Hello! Welcome to Teleplays: Writing for TV. This Learning Journey is designed to help develop the skills and understanding needed to work as a writer in today’s TV industry. Writing for TV provides insight into the work of a screenwriter – a deep understanding of TV storytelling and professional scripts, comedy and drama scripts, professional working practices, and employment strategies. Specific topics range from story structure and formatting scripts to actually producing the pilot.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the basic plot structures, character archetypes, and genres of TV
- Construct a pilot using industry-standard formatting
- Identify resources for developing a script past the first draft
- Understand the process for producing a pilot
Requirements
Coursework
Complete each lesson in the Writing for TV course. As you progress through each lesson, make sure to press complete before moving on to the next.
Mentorship
You are in one of the following pair types. You pair type is listed on your GWN Portal profile.
- Mentor/Mentee: Meet 2 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.
- Peer-to-Peer: Meet 2 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.
Engagement Types
Please attend at least one table read workshopping/critique and at least one live event related to the tv industry (see dates in the next section “Live Events”).
- College and Career Chats
- Workshopping/Critique
- Community Studio
Submissions
Submit a draft of a pilot (22-52 pages).
Live Events
- June 16, 2025: Orientation Studio (6-7pm ET)
- July 16, 2025: Workshopping/Critique 1 (7-8pm ET)
- July 29, 2025: TV Industry Career Chat (4:45-6pm ET)
- August 6, 2025: Workshopping/Critique 2 (6-7pm ET)
- August 23, 2025: Workshopping/Critique 3 (12-1pm ET)
- September 6, 2025: Workshopping/Critique 4 (12-1pm ET)
- September 20, 2025: Pilot Showcase (12-1pm ET)
Please check the Announcements tab for information on upcoming live events.
Submissions
Submit your pilot through the portal by September 29. If you’d like feedback from the Journey Lead (Annaya Baynes), put a link to a Google Doc in the comments of the last lesson.
