Have you ever wondered what it’s like to actually write a TV show? We have an excellent book on the subject at the library!
Just the Funny Parts by Nell Scovell talks about how the author went from college to a few years in New York and then began a career writing for television in Los Angeles. The highlight of her career (so far!) was being the showrunner (head writer and all around show boss) of Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
It’s not exactly an “anyone can do it” type of story. She went to college at Harvard and freely admits that the connections she made there had a lot to do with her success. I still found it fascinating to read about how writing for a television show actually works and to follow her personal journey, especially since she is a woman in a very male-dominated business.
She says the career of a television writer has four stages:
- Who is Nell Scovell?
- Get me Nell Scovell!
- Get me a younger, cheaper Nell Scovell!
- Who is Nell Scovell?
There’s some fun name-dropping in the book as well (she’s been close friends with magicians Penn and Teller since she was young).
