This growth is called the character’s arc, and any successful show’s protagonist, as well as key secondary characters, will experience it. The completion of the arc can be personal or professional; it can be subtle, humorous, or dramatic. The characters can experience a revelation about themselves, those around them, or the world. By the end of the show, for better or for worse, their opinions or philosophies have shifted. Perhaps this change is triggered by realizing the significance of an earlier event; it may also be pivotal and convey a character’s arrival at a major decision.

  For instance, among the many potent character arcs that course through the world of Boardwalk Empire, one of its most elegantly contoured and dramatic is that of Margaret, Nucky’s common-law wife. She is introduced as a pious prohibitionist, but increasingly fed up with Nucky’s physical and emotional absenteeism, she secretly begins to drink. Margaret’s rebellion culminates in her affair with Nucky’s right-hand man.

  As you construct a character arc for your spec story, take the time to note what things mean to the character. As you screen episodes of your chosen show, keep a list of the protagonist’s likes and dislikes, beliefs, philosophies, and values. While you are not tethered to this list, it might help you locate the launch point of the protagonist’s character arc.

  Know the Show’s Plot and Its Premise

  When my students say they’re uncertain about what plots are, I remind them that they’ve been discussing them forever. Whenever people are asked what a book, play, film, or TV show is about, they usually retell the events as they unfold in the story—i.e., give a plot summary. Every plot has a premise, which is its starting point or circumstance that gets the story moving forward. If we dig a little deeper, we find that a plot is made up of three key sections: a beginning, a middle, and an ending, each with its own specific purpose.

  The beginning of a plot functions to introduce the protagonist and the premise of the story. This area of the plot is traditionally known as the point at which the hero hears “the call” to act, or to embark upon the mission or journey. In the premiere episode of House M.D., an elementary school teacher develops a mysterious illness that gets progressively worse. Dr. House has no interest in the teacher but becomes intrigued by the case once he learns that the standard treatments by other doctors have failed. The conundrum of the disease functions as Dr. House’s “call” to engage in the mission. He must commit to a course of action. Otherwise, as any fan of House M.D. knows, the patient might die before Dr. House can fully berate her. And we can’t have that.

  The middle of the plot is where the hero has made some progress but discovers greater obstacles. In the majority of one-hour dramas, the hero’s efforts to solve the problem yield a small victory, but then he encounters complications that make things worse and put everything in jeopardy. In House M.D., this point frequently occurs when an initial diagnosis turns out to be incorrect. The patient’s condition worsens, and Dr. House has to go back to the drawing board. In the show’s first episode, the teacher is misdiagnosed with a brain tumor. Obsessed with figuring out her actual condition, Dr. House tries to learn everything about her, which entails coercing his colleague (neurologist Dr. Foreman) to break into her house illegally.

  The end of the plot—called the conclusion—occurs when the hero confronts the greatest problems he has faced so far, and his perseverance pays off. In our example, failed efforts to find a cure for the teacher’s illness put so much physical and emotional strain on her that she elects to end all treatments and “die with dignity.” Dr. House reluctantly bonds with the teacher by revealing sensitive aspects of his past, and in so doing, he convinces her that there is no “dignity in dying” and wins her permission to perform a high-risk treatment. It’s a success and the patient lives happily ever after.

  In most one-hour dramas, with the exception of serialized programs (to be discussed later), the episode ends when the protagonist has risen above all obstacles to solve all problems and, by so doing, restores order to the world of the show.

  Know the Show’s Setting

  Setting is the location, time period, and/or surrounding environment in which the story takes place. Some settings function as a way of focusing the viewers’ attention onto the characters. The HBO series In Treatment primarily takes place in the confines of psychoanalyst Paul Weston’s office. This setting’s intimacy—literally, behind closed doors—intensifies the relationship between Dr. Weston and his patients. The surroundings seem to fade away as viewers mingle with the patients’ raw and exposed psyches—their innermost thoughts, fears, and regrets.

  Conversely, the setting of a show can be so prominent, rich, and textured that it is practically a character unto itself. Smoke-filled restaurants, offices stocked with hard liquor, and commuter suburban homes filled with dysfunctional families: The settings of Mad Men epitomize 1960s New York. They also set the stage for the era’s casual displays of sexism, racism, and classism, and provide a prism through which the audience examines an aspect of where we once were as a society to measure where we are now.

  Know the Show’s Tone and Style

  The tone is the attitude that dominates, permeates, and defines the show and is the unsung hero among the elements of television drama. Viewers tend not to appreciate a show’s tone until it’s g
one or changed. Where would CSI: NY be without its gritty tone or Parenthood without its tone of whimsy and deep sensitivity? Imagine a CSI: NY episode in which Gary Sinise weeps tears of joy while hugging the medical examiner over a corpse. Or a Parenthood plot that hinges upon the discovery of a decapitated hooker in the Braverman house’s Dumpster.

  The style is the manner in which the tone is expressed. It can be visual, conveyed through wardrobe, hair, and color scheme. Most strikingly, style is manifested in a show’s dialogue’s pacing, vocabulary, and cadence. A classic example is The West Wing, which follows the political and personal lives of a fictional Democratic president and his intense and cerebral White House staffers. The show’s clever, machine-gun rapid-fire dialogue, loaded with glib one-liners and rhythmic, almost poetic exchanges of lines, is its most defining feature and contributes strongly to the show’s unique tone.

  Keep in mind that the personality of the protagonist can tell you a lot about a show’s tone and style. Enoch “Nucky” Thompson of Boardwalk Empire is unlikely to win a handsome-man contest, but he’s smart, charming, and in addition, cunning, ruthless, determined, sarcastic, and cynical. Not coincidentally, the same can be said for the tone and style of the show itself. In a world of politics, corruption, affairs, murders, and bootlegging, Nucky, in appearance and in mind-set, embodies it all.

  Tone and the Power of the One-Hour Drama’s

  Humorous Moments

  Many of TV’s more sophisticated one-hour shows lace their serious dramatic content with humor and irony, which can amuse, charm, or even horrify its viewers. Humor can, for example, give the protagonist more dimensions or offer comic relief. By being alert to how a show uses humor, you can delve deeper into its range of tones and incorporate that into your own story and outline.