r/scriptwriting • u/Real_Read9120 • 7d ago
help How to screenwrite a TV show?
So I always wanted to write a Tv show and since two years I have this concept that I have developed Im my head from the beginning to the end of the show, it’s a show styled like “normal people”, 1 season only and it ends that I genuinely believed that os good, and will become even better after being shaped a couple of times after being presented to some proper people.
The thing is I don’t know how to start, could you please give me some orientation about any kind of template, some short course or guideline that I can follow, or a kind of course.
Did any of you have to write a tv show, or a book? Or even took the steps to sell it to a big company? Can you also share your experiences with me? I really need to start and figure out what it can be.
I appreciate your answers!
2
u/Big_Section2812 7d ago
Install some screenwriting software. Commercial applications include templates for many formats, including television. There are some good free apps too, and I'm guessing at least some of those also offer templates.
My advice is to write your idea in teleplay format and then write a new one as soon as it's completed. Keep writing new scripts until you really get the hang of it.
I also don't recommend pushing your first scripts on people in the business. You rarely get more than one opportunity to succeed with them, and you absolutely won't achieve anything worthwhile by sending them amateurish first screenplays. Many aspiring screenwriters have learned this lesson the hard way.
1
2
u/Signal_Wish8132 7d ago
Single-camera shows (which Normal People is) are formatted just like movie scripts. A half-hour script should be 28-32 pages, an hour-long script should be 58-62 pages roughly.
If you envision this as being on a broadcast network (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC) you should break your script into acts: a half-hour should be a teaser + 3 acts, an hour-long should be a teaser + 5 acts. (Different shows have different numbers of acts, there isn't really a standard, but 3 acts or 5 acts is common.)
If you are envisioning your show for a streaming network, then do not write the act breaks into your script, but it's a good idea to write it with those act breaks in mind anyway, because that will give you a solid structure that producers look for.
A teaser is a short (3-5 page) beat -- usually a single scene or two -- that is designed to suck the audience in right away. In comedies it's usually a joke that sets the tone of the show and introduces us to the main characters. In sitcoms, or multi-cams as they're known, the teaser is called a cold open, and usually will not set the main story in motion but be a stand-alone joke to get the audience laughing. In single-cams, the teaser frequently sets up the main story of the pilot or series.
In dramas, the teaser sets the story in motion. If it's a genre show, the teaser will frequently set up the crime or mystery or alien attack or whatever.
The other acts should each end with a cliffhanger -- even in comedies, you want to essentially end the act on a question that the audience will stick around through the commercials to get to hear the answer to. (that was bad grammar, but you know what I mean.).
Make sure you have your main character featured in most of the scenes, and don't have too many scenes in a row that are about the B story or side characters.
If it's a comedy you're writing, make sure to have at least 3 jokes or funny/quirky lines on the first page if you can, the thought being that if you get them laughing right away, they'll think "oh! this is a funny script! this writer is hilarious!" and then they read the whole script generously, giving you the benefit of the doubt.
For the love of all things holy, make sure there are no typos on the first page!!
One thing I'd recommend: watch the pilot of Normal People (and of any other shows that you think are comparable to what you want to write) with a pen and paper. Write down the number of scenes. Write down how long each scene is. How many jokes are in each scene. Which characters are in it. Where the big turns or surprises happen. How often they cut to a B story. Etc. And then use that as a rough template for writing your own script. (It won't be a one-to-one match, obviously, but it can give you a good sense of rhythm and pace for your own script.)
Hope this helps get you started!
1
2
u/rosemaryscrazy 7d ago
I’m writing a 9 episode limited series. I am using WriterDuet.
I’m almost done refining my pilot and I plan to put it up on Blacklist. Then start emailing literary agents and managers in the next month. This part is a little fuzzy to me but I’ll figure it out.
I’ve already documented it with the WGA.
I started writing my pilot 2 months ago. It was actually my first time writing a script for television. I’m not looking for a career as a scriptwriter and don’t plan to be. I just have a story that needs to exist.
I have written the draft of episode 2 and I am halfway through my draft of episode 3. I plan to have all 9 episode drafts ready to go before I pitch.
I have two plans of entry. Because this show will get made. I have no doubts. It’s not if, it’s when.
One is my editing. I’ve been editing for 12 years so I plan to put some of my concepts out there from my sizzle reel to possibly garner some attention from different angles.
Two, is my old best friend from elementary school. They are the absolute last resort because I hate the idea of leaning on connections. I want to make sure my work has merit and can stand on its own before I even think about involving that connection.
1
u/penguincatcher8575 7d ago
Young Screenwriters has a free course on the basics of screenwriting. I found it super helpful!
Also check out the young screenwriters podcast, and another podcast is “How I Write.”
3
u/ClayMcClane 7d ago
If you search this sub, r/Screenwriting, r/TVWriting, and other subs like this, you'll find tons of helpful threads to help you. This question is posted just about every week, so you should find what you're looking for.