Writing the TV Spec Script (with a great discount!)
Hey, everyone– If you’re gearing up for the post-strike staffing season, I just wanted to let you know that I’m teaching a new TV spec-writing class at Mediabistro in Los…
Hey, everyone--
If you're gearing up for the post-strike staffing season, I just wanted to let you know that I'm teaching a new TV spec-writing class at Mediabistro in Los Angeles, beginning next week. And to make it even better, tell them you saw this blog, and they'll give you a $75 discount. Here's the scoop...
WRITING THE TV SPEC SCRIPT: Complete a Draft of a Sitcom or Drama
When: 10 weeks, Wednesdays, January 16 - March 19, 7-10 pm
Where: mediabistro.com, 7494 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 303, W. Hollywood, CA 90046
Cost: Originally $610, but tell them you saw the blog, and you get a $75 discount... only $535
To sign up: Call Stefanie at 310-659-5668
For more information:Click here...
You want to write for TV, and you've mastered the basics of meeting
deadlines, mastering wordcount, and editing. Now you're ready to get
your script off the gorund. In this class, you'll start and finish the
first draft of your sitcom or one-hour drama spec script. Each
week, you will bring in the amount of pages for your spec script that
your instructor requires. Each student will read his or her work (with
the help of fellow "actors" in the class), and the teacher and students
will take turns critiquing the piece while adding suggestions for
making it tighter. The entire last class will be devoted to reading
final drafts and learning how to get your script into the right hands.
Class is also heavy on TV clips and sample scripts.
In this class, you can expect to learn:
• Everything there is to know about the TV business from an industry expert
• The rules for creating characters that are true
• Structure: How to "break for commercial," find a good ending, wrap things up seamlessly
• The secret behind perfect dialogue
• Subplots: Where to put them, how to tie them in
By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A complete spec script of a one-hour drama or sitcom.
Admission requirements:
Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history), and a writing sample (less than 2,000 words).

Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).