Fellowship season is an exciting time at the WGF Library.
Every year, we make it a goal to set up Q&A sessions with many of the major talent development programs and fellowships, so that you — writers — can make connections and get clarification on the application process.
Perhaps you’ve been able to attend one of our recent virtual Library Live sessions with guests from the WarnerMedia Access Writers Program, Universal Writers Program, Humanitas New Voices Program, National Hispanic Media Coalition TV Writers Program, Warner Brothers Television Workshop or our own WGF Veterans Writing Project…
In case you’ve missed any of these sessions, we wanted to share some of the insights and inspiration we’ve gleaned recently.
After all, our goal is always to help you get the materials and info you need to put together an unforgettable application with jaw-dropping writing samples. Here are 10 things to consider as you embark on your quest to attain a coveted spot in a fellowship or writing program.
1.) KNOW THYSELF
Obviously, this is good life advice, but it’s especially true if you’re applying to a writing program. Know yourself as a writer. Know where your talents lie. Know what kind of material you write. Know what types of stories you are interested in developing. Know what writing TV (or features) entails. Know that you are meant for this job (writing) more than any other job. Fellowships are a stepping stone.… not a school. The programs are interested in promising writers they can mold and send off into the professional world. As an applicant, make their job easy. Know yourself as a writer.
2.) A FELLOWSHIP IS BUT ONE POINT OF ENTRY
Most of the popular writing programs get one to two thousand applicants vying for a number of slots in the single digits.
Have other wheels turning and other paths forged as you apply for fellowships. Join a writers group, take classes, go to networking events, take a related job in the field and tell everyone you know that you want to be a TV (or features) writer. These can all be initial entry points into the profession.
Bet on a few different horses, put eggs in a few different baskets…. If you have several different balls in the air, you’re less likely to be devastated and derailed if you don’t get into a writing program.
3.) ACCEPT REJECTION
You will get rejected. It’s just a fact. You heard us just say there are thousands of applicants vying for a handful of slots.
Don’t let rejection be a deterrent. Not getting accepted into a program in a given year DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE A BAD WRITER WHO IS UNWORTHY OF A PROSPEROUS CAREER. It just means that all of this is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve heard from every single program that it’s exceedingly rare for a writer to get in on the first try. It can take 4 or more tries… and sometimes not even then.
Remember that it takes a long time to get better and better — and sometimes it takes a few tries for a program to really see your abilities and potential.
Most of the programs keep tabs on people who apply multiple times. Your growth counts. Learn to accept rejection as part of the process and keep applying.
4.) USE THE APPLICATION DEADLINES
Use them to hold yourself accountable, finish your samples, and ensure your professional documents are ready to send out. Even if you don’t get the fellowship, now you have some great samples on hand.
If you want to write television professionally, you’ll be expected to churn out solid scripts in very little time — sometimes as little as a few days.
Use the application process to get into the swing of writing well AND writing quickly.
5.) HAVE ANOTHER SAMPLE
Nearly every fellowship manager, coordinator or participant we’ve spoken to has expressed that emerging writers should have TWO amazing samples in their portfolio. In addition to being killer scripts, these samples should showcase beyond a shadow of a doubt your specific skills as a writer.
Are you good with jokes? Do you write characters with nuance and warmth? Do you have specific cultural or experiential expertise? Do you tell stories about sports? Superheroes? Your samples should speak to your specific skillset.
Many writing programs ask for two samples right up front. Even if they don’t ask for two, it’s good to have a second… and, if you can, even a third sample ready. You never know WHO, HOW or WHEN somebody might ask, “What else do you have?”
6.) GRAB ‘EM BY THE THROAT
Hooking a reader in the first few pages of your sample(s) is a must. Did we mention that many of the major writing programs receive applications numbering in the thousands?
A sample of your writing is NOT the time to make a reader wait many pages to see your brilliance. If the character twist or series hook or most emotional moment comes toward the end, you’ve lost your first advocate — your reader — and you need them on your side from the outset.
Hook them in the first few pages to let them know they are in capable hands.
7.) TAKE A RISK
We’ve heard countless program administrators say that many writers play it safe — that if an applicant submits a spec of an existing show, it might look and feel like the show, but the episode content is…. safe (i.e. standard or forgettable).
Your specs and especially your original content is the place to make A SPLASH!!
Don’t stray from your wheelhouse as a writer, but TAKE A RISK. Sure, you might fail and get rejected, but you just might make an impression for saying something brave or asking a hard question in your story or covering familiar territory in a dynamic way.
Prove you know how to write for TV, but share a fresh perspective. Prove how well you know the screenwriting rules by breaking one or two.
8.) KNOW FORMATTING BUT KNOW FORMATTING ISN’T EVERYTHING
Especially if you’re spec-ing an existing series, it’s great to exhibit your knowledge of the show’s nuts, bolts and mechanics, but make sure you’re not obsessing over formatting at the expense of something more important, such as telling a captivating story and ensuring the characters’ voices and behavior ring true.
Elly Lachman of the Warner Brothers Television Writers’ Workshop explained that readers are familiar with the show you’re spec-ing, but they’re not comparing your spec to a script from the show.
You’re applying to a writing program, not a formatting one. Put your emphasis on the right thing.
9.) WRITE FROM THE HEART
If you write about things you care about, you’re that much closer to unleashing your distinct voice, which is arguably your greatest asset as a budding writer as well as the most vital thing to showcase in any film/TV writing application or sample.
Odds are, if you really care about what you’re writing about… you can get someone else to care about it too.
Write for yourself.
10.) KEEP WRITING!!
The thing that makes you a writer is that you WRITE. Make time to do it every day. Keep doing it in spite of rejection. The more you write, the better you get. As high as you think your innate talent level is now, it can only improve the more time you spend writing (and also reading and studying shows and movies).
Honing your taste helps you develop your voice.
One of our favorite anecdotes to come out of our recent Q&A series comes from Emerlynn Lampitoc of the Universal Writers Program. One of Emerylnn’s favorite bits of inspiration?
The muse can find you at any time, but it better find you working.
So get to work.
We’ll have more guests in the future to continue the conversation. In the meantime, keep writing and applying to all the great programs out there. If you have questions for the WGF Librarians, you can reach us at library@wgfoundation.org!