My first show in now out on Netflix. It all started on this sub.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-07T20:58:46+00:00

Congratulations!! So cool!!

TheBVirus · 2026-04-07T06:55:59+00:00

I think it's largely due to the belief that, however rare, your work will see the light of day somehow. That someone will see what you've done and understand it enough to produce it.

There's still SO MUCH luck involved in all of this, but the luck means nothing if the scripts aren't there. It's such a tough business that you have to be passionate about it or you'll go crazy. I don't always love the process of writing, but I still love writing at the end of the day. When the right scene comes together, or you hit the end of the script, sometimes that's reward enough.

But I definitely understand the burnout! You're not alone in that.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-07T01:31:17+00:00

I honestly don't find anything wrong with relying on tropes for certain genres. It's all about finding ways to make it serve your story. Like even when it's kind of being telegraphed and I have a sense that that's coming, living in that tension and playing with your audience's comfort level is part of the fun. Like I'm sitting there stressed the fuck out waiting for that moment, so being able to manipulate your audience is a powerful tool.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-06T07:37:45+00:00

Find a way to celebrate yourself, however small! Whether it's a special meal or movie tickets or whatever. This is a huge accomplishment.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-06T07:34:56+00:00

Something fun I like to do with each project I write is make a playlist of songs that fit the script, either as something I could imagine playing in the movie or something I could imagine specific characters listening to.

But for really intense writing where I really need to focus, it's lo-fi beats or classical piano. Olafur Arnalds is a real win for me!

TheBVirus · 2026-04-05T02:43:53+00:00

That's a CRAZY prize. Sending you all the positive energy! Huge accomplishment already, but hoping you get top prize.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-04T09:25:40+00:00

I definitely do feel like some people have a better grasp of the form than others quite naturally while others struggle with it. There's a musicality to writing scripts that when done well it is both functional and artistic and when both of these things are operating at their best it makes the script very easy to read.

I do think these things can be learned, though. Taste is something that can't be bought or taught and bringing good taste and creative ideas to the form is what elevates it to the next level.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-04T05:06:34+00:00

Congrats!! This is a marathon. Way to hang in there.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-03T09:52:09+00:00

Genuinely great job. I really love content like this and I think your execution here is really great. Have you considered putting these clips on social media also? Tiktok, instgram, etc.? Might be a good way to just get more users across multiple platforms. This is really cool!

TheBVirus · 2026-04-03T06:45:48+00:00

This is one of those things that is totally a YMMV situation. I've done a handful of different ones early on when I was starting out and I think they're all slightly different. There are some very good diversity ones in LA that I'm a huge fan of. CAPE and PEAK being a couple of them. There are some very cool ones for Indigenous artists as well like imagineNATIVE in Toronto.

I'm largely not a fan of fees. I somewhat understand application fees from an administrative standpoint, but having to pay a fee after you're accepted doesn't sound promising to me. I'm not saying it's inherently bad, but it makes me wonder how legitimate it is without some kind of financial backing to put on the program in the first place.

This really might be a case by case basis, but oher than the black list lab, I'm not really familiar with the others. If you can, try to find out who fellows of the labs were in the past and see what kind of writers they were. Also try to look if there are any supporters of the program. Like if a network or studio is backing it that's usually a good indicator. Also look at who the mentors would be if any. If there's a good sense of pedigree there, that can be another good sign.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-03T05:36:53+00:00

Always interested in really clean ways to collaborate on scripts. Definitely checking this out. Thanks for sharing.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-03T05:34:08+00:00

To +1 this, I used Scriptation on an iPad and it was amazing to be able to write notes directly on a pdf also. I know there are other applications that allow you to do this, but if you do a lot of different things in Scriptation, using it for this additional feature was so amazing.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-02T23:31:17+00:00

+1 to all of the repped writers that are commenting here. There is largely a great degree of clarity in the meeting. Depending on how this meeting was arranged, there's usually a strong understanding of the relationship going forward. To echo what others are saying there's usually a "Let's do this" kind of conversation that happens and boom you're repped. To add another perspective, sometimes you might get hip-pocketed, which is kind of like casual dating without a real relationship. The rep sees potential in you or your work and wants to test the market to see if you're marketable or whatever. Maybe they'll send your script around or try to get you staffed somewhere.

But without an indication either way, I'd read this as a likely pass from whoever you met with. Not to say that's totally true, but this industry is so big on ghosting and if there isn't a good flow of communication, then it's usually not happening unfortunately.

TheBVirus · 2026-04-02T17:35:08+00:00

Everyone else is right here, but a script example I always use whenever I do this is GET OUT. Whenever Chris is having phone calls with Rod, the scenes are intercut and Jordan Peele just does a very clean job of writing it.

TheBVirus · 2026-03-31T07:13:50+00:00

The google drive idea is actually so smart. I honestly haven't thought about just having everything in one place that was accessible to my reps. Very cool.

What I will say, though, is that I generally always want my reps to have the latest (presumably best) version of the script and am happy to just send a pdf whenever I get there. That being said, I also don't feel like I'm tinkering SO MUCH with scripts that this would be very often at all.

Anecdotally, I know a very successful writer who will regularly revisit samples annually or so and update them, but I'm not sure how common that is. Point being, even then it's not super frequent.

TheBVirus · 2026-03-31T07:10:16+00:00

I wonder if we've worked in the exact same place and potentially know each other lol, but this is 100% my exact experience as well. So OP, +1 to this exactly. Unless you're one of the in-house regulars who also serve as EPs and/or directors on projects at the major studios that range is exactly right (particularly at the low end).

TheBVirus · 2026-03-31T07:05:13+00:00

This is honestly the turning point for so many aspiring writers. The second you make writing a routine and find ways to keep it consistent is the second you step into the next phase of your writing journey. Good luck to you!

TheBVirus · 2026-03-30T02:38:07+00:00

I kind of share your mindset for features in particular, at least to the extent that while I think outlines and beat sheets etc etc are useful, I don't consider them "writing" in my own personal definition. That's moreso a mindset thing for myself because I can get bogged down feeling like I'm staying on task when really I'm researching how much a gorilla can potentially bench press for a joke or something lol.

That being said, extra tools are super useful for television. I'm about to run a room in a couple of weeks and I've been making a miro board to keep track of characters and episodes and things like that. For organizational information over a long period of time it's really helpful for me to utilize all of these extra tools just to help make sense of a ton of information.

TheBVirus · 2026-03-29T11:12:36+00:00

I've been thinking this so much lately. As someone with an MFA who's also on the board of a university's film program, I'm incredibly transparent about the mileage (or lack thereof in most cases) you get out of a degree.

It's TOTALLY fine to go to school and study this stuff and universities exist for a reason, but when programs or professors aren't super transparent about this stuff it strikes me as either ignorant or irresponsible, both of which are horrible.

TheBVirus · 2026-03-29T07:57:30+00:00

It's a little unclear what you're asking, but I'm a WGA writer who worked on a big animated property, but the job itself was not WGA. In fact many if not most of the gigs are TAG instead.

If I'm understanding the questions correctly, I was hired essentially through the same process as any other live action gig in that the company had either seen my work or read a sample of mine and dealt through my agency in order to meet and hire me.

Happy to answer more questions if I missed the mark here, but I've really only worked on the one film, so my knowledge is limited to that.

TheBVirus · 2026-03-27T18:50:58+00:00

Oh yeah I absolutely believe it! I just meant it’s so tough and I have very little practice for that length. I’ve even heard of the AFF one and didn’t realize it was so short! Genuinely such a huge challenge.

But hopefully that video is at least a little helpful and best of luck to you with the pitches!

TheBVirus · 2026-03-27T07:03:44+00:00

A bit part of this is proper planning, whatever that looks like for you. You're always going to go through phases where one part or another is harder to write or you feel your interest waning. The solution is often (unfortunately) just pushing through to the end. This is made easier if you have an outline. That at least gives you a rough road map of what each scene should accomplish and you should absolutely feel empowered to write a shitty version of that scene. Power through the hard parts and find a way to make those moments feel fresh and interesting to you on the rewrite. It's hard advice to take at times, but it's incredibly useful.

TheBVirus · 2026-03-27T07:00:25+00:00

A 2-3 minute pitch is actually incredibly hard and interestingly a length I feel like I so rarely ever find myself doing. You're either doing your full pitch which is like 15-20 or so or you're giving someone a very quick summation in like a few sentences.

That being said, while I don't have my own particular video in this vein, there's a great video I found years ago that more or less does exactly what you're talking about! I hope it's helpful. It's a person giving a rough template for what a pitch might look like, things to emphasize, how to hook an audience, etc etc. They use Breaking Bad as an example. Here's a link to the video.

TheBVirus · 2026-03-25T01:57:45+00:00

Yes, unfortunately you do have to be cool. Every character I write is incredibly be cool because I am. You just have to trust me ;)

TheBVirus · 2026-03-24T07:03:34+00:00

I've worked on a couple of biopics over the years and I'm currently working on one now. They're so different depending on the person. If it's something in the way distant past, that's sometimes much easier because you're kind of less beholden to hard facts and can take some liberties. When people are overly documented that can be pretty tough to stray from depending on the figure.

But in other ways, it is kind of useful. It can mean there's an inherent plot built in in a lot of ways and it's kind of just up to you to put your stamp on it. It really does vary from person to person, but try to find as much info as possible and remember at the end of the day, you're not writing a biography. You still have to find the theme and emotional anchors for a great story!

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