How to Write a Spec Script

I'm currently in an amazing class, taught by two producers, one of whom used to head up the WB Fellowship program. This class is kind of her NY version of that program, in that we're learning how to perfect spec scripts, we're meeting writers, and getting notes from seasoned development execs.

I'm just starting to outline my spec (How I Met Your Mother, if you're interested). I went through (read: pitched) many ideas for the script, and got a lot of useful feedback about what works in a spec and what doesn't. Even though I thought I knew the basics of spec writing, I learned a lot just from talking to a woman who's spent years of her career weeding through specs -- she's literally seen it all. And is looking for something new and fresh.

So, the basics: A spec is script you write "on speculation" that you will get a job. You will not get paid for it. No one asked you to write it. In all likelihood, it will never get made. The most you should assume it will do for you is get you an agent or a staffing position on a TV show. Generally, specs are of shows that are currently on the air. However, original spec pilots have been making their way to agents. For our purposes, though, when I talk about spec writing, it's writing a spec of a show that currently exists.

What shows to write:

1. A show that is currently on the air, showing new episodes
2. A show that has been on the air for some time, or is so widespread everyone knows it -- for example, a show like the Mentalist would be okay because it's such a hit that Hollywood is paying attention. Better Off Ted still needs a few seasons under its belt, because the super-busy agent or producer reading your script probably hasn't had the need to Tivo it yet.
3. A show that is likely to remain on the air for at least another season. You want as much life as possible out of your spec -- mostly so that you don't have to write one every few months -- but also that people in Hollywood see that you're paying attention and can capture the current voice.
   
4. If you want to be a comedy writer, pick a half hour sitcom. Don't pick a dramedy. It's kind of a different beast. If you want to write dramas, pick an hour-long. It's best to have more than one spec under your belt (ideal these days is 2 specs and an original), so for comedy, write a multi-camera and a single-camera. For drama, write a serial and a procedural. Show that you're versatile. But don't be too versatile, ie, write an Office spec and a Law and Order. No agent will know what to do with you.
5. Don't pick a show like Lost where you kind of have to be in on the mystery to know what to write next. Serial dramas are obviously harder than procedurals because of all the character dynamics that shift. But try to find one where you can have a stand-alone episode. A bad idea would be (something I attempted earlier this year) writing a Grey's Anatomy script this season. Since your script must be current, it's kind of impossible to write a script with characters who may or may not be dead.
6. Find a show you really love, that you can spend hours watching and researching, whose characters you know, love, and understand. Because ultimately your passion will be what makes a script great.

I picked my show...what should the plot be?

1. A stand-alone episode is best. Write something that can happen at any point and is not contingent on any of the characters' current relationships, unless those relationships are fairly stable. Otherwise, as soon as your characters move on in the actual show, your script is completely moot. Plus, execs/agents will think you're a bit of a dumbass for not realizing that.
2. Don't make any major character changes. For instance, don't write Liz Lemon sleeping with Jack Donaghy. It's not up to you, and it doesn't show that you can write within the confines of the show.
3. Don't revolve the show around a guest character. This includes having your story be about the main characters, but sort of contingent on the existence of a guest character. Keep to your show's main cast as strictly as possible. Even recurring guest cast is a bad idea...what if, unbeknown you, the actor who plays Intern Steve on Grey's Anatomy just got cast in his own pilot and will never be on the show again? Don't risk it.
4. Stick to the main set of the show. Your characters should not venture off to foreign countries, or go to the movies if they always hang out at a bar, or anything like that. Show that you can use the world that already exists on the lot. On the off chance that your spec is good enough for the show to buy, don't let them hesitate because they'll need to increase budget to shoot your script. And even if you know they'd never buy the script, anyone reading yours will know this rule and expect you to follow it.
5. Don't change the rules of your show's universe. For example, Dunder Mifflin can't start selling pencils in addition to paper. The vampires on True Blood can't start to fly. Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl can't start taking the subway.
   
6. Competitions are dull. They're an easy way out, and too many specs use this device. It's boring to your reader because he or she has read it a hundred times before.
7. Make sure your A story is for your lead character. For example, my How I Met Your Mother is mostly about Ted even though the other characters have carried shows in the past. The general concept of the show is that it's Ted's story, so my script will be Ted's story. Same for Grey's -- it should be Meredith's story. Or 30 Rock, make it about Liz.
8. Make sure you have a B and C story, and that you balance them in exactly the same way that most of the show's episodes do.
9. Take a known story and spin a brand new twist on it.
10. Stay within the voice of the show. Understand what plots they tend to use, and use one like it, but one that is still wholly unique to both that show and the TV universe as a whole. Make sure your own voice comes through in your script but doesn't overshadow the voice of the show.
11. Remember that the people reading your script have read scripts for almost every show out there. Don't recycle a plot from a show that's no longer on the air. Don't pick an obvious plot that would have worked really well for The Larry Sanders Show and submit it to 30 Rock. Chances are someone at some point wrote a Larry Sanders spec with that idea, and the person reading your 30 Rock may recall it. Be as original as possible!

This all sounds impossible, how do I do it?

1. Research your show intensely. Rent the DVDs. Watch them straight through. Watch all of the extras. Listen carefully to the commentary, you can get some great ideas about how the actual writers come up with ideas and execute them, and how the people on the show feel about the characters and settings. Read as many scripts from the show as you can. www.scriptcity.com is a great resource, though you may have to pay $10 for a script (but when you're getting paid $3000 a week to write for the show you got hired on from that spec, you'll be okay with the fee.) Re-watch the show, taking notes of exactly what happens and when. Time the act breaks (now called "act outs" apparently). Time the scenes. Outline the show. I use graph paper to plot a curve of the show. Know that show so well that you can recite in your sleep and that you interact more with its characters than the real people in your life. Yes, be a crazy hermit. Total immersion. Read blogs. Read interviews. Read fansites. Watch webisodes, if applicable. (You don't want to copy a webisode plot by mistake!). Read the Episode Guide of the show (wikipedia is usually a good resource for this.)
2. Watch similar shows to get a feel for plot lines that you can maybe add your own spin to, or things that you should avoid because they'll seem overdone. For example, no one can really write a spec of the cast of How I Met Your Mother getting trapped in Ted's apartment in real time, because it will be too reminiscent of the Friends episode "The One Where No One's Ready."
3. Draw from personal experience. This was reiterated by almost every writer and exec who spoke to my class. Personal experience is where the rawest, funniest, most intricate stories come from. They'll be in your voice, they'll be unique, and they'll have that je ne sais quoi that readers crave. The truth compels people, and what you need to be is compelling.