Writers

Alan Alda on writing the M*A*S*H episode "Dear Sigmund"

Kay Alden on the early writing process for The Young and the Restless

Kay Alden on how the writing process for The Young and the Restless has evolved

Kay Alden on where storylines originate from on The Young and the Restless and the influence of academic debate on her writing

Alan Ball on writing for and becoming co-executive producer on Cybill, being disheartened, and writing American Beauty

Alan Ball on channeling his anger from working on Cybill into writing American Beauty

Alan Ball on how he got the idea for American Beauty; on not having to have a "moment of shit" in it; on the joy of writing for different media

Alan Ball on writing and staffing writers for Six Feet Unde

Anne Beatts on how she got into comedy writing

Anne Beatts on her writing sensibilities and how comedy writing has changed over the years

William Bell on the challenges of writing for live soap operas

William Bell on changes in writing for soap operas over the years

William Bell on not being a proponent of ad-libbing in daytime

William Bell on his writing style

William Bell on his writing process for Days of Our Lives

Donald P. Bellisario on his decision to move to Los Angeles and become a writer

Donald P. Bellisario on advice to aspiring writers

Walter Bernstein on always wanting to be a writer and his early writing in grammar school and high school

Walter Bernstein on his writing process with screenwriting partner Ben Maddow

Walter Bernstein on the writing process on Danger -- and getting blacklisted while on the show and continuing to write under a pseudonym; on trying to get a "front"

Walter Bernstein on the writing and research process among blacklisted writers Abraham Polonsky, Arnold Manoff, and Walter Bernstein for You Are There

Walter Bernstein on his strengths as a writer and how that helped him as a director

Walter Bernstein on how long it takes to write a half-hour script for HBO

Walter Bernstein on rewriting the HBO movie The Doomsday Gun and the process of doing a rewrite; on how it feels to be rewritten

Walter Bernstein on how his experiences (particularly being blacklisted) affected his writing

William Blinn on advice to aspiring writers

William Blinn on what makes a great television episode or pilot

Allan Blye on what he likes about writing, and on his writing process

Allan Blye on advice for aspiring writers and producers

Sam Bobrick on his writing partner Bill Idelson, and on the advantages of having a writing partner

Sam Bobrick on his writing process for pilots

Sam Bobrick on the craft of writing and his process

Sam Bobrick on what he likes about writing, and on writing plays

Sam Bobrick on advice to an aspiring writer and on how he'd like to be remembered

Steven Bochco on Richard Levinson's advice to him about writing for an actor like Peter Falk

Yvette Lee Bowser on the season two writers' room on A Different World

Yvette Lee Bowser on assembling a writers' room

Yvette Lee Bowser on what she enjoys about writing

Yvette Lee Bowser on her writing process

Yvette Lee Bowser on her involvement with the Writers Guild Showrunner Training Program

Yvette Lee Bowser on not having mentors early in her career and on being a mentor to others

Yvette Lee Bowser on the Zoom writers' room on UnPrisoned, pros and cons of remote writers' rooms, and whether or not Zoom writers' rooms and Zoom pitches will persist

Yvette Lee Bowser on what she does to prep for a pitch

Yvette Lee Bowser on advice to aspiring writers

Yvette Lee Bowser on receiving the Writers Guild Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award

Joshua Brand on writing the pilot for Northern Exposure, and on his writing process with writing partner John Falsey

Joshua Brand on his writing process

Joshua Brand on dealing with writers block and on the general process of writing

Joshua Brand on what he loves about writing

Joshua Brand on advice to an aspiring television writer, and on dealing with studio politics

Joshua Brand on getting the Writers Guild Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement with John Falsey, and on his feelings about the Writers Guild

James L. Brooks on never thinking he could make a living as a writer

James L. Brooks on the best job in the world

James L. Brooks on writing

Alton Brown on writing scripts for Good Eats

Harvey Bullock on the process of writing scripts for The Andy Griffith Show

Harvey Bullock on his writing style 

Harvey Bullock on advice to aspiring writers and comedy writers

Allan Burns on deciding he wanted to be a television writer

Allan Burns on working on He & She and how it helped his writing

Allan Burns on advice to aspiring writer/producers

Sid Caesar on his philosophy of keeping a creative flow during the writing process

Stephen J. Cannell on writing quirky characters

Stephen J. Cannell on his knack for casting the right people in the right roles

Stephen J. Cannell on his daily schedule when he's writing a script for an television episode

Stephen J. Cannell on the tools and physical methods he uses to write

Stephen J. Cannell on his writing process and how it's developed over the years

Steven J. Cannell on advice to an aspiring television writer

Glenn Gordon Caron on how he writes scripts

Glenn Gordon Caron on advice to aspiring writers

Dick Cavett on writing for The Jack Paar Show aka The Tonight Show

Dick Cavett on the profession he most identifies with -- he feels most comfortable as a writer, yet has a penchant for being in front of an audience

Dick Cavett on his comedy style and the difficulty of writing material for yourself

Tucker Cawley on a typical production week for Everybody Loves Raymond and the process of writing scripts for the show

Tucker Cawley on advice to aspiring writers

Glen Charles on beginning to write with his brother, Les

Glen and Les Charles on the atmosphere in the writing room of Taxi

Glen and Les Charles on the writers' room on Cheers

Glen and Les Charles on their writing style

Glen and Les Charles on why Cheers was considered to have sophisticated writing

Les Charles on he and his brother, Glen Charles, deciding to become writing partners

Glen and Les Charles on the atmosphere in the writing room of Taxi

Glen and Les Charles on the writers' room on Cheers

Glen and Les Charles on their writing style

Glen and Les Charles on why Cheers was considered to have sophisticated writing

David Chase on the writers problem of exposition and use of the "urban explainer" that he used on The Rockford Files

David Chase on how directing affected the way he writes "a camera can only do one thing at a time"

David Chase on his writing process; on what he looks for in a writer

Ron Clark on his writing process

Ron Clark on advice to an aspiring television writer

Barbara Corday on advice to aspiring television writers

Ron Cowen on what he learned about being a writer from working with director Lloyd Richards at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference

Ron Cowen on how he approached his first television writing job (for CBS Playhouse) versus writing plays

Ron Cowen on what he enjoys about writing

Ron Cowen on his solo writing process, including his editing and rewriting process, and on never having had writer's block

Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their writing process when they write together

Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the writing process on Sisters

David Crane and Marta Kauffman on what appealed to them about writing

David Crane and Marta Kauffman on learning to write as they went along, and deciding not to be actors

David Crane and Marta Kauffman on advice to aspiring television writers

David Crane and Marta Kauffman on the success of their writing partnership

Bill Daily on writing for The Mike Douglas Show

Bill Dana on what writers made in the 1960s compared to today

Bill Dana on why he hated performing and loved being a writer

Bill Dana on writing for the voice of Don Adams and the birth of "would you believe" jokes

Bill Dana on writing the memorable sketch "The Question Man" with Don Hinkley and Leonard Stern on The Steve Allen Show, and his favorite, Chicken Teriyaki

Bill Dana on writing the parody "The Nutley-Hinkley-Butley-Winkley Report"

Bill Dana on writing for The Golden Girls, where the script was bible, versus other shows where the writers could adapt a script, such as his own Bill Dana Show on NBC

Bill Dana on advice to aspiring writers and comedians

Greg Daniels on being showrunner on King of the Hill

Greg Daniels on writing visual gags

Greg Daniels on advice to aspiring writers

Greg Daniels on the key to writing

Elias Davis and David Pollock on their collaborative process

Elias Davis and David Pollock on dealing with writer's block

Elias Davis and David Pollock on advice to an aspiring television writer

Ossie Davis on his advice to aspiring writers and actors

Sam Denoff on wanting to be writers, not producers, and the process of writing for The Steve Allen Show

Sam Denoff on learning a lesson from Carl Reiner: "the best comedy comes from reality"

Sam Denoff on bringing your home life into your work life as a writer

Sam Denoff on his writing partnership with Bill Persky

Sam Denoff on his advice to aspiring writers

Harlan Ellison on how he learned to write a script

Harlan Ellison on working with the Writers Guild of America

Harlan Ellison on writers not getting respect in Hollywood

Diane English on loving writing for television

Diane English on her writing process

Diane English on being flexible with writing so actors can bring their own magic to the piece

Diane English on her voice as a writer

Norman Felton on his big break writing plays

Dorothy Fontana on being mentored in television writing by Samuel Peeples

Dorothy Fontana on the challenges of being a woman writer and using D.C. Fontana on her scripts so that she would be given a chance

Dorothy Fontana on her writing process and philosophy

Dorothy Fontana on advice to an aspiring writer

Tom Fontana on the writing process of St. Elsewhere and becoming a producer on that show

Tom Fontana on coming up with script ideas for St. Elsewhere

Tom Fontana on constructing the stories for Homicide: Life on the Street

Tom Fontana on the darkness of his writing style

Horton Foote on his writing process, and using his own life for ideas

Horton Foote on the importance of casting, and on the writer working with actors

Horton Foote on how he feels about directing as a writer

Horton Foote on writing for cable networks

Horton Foote on the importance of creating a mood or setting for a story

Ron Friedman on making the transition from writing for variety shows to writing sitcoms

Ron Friedman on acting as a troubleshooter for shows, including A Year at the Top, and on writing for Barney Miller

Ron Friedman on making the transition from writing sitcoms to writing dramas

Ron Friedman on his writing process

Ron Friedman on dealing with writers block

Ron Friedman on how his process for writing drama differs from his process for writing comedy

Ron Friedman on joining the Writers Guild, and on how it benefits writers

Ron Friedman on what he enjoys about teaching writing

Ron Friedman on advice to aspiring writers, and on his children who are writers

William Froug on writing his first play/production in college

William Froug on writing for radio

William Froug on teaching screenwriting at UCLA and his philosophy on screenwriting

William Froug on writing books on screenwriting

Lowell Ganz on his early writing partner Mark Rothman and their writing process on The Odd Couple

Lowell Ganz on working with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall on The Odd Couple

Lowell Ganz on his advice to young writers

Lowell Ganz on the key to his success in writing

Lowell Ganz on his and Babaloo Mandel's approach to writing pilots and various unsold pilots

Larry Gelbart on getting his first break while still in high school writing for Danny Thomas on the "Fanny Bryce Maxwell House Coffee Time" radio show, because his father convinced Thomas, who was a customer at his barbershop, that the teenager could write

Larry Gelbart on lessons he learned about when to ask for a raise, and the value of having fun with language

Larry Gelbart on the process and structure of writing Bob Hope's monologues

Larry Gelbart on the valuable lesson of writing with a beginning, middle, and end in mind for a sketch while working on the Red Buttons Show

Larry Gelbart on the rigorous schedule the writers had on Caesar's Hour

Larry Gelbart on the differences between writing for Broadway versus television; on changes in the profession since TV's Golden Age

Larry Gelbart on the differences between television in the UK versus the US in the '60s

Larry Gelbart on his advice to writers: "maintain your identity as an artist"

Vince Gilligan on the advice he received from his mentor, Mark Johnson, to not move to Los Angeles at the beginning of his career, which he felt helped his writing style

Vince Gilligan on initially turned down a job as a television writer, but going back to it after hitting a spell of bad luck in the business

Vince Gilligan on the writers' room at The X-Files; on the first episode he wrote as a staff writer "Pusher"; on the writing process

Vince Gilligan on "Folie Aux Deux" - an X-Files  episode he wrote and how the visual element was incorporated into the show; on why the visual is as important as the dialogue

Vince Gilligan on how writers "break" a story

Gary David Goldberg on the atmosphere of the writers' room on Family Ties

Gary David Goldberg on advice to aspiring television writers

Carl Gottlieb on the sociopolitical content of his work in The Committee improv group, which led him into being a writer

Carl Gottlieb on how improv skills dovetail with writing skills

Carl Gottlieb on getting his jokes and sketches on air on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

Carl Gottlieb on what he loved about writing for television

Carl Gottlieb on his writing process

Carl Gottlieb on finding structure in his writing

Carl Gottlieb on writing alone versus collaborating

Carl Gottlieb on the process of editing and rewriting

Carl Gottlieb on advice to an aspiring writer

Carl Gottlieb on dealing with writers block

Carl Gottlieb on the value of an education to a writer

Walon Green on what makes a good writer

Walon Green on what he likes about writing

Walon Green on his writing process

Walon Green on never having had to deal with writers block, and on the importance of rewriting

Walon Green on rewriting other writers' work, and on having his own work rewritten by others

Walon Green on learning the format to write feature films

Walon Green on what it has meant to him over the years to be a member of the Writers Guild

Walon Green on advice to an aspiring writer

Everett Greenbaum on the formula for a hit sitcom

Charles Grodin on considering his audience when writing

Earl Hamner on working with Rod Serling and writing teleplays for The Twilight Zone

Earl Hamner on why he writes

Earl Hamner on being known as a homespun, folksy writer

Earl Hamner on his writing style

Dean Hargrove on learning to write for several different genres, and on writing for The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Dean Hargrove on the elements that make a great television character

Dean Hargrove on what he enjoys about writing

Dean Hargrove on his writing process and his routines

Dean Hargrove on advice to aspiring writers and producers

Paul Henning on getting a job at a Kansas City radio station and pursuing a career as a writer

Paul Henning on beginning to seriously consider a career in writing

Paul Henning on differences between writing for the radio and television versions of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show  

Paul Henning on the writing process for the television version of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show  

Paul Henning on his writing philosophy of placing characters above jokes

Buck Henry on the challenges of writing for The Garry Moore Show; on writing for someone else's voice

Buck Henry on the challenge of writing comedy about dark or difficult subject matter

Buck Henry on satire and the history of the satyr play - "nothing is sacred until somebody hurts you"; on what is off-limits to him

Buck Henry on why he enjoyed writing on Get Smart; on the different "voices" of comedy teams

Buck Henry on the myth of "pitching"; on identifying primarily as a writer but loving acting

Buck Henry on his advice to aspiring writers

Winifred Hervey on her writing strengths on Benson

Winifred Hervey on the difficulty of having her writing disregarded or thrown out

Winifred Hervey on the writers' room of The Golden Girls

Winifred Hervey on differences between writing for multi-camera and single camera shows

Winifred Hervey on her process for writing pilot episodes

Winifred Hervey on her writing process

Winifred Hervey on what she likes about writing

Winifred Hervey on advice to aspiring writers and producers

Silvio Horta on advice to aspiring writers

Silvio Horta on his writing process

Roy Huggins on learning to write for the screen

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on their early collaborative writing process

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on how they collaborate

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on dealing with writers' block

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on The Writers Guild of America

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on writing for different genres

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on advice to aspiring writers

Writer/show creator David Jacobs on writing

David Jacobs on writing when he has something to write

David Jacobs on advice to young writers

Seaman Jacobs on being a freelance writer, and on writing with a partner

Seaman Jacobs on writing for Family Affair, and on the craft of writing for sitcoms

Seaman Jacobs on what makes a successful television comedy

Seaman Jacobs on his writing process with his partner

Al Jean on his writing process

Al Jean on advice for aspiring writers and for those who want to get into animation

George Clayton Johnson on thinking he could be a writer - and starting to plot out "Ocean's Eleven"

George Clayton Johnson on an episode of The Twilight Zone he wrote ("Kick the Can") that was used in the film version directed by Steven Spielberg and caused some trouble with the Writers Guild

George Clayton Johnson on his process for writing episodic television

Irma Kalish on writing for Popular Publications, a pulp magazine, and getting paid a penny a word in her early days as a writer

Irma Kalish on the difference between writing books versus writing for television

Irma Kalish on the process of writing with her husband Rocky and how they divvied up responsibilities

Rocky Kalish on writing for Martin & Lewis in their early radio career, as a boost to his career with wife Irma

Irma Kalish on writing sketch humor

Irma Kalish on how writing the All in the Family  episode dealing with cancer helped her friend, and impacted her feeling about her profession "you never know how many people you've touched"

Irma and Rocky Kalish on how they work together and how they determine what is funny

Rocky and Irma Kalish on tackling scripts with social import in the 1970s

Irma Kalish on her advice to aspiring writers

Irma Kalish on the process of writing with her husband Rocky and how they divvied up responsibilities

Rocky Kalish on writing for Martin & Lewis in their early radio career, as a boost to his career with wife Irma

Irma Kalish on writing sketch humor

Irma Kalish on how writing the All in the Family  episode dealing with cancer helped her friend, and impacted her feeling about her profession "you never know how many people you've touched"

Irma and Rocky Kalish on how they work together and how they determine what is funny

Rocky and Irma Kalish on tackling scripts with social import in the 1970s

Irma Kalish on her advice to aspiring writers

Rocky and Irma Kalish on their reasons for going into comedy

Rocky and Irma Kalish on the business part of show business

Rocky and Irma Kalish on the importance of keeping writing

Rocky and Irma Kalish on writing jokes that stand the test of time

Rocky and Irma Kalish on their writing process

Rocky and Irma Kalish on writing comedy for different kinds of venues

Rocky and Irma Kalish on teaching writing, and what young writers should know when they start

Rocky and Irma Kalish on the longevity of certain comedians and writers

Rocky and Irma Kalish on if you can teach someone to be funny

Rocky and Irma Kalish on their children, and on putting together a stand-up act or eulogy

Rocky and Irma Kalish on the importance of writers playing their dues

Rocky and Irma Kalish on advice on crafting a script

Rocky and Irma Kalish on the value of comedy and on working with Madeline Kahn on Oh Madeline

Lucille Kallen on the key to writing television comedy

Hal Kanter on his contributions to television history thought his writing

Hal Kanter on realizing he had a gift for comedy writing

Hal Kanter on learning to write comedy from the greats

Hal Kanter on learning to write for different comedians' voices on radio

Hal Kanter on learning to structure jokes, and on working with Bob Hope

Hal Kanter on dealing with agents and managers, and the business end of show business

Hal Kanter on how humor has evolved over the years

Hal Kanter on advice to aspiring comedy writers

Marta Kauffman on the importance of caring about the characters you write

Marta Kauffman on advice to someone wanting to start in television

Eddie Kean on advice to aspiring writers

Eddie Kean on his writing style

David E. Kelley on writing a lot of episodes of his shows himself (Chicago Hope and Picket Fences)

David E. Kelley on his writing process

Barry Kemp on his role in the writing process on Taxi

Barry Kemp on his writing process

Barry Kemp on advice to aspiring writers

Barry Kemp on the writing process for Newhart

Michael Patrick King on starting to write plays - "One Act" and wanting to be a writer

Michael Patrick King on his rule - "Follow the Green lights"

Michael Patrick King on questioning oneself when you're creative

Michael Patrick King on turning in the very best version of his work

Michael Patrick King on the writers' room on Will & Grace

Michael Patrick King on the writers of Sex and the City

Michael Patrick King on the three layers of the writers' room of Sex and the City

Michael Patrick King on keeping the writing fresh on Sex and the City  and personal space in a writers' room

Michael Patrick King on advice for aspiring writers and producers 

Ernest Kinoy on advice to aspiring writers

Arnie Kogen on his writing process

Arnie Kogen on what he likes about writing, and on writing in groups

Arnie Kogen on continuing to write for "Mad Magazine" and how he juggles it with his television work

Arnie Kogen on joining the Writers Guild and on his retirement

Arnie Kogen on advice to an aspiring writer

Buz Kohan on how evolving technology impacted his writing process

Buz Kohan on the end of his writing partnership with Bill Angelos and what had made the partnership work

Buz Kohan on the beginning of his solo career as a writer

Buz Kohan on the formula for writing an Academy Awards show and the pressure of the show; on working with the host and the host's writing team

Buz Kohan on the preparations for Academy Awards shows -- nominations, working with presenters, turning in material, and the producer (often Gil Cates) being the position of power

Buz Kohan on the writing process for The Carol Burnett Show

Mort Lachman on keeping files of all the gags he's written

Mort Lachman on his writing style

Rita Lakin on her writing process, and on joining the Writers Guild

Rita Lakin on advice to aspiring writers

Glen A. Larson on utilizing "predicament humor" in his writing

Glen A. Larson on his learning process at Universal Television

Glen A. Larson on mentoring other writers

Glen A. Larson on the writing process for Battlestar Galactica

Glen A. Larson on advice to aspiring writers

Norman Lear on the rigorous schedule writers had in the Golden Age of Television and on his personal life at the time

Norman Lear on his creative process

Norman Lear on whether good writing can be taught

Norman Lear on advice to those getting into comedy

Norman Lear on what makes people laugh

David Lee on becoming a producer for Cheers  in 1985 and the writing process on Cheers

David Lee on advice to aspiring writers

Stan Lee on his signature, "As told by Stan Lee"

Stan Lee on the ease and fun of comic book writing

Stan Lee on writing

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on their early collaborative writing process

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on how they collaborate 

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on dealing with writers' block

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on The Writers Guild of America 

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on writing for different genres 

Ken Levine and David Isaacs on advice to aspiring writers

Barry Levinson on what he liked about writing sketch comedy

Barry Levinson on his writing process

Steve Levitan on the moment he considered writing for sitcoms, and making the connections that got him a job in the industry

Steve Levitan on the writers' room at Wings

William Link on the logic behind writing shows like Columbo

William Link on his writing style 

William Link on his and his partner Richard Levinson's writing process

William Link on how, as a writer, he creates suspense, fear, or tension

William Link on whether or not writing can be taught

William Link on projects he hasn't been able to get off the ground

William Link on the importance of having an agent for a television writer, and on making it in television

William Link on the process of creating a show

William Link on how writing on television can impact society

Daniel Lipman on what he enjoys about writing

Daniel Lipman on writing alone versus writing with partner Ron Cowen

Daniel Lipman on advice to aspiring writers

Christopher Lloyd on the writing process and competitive environment on The Golden Girls, his first job as a writer in television

Christopher Lloyd on the format of writing The Golden Girls and situational comedy in six scenes

Christopher Lloyd on writing for the different characters on The Golden Girls; on writing for older women

Christopher Lloyd on the lessons learned on The Golden Girls; the importance of having vulnerability in characters

Christopher Lloyd on the highly intellectual aspect of a show like Frasier and why it worked to take that risk; on giving credit to the intelligence of your audience; a "10%" joke

Christopher Lloyd on the writing process on Frasier; trying not to sacrifice storytelling for a good joke

Christopher Lloyd on returning to Frasier for the last season; the satisfaction of writing the final episode

Christopher Lloyd on his approach to working with actors

Christopher Lloyd on being proud to have won five Emmys for Frasier.

Christopher Lloyd on advice to aspiring writers 

Chuck Lorre on writing for Roseanne

Chuck Lorre on writing for My Two Dads, originally called Who's Dad?

Chuck Lorre on the writers room on Grace Under Fire 

Chuck Lorre on the benefits of collaborating with other writers

Chuck Lorre on his advice to writers starting out

William H. Macy on his writing process with his writing partner Steven Schachter

William H. Macy on the Shameless episode, "Can I Have a Mother," which he wrote with Steven Schachter, and what he saw in the writers room

Loring Mandel on adjusting his style of writing to the material

Loring Mandel on his writing process

Loring Mandel on subjects he's drawn to writing about, and on the politics of his work

Loring Mandel on advice to aspiring television writers

Abby Mann on his writing process

Abby Mann on the themes in his work

Abby Mann on advice to aspiring television writers, and on how he'd like to be remembered

Sonia Manzano on writing for children on Sesame Street

Sonia Manzano on her advice to writers

Ann Marcus on how writing for television has changed

Ann Marcus on the process of writing for soap operas

Ann Marcus on the difference between writing a daytime and night-time serial

Ann Marcus on advice to aspiring writers

Garry Marshall on his early literary writing influences

Garry Marshall on tailoring writing for the star of a show

Garry Marshall on comedy writing from life experience

Garry Marshall on the differences between the fictional writers on The Dick Van Dyke Show and the actual ones

Garry Marshall on the advice Milt Josefsberg gave him about the financial rewards for writing for a Lucille Ball show

Garry Marshall on Tony Randall and Jack Klugman's professionalism raising the bar for his sitcom writing

Richard Matheson on his advice to aspiring writers

Richard Matheson on his writing schedule, on outling, on rewriting, and on reading aloud his scripts

Writer Richard Matheson on creating suspense and fear in his work

David Milch on the process of writing for Hill Street Blues

David Milch on his writing process

David Milch on the key to creating a series

David Milch on advice to aspiring television writers

Paul Monash on how he got work as a freelance writer in the 1950s, and on the challenge of writing for live television

Paul Monash on his writing style, and on his writing process

Paul Monash on working with an agent, and on taking on the role of producer

Paul Monash on advice to aspiring television writers

Garrett Morris on working as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live

Tad Mosel on finding his writing style and on his influences 

Tad Mosel on writing an adaptation as opposed to writing an original piece

Tad Mosel on how the technological advances in camera work affected writing for television and on the challenges of writing to accommodate costume changes

Tad Mosel on writing to commercial breaks for live television and on adapting "A Death in the Family" for the stage

Tad Mosel on his writing process

Tad Mosel on working in Hollywood as opposed to working in New York

Tad Mosel on the pressures of writing and performing for live television and the decline of live television

Michael Moye on the writing process for Good Times

Michael Moye on the writing process for The Jeffersons

Michael Moye on rules for writing characters on The Jeffersons

Michael Moye on a change in the writing process on The Jeffersons

Michael Moye on his writing style

Michael Moye on advice to aspiring TV writers

Thad Mumford on what he likes about writing

Thad Mumford on his advice to aspiring writers and on how he'd like to be remembered

Agnes Nixon on using her own experiences and dreams as material for her soap opera writing

Agnes Nixon on how the process of writing soap operas evolved throughout her career

Bill Nye on the writing and editing on Bill Nye, the Science Guy

Carroll O'Connor on how his experience as an actor informed his dialogue writing

Bernie Orenstein on he and Saul Turteltaub's responsibilities as producers of That Girl and what they looked for in staff writers

Bernie Orenstein on collaborating with his writing/producing partner Saul Turteltaub

Bernie Orenstein on his writing process when writing a novel or play

Bernie Orenstein on the process of writing for television

Bernie Orenstein on the process of writing for television

Bernie Orenstein on his writing process when writing a novel or play

Bernie Orenstein on advice for aspiring writers

Gail Parent on what made her a good television writer

Gail Parent on advice to aspiring television writers

Bill Persky on what comedy is, "a positive look at negative things"

Bill Persky on his collaboration with writing partner San Denoff

Bill Persky on advice to aspiring television writers

Elias Davis and David Pollock on their collaborative process

Elias Davis and David Pollock on dealing with writer's block

Elias Davis and David Pollock on advice to an aspiring television writer

Abraham Polonsky on advice to aspiring writers, on his dislike of the internet, and on his mother

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on their working style in their writing partnership

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on their writing process on I Love Lucy

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on scripting I Love Lucy's physical comedy

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing for Lucille Ball

Tim Reid on William Paley's comments about Frank's Place and how they impacted him as a storyteller

Carl Reiner on being head writer and producer on The Dick Van Dyke Show

Carl Reiner on being a writer

Rob Reiner on advice to aspiring comedy writers and directors

Del Reisman on finding material as story editor for Playhouse 90, and on the duties of the story editor

Del Reisman on the craft of writing episodic television

Del Reisman on the process of editing scripts

Del Reisman on advice to aspiring writers

Del Reisman on how he would like to be remembered

Larry Rhine on having writing partners, and on writing for Here's Lucy

Larry Rhine on advice to aspiring television writers

Andy Rooney on making changes to his writing style when he started working for Arthur Godfrey

Andy Rooney on discovering the use of humor as a device when writing

Andy Rooney on his writing process

Andy Rooney on realizing that he was funny

Andy Rooney on various aspects of using humor in his writing

Phil Rosenthal on transitioning from acting to writing and his first job as staff writer on

Phil Rosenthal on the 3 most important things about writing sitcom scripts that he learned from Alan Kirschenbaum

Phil Rosenthal on the writer's room of Everybody Loves Raymond and the dynamic between male and female writers

Stanley Ralph Ross on his career as a freelance writer

Stanley Ralph Ross on writing pilots

Stanley Ralph Ross on deciding to leave shows after he writes the pilot

Stanley Ralph Ross on advice to aspiring writers

Mark Rothman on his good instincts as a writer

Mark Rothman on advice to aspiring writers

Aaron Ruben on Sheldon Leonard's "seminars" which were held with The Andy Griffith Show writers

Stanley Rubin on writing his first screenplay and working with Marshall Grant

Stanley Rubin on joining the Screenwriter's Guild and helping to negotiate the first minimum basic agreement

Sol Saks on breaking into comedy writing, during the radio days

Sol Saks on noticing that on My Favorite Husband he was distracted from the set so he wouldn't interfere with production regarding changes in the script

Sol Saks on how writers were treated in the early days of television

Sol Saks on his philosophy of comedy writing and writing in general

Sol Saks on not believing in writer's block

Sol Saks on learning his first lesson on how writers are treated

Sol Saks on what makes for good television writing and on honesty in writing

Sol Saks on his first attempt at writing a comedy script

Sol Saks on where writers fit in society, and on the writer as storyteller

Sol Saks on discovering the effectiveness of using simple language in comedy writing

Sol Saks on advice to aspiring television writers

Sol Saks on the most difficult aspects of comedy writing

Sol Saks on the most rewarding aspect of comedy writing

Sol Saks on career achievements and regrets

Jay Sandrich on a favorite episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that presented a difficult writing challenge

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on plotting scenes backwards on I Love Lucy

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on I Love Lucy

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on I Love Lucy and a typical workweek

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on writing Lucille Ball's physical comedy into the scripts of I Love Lucy

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on Maude and Norman Lear's involvement with the writing

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on winning the WGA's Paddy Chayefsky Award for Television Achievement

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their writing style and discipline, on why they've had a successful writing partnership

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on advice to aspiring comedy writers

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on why their writing has held up over the years

Lew Schneider on coming up with storylines for Everybody Loves Raymond, and working with producer Phil Rosenthal

Lew Schneider on the process of writing Everybody Loves Raymond, and on a typical workweek on the show

Lew Schneider on advice to an aspiring television writer

Lloyd J. Schwartz on contrasting his writing process with his father Sherwood Schwartz

Lloyd J. Schwartz on always being aware of the audience he's writing for

Sherwood Schwartz on the difference between writing for radio and writing for television

Sherwood Schwartz on his approach to writing scripts for a series, and on working in the industry

Lorenzo Semple, Jr. on advice to aspiring television writers

Richard and Esther Shapiro on advice to aspiring television writers

Richard Shapiro on his goals as a writer

Richard Shapiro on the challenges of being a freelance TV writer

Richard Shapiro on defining himself as a writer

Richard and Esther Shapiro on their pitching style

Richard and Esther Shapiro on advice to aspiring television writers

Mel Shavelson on how Bob Hope treated his writers and on what he learned as a writer for Hope

Mel Shavelson on the writing process of The Danny Thomas Show and on the writers of the show

Mel Shavelson on advice to aspiring writers

David Shaw on the process of writing scripts for Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse

David Shaw on advice to aspiring writers and his proudest career achievement

Sidney Sheldon on why he loves writing more than directing

Sidney Sheldon on his process for writing novels

Sidney Sheldon on differences between writing for film and television and writing novels

Sidney Sheldon on his writing process

Sidney Sheldon on advice to aspiring television writers

David Shore on coming up with story ideas

David Shore on the advice he would give to young writers

Treva Silverman on the development of the characters on The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Treva Silverman on writing for great actors like the ones on The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Treva Silverman on advice to aspiring comedy writers

Sam Simon on his advice to aspiring writers

John Singleton on writing "Boyz N the Hood"

John Singleton on his writing process

John Singleton on what he likes about writing

John Singleton on writing for film and television, and feeling it's the same, especially as television becomes more cinematic

Robert Smigel on his early ambition to be funny but not believing one could make a living at that profession; on early cartoon drawings he would make, but deciding early on to follow his father's footsteps to be a dentist instead

Robert Smigel on the writer Jim Downey and what he brought to the writers' room at Saturday Night Live, and on how Downey's tenure at The Harvard Lampoon impacted his humor

Robert Smigel on Dana Carvey as a performer on Saturday Night Live and his collaborations with Smigel and enjoying improvising while doing impressions; on contributions from writers Bonnie and Terry Turner; on some of Carvey’s sketches and impressions; on working with Carvey on his Johnny Carson impression, on The McLaughlin Group impression being one of Smigel’s favorite sketches that he wrote; on his Regis Philbin impression; on “finding the music” in an impression with Carvey

Robert Smigel on writing the "Get a life" line for William Shatner on the classic Saturday Night Live sketch "Trekkers" in which Shatner says the line to some Star Trek superfans, and on the sketch being a turning point in his writing career at SNL

Robert Smigel on the sketch "In the Year 2000" that he wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and on the inspiration coming from 1960s television shows like The Jetsons; on the Clutch Cargo sketches which involved cutting out out lips from a still photograph and re-enacting the mouth through the photo (it was Smigel’s mouth); on his impressions being more "impercisions" than impressions of famous people like President Bill Clinton

Robert Smigel on the genesis of the Late Night with Conan O'Brien sketch "Masturbating Bear" which writer Brian Reich developed, and on the bear bit being funnier due to the limitations put on it by Standards & Practices

Robert Smigel on why the Clutch Cargo sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien worked and what made them funny, and on his Arnold Schwarzenegger Clutch Cargo impression

Robert Smigel on writing for his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on the Westminster Dog Show remote episodes with "Triumph"; on some of the best lines being improvised and not pre-written; on the remote bit where "Triumph" roasts fans of Star Wars outside the movie's premiere in NYC

Robert Smigel on coming up with the idea for his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on his wife getting him puppets for his birthday, which was coincidentally right when the Westminster Dog Show was happening; on the character first saying “for me to poop on”; on the dog’s gold bow tie; on the cigar prop; on doing a deadpan stare as "Triumph" in the vein of comedian Myron Cohen; on the character being a good catharsis for the audience since Conan is super polite and "Triumph" is the opposite

Robert Smigel on whether there is a disconnect between himself and his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" and how his identity merged with "Triumph’s" character; on his feeling "Triumph" has more irony and absurdity than an insult comic, which makes "Triumph" less biting or mean

Robert Smigel on writer Dino Stamatopoulos making suggestions for Smigel’s cartoon idea and working on a Superhero parody of "Batman" and "Robin" as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" for The Dana Carvey Show (and later Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse"); on playing with ideas of homoeroticism and masculinity in writing the sketches

Robert Smigel on his "Fun with Real Audio" sketches (for Saturday Night Live) being the inverse of the Clutch Cargo animated device; on the first "Fun with Real Audio" sketch animating real audio clips between Larry King and Ross Perot

Robert Smigel on the animated sketch "Journey to the Disney Vault" for Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse"

Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch skewering NBC's parent company GE on Saturday Night Live

Robert Smigel on his parody of the Peanuts for his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live

Robert Smigel on his involvement with the 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live in 1999; on the animated sketch "Life of a Catchphrase" he created for "TV Funhouse" that aired during that special

Darren Star on trusting your own instincts as a writer and not allowing the audience to influence your choices

Darren Star on what he likes about writing

Darren Star on his writing process

Darren Star on advice to aspiring writers

Ben Starr on his love of writing

Ben Starr on his writing routine

Ben Starr on advice to aspiring television writers

Leonard Stern on his advice to aspiring writers- keep writing!

Jeremy Stevens on the writing process on Everybody Loves Raymond

Jeremy Stevens on the writers' room at Everybody Loves Raymond

Jeremy Stevens on using situations from his life on Everybody Loves Raymond

Norman Stiles on the early process of writing for Sesame Street

Norman Stiles on writing for the actors on Sesame Street

Norman Stiles on writing for the ensemble of Sesame Street

Norman Stiles on collaborating with the writers on Sesame Street as head writer of the show and what he looked for in a writer

Norman Stiles on keeping his writing for Sesame Street fresh over several decades

Norman Stiles on the craft of writing 

Howard Storm on the challenges of writing for an established character like All in the Family's Archie Bunker

J. Michael Straczynski on the secret of his writing

Mel Tolkin on how writing sketches differed from writing a sitcom like The Danny Thomas Show

Mel Tolkin on teaching comedy writing at UCLA, and on the then-current state of television comedy

Mel Tolkin on the benefits of writing with a partner, and on the best of television

Saul Turteltaub on working with his writing partner Bernie Orenstein

Saul Turteltaub on the craft of writing: "You don't write the first page unless you know the last page"

Saul Turteltaub on writing on a typewriter, and his partner Bernie Orenstein getting a computer long before he did

Saul Turteltaub on what he likes about writing

Saul Turteltaub on advice to aspiring writers

Tracey Ullman on her writing process

Tracey Ullman on how she collaborates with other writers, and on how she deals with writer's block

Bruce Vilanch on enjoying writing and acting

Bruce Vilanch on writing jokes

Bruce Vilanch on advice to aspiring writers

Ellen M. Violett on the craft of writing adaptations for television

Ellen M. Violett on the craft of adapting works for television

Ellen M. Violett on what she likes about writing for television

Ellen M. Violett on advice to aspiring television writers

Matthew Weiner on his ability to remember dialogue and moments vividly, which he later used in writing for television shows like Mad Men

Matthew Weiner on knowing when to stop rewriting 

Matthew Weiner on not wanting to use repetition in the dialogue of Mad Men

Matthew Weiner on the writers' room on Mad Men; on taking risks

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on plotting scenes backwards on I Love Lucy

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on I Love Lucy

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on I Love Lucy and a typical workweek

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on writing Lucille Ball's physical comedy into the scripts of I Love Lucy

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on Maude and Norman Lear's involvement with the writing

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on winning the WGA's Paddy Chayefsky Award for Television Achievement

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their writing style and discipline, on why they've had a successful writing partnership

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on advice to aspiring comedy writers

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on why their writing has held up over the years

John Wells on crafting the stories of China Beach using real life stories from veterans 

John Wells on the writing of ER and the use of real medical terminology in the scripts

John Wells on his writing process

John Wells on how writing for television differs from writing for feature film

John Wells on advice to aspiring writers

Dan Wilcox on the writing process on Captain Kangaroo

Dan Wilcox on the writing process of Sesame Street

Dan Wilcox on writing the characters of Captain Kangaroo

Dan Wilcox on his writing process and dealing with writers block

Dan Wilcox on what he likes about writing and advice to an aspiring writer

Max Wilk on learning to write for television while on Ford Television Theatre, and on working with director Marc Daniels

Max Wilk on producer Fred Coe, and on the process of writing for shows like Robert Montgomery Presents

Max Wilk on the experience of adapting plays for television for Ford Television Theatre, and on dealing with the time limitations

Max Wilk on the experience of adapting plays for television for Ford Television Theatre, and on dealing with the time limitations

Larry Wilmore on dealing with pilot season

Larry Wilmore on writing for Sister, Sister for showrunner Sy Rosen, and on learning to write for a sitcom

Larry Wilmore on his writing and editing process

Terence Winter on wanting to become a sitcom writer

Terence Winter on rules for writing The Sopranos and the writers' room on the show

Terence Winter on directing and writing The Sopranos episode - "Walk Like a Man"

Terence Winter on working with the other writers on The Sopranos

Terence Winter on advice to an aspiring writer

Kim Zimmer on advice to a daytime writer, from an actor's perspective

Alan Zweibel on writing comedy for other voices, including Larry David's

Alan Zweibel on writing the character "Roseanne Roseannadanna" with Gilda Radner for Saturday Night Live, and on their writing process

Alan Zweibel on his writing process

Alan Zweibel on writing things for hire and writing things for himself

Alan Zweibel on the process of pitching a project

Alan Zweibel on what he likes about collaborating with other writers

Alan Zweibel on winning his life achievement award from the Writers Guild

Alan Zweibel on advice to an aspiring television writer

Alan Zweibel on how his writing process varies for different media

Alan Zweibel on what he likes about being a writer