Writing the TV Drama Series Quotes

“Your characters are your tools to tell a story. They have to stay sharp. You can’t build a house with a bad toolbox.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“It’s very hard when you haven’t experienced a lot of life to comment on life.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“One method isn’t better than another — whatever works for you is right.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“The sound of her voice was like having her address. And once I knew how to find her, she forced the characters who answered her to be as real. And they made their world whole. Once you’ve had it good, you don’t want it any other way.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“characters exist beyond what is written, with larger lives than fit on film. They’ll talk to you. You merely have to listen.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“Unfortunately, most really young writers form their sense of life from watching television so what you end up getting is this sort of “Xerox” of life which is never the substitute for the real thing.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“Believe me, for any writer, you’re going to have more fun and learn more and be more productive writing in television than in the movies. You’re not going to have to share credit with 15 other idiots. You’re not going to be abused and disrespected by 15 jerks in suits who have too much time on their hands and all they want to do is eat lunch. Television is a job — you got to get it on, you got to get it out, the writers are going to write their scripts, they’re going to get on the tube. And that’s great. If you’re lucky enough to get on a successful show, you’re going to do more credited writing in two years than most movie writers do in a lifetime.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“You tell a great story and themes emerge,”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“Leverage whatever is special about you.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

“Probably, the first episode exists: It’s the pilot. But the audience might not discover your series the first week, or even the second. So in a way, the first three episodes will function as pilots. Episodes Two and Three have to reach a balance between orienting first-time viewers by reprising the overall “mission” and identifying the cast, while progressing the stories to hold people who watched before.”
― Pamela Douglas, Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV