Embracing the Unique Rhythms of Writing

The industry often has unrealistic expectations of our capacity as writers, so why there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how much should we be writing?

I am typically a slow writer, but I can be fast when needed, especially when working in TV. I always manage to meet deadlines without fail, but when it comes to writing my own spec scripts, I’m usually slow. For a long time, I was ashamed of that. I would hide behind the fact that English is not my native language, word choice sometimes comes more slowly to me, and I always have to write with a dictionary by my side. Until I realized - this is my natural rhythm.

When my focus was on finding a manager or agent, I absorbed countless interviews, panels, and podcasts featuring reps. A question that always came up was "How much should your clients be writing?" Their answers always gave me anxiety.

My experience working on All Rise served as medicine for my imposter-syndrome. I told my wonderful Showrunner, Dee Harris-Lawrence, that I struggled with differentiating “in” and “on” (I still do). When she would catch that particular mixup, she would simply draw a happy face next to it. That wasn’t the only confidence boost she gave me. She trusted me with covering set. She never rewrote my scripts. She guided me well, but she also challenged me. Mostly though, she taught me how to laugh at those insecurities I had so that over time they became too small to scare me.

But the pressure of the industry still gets to me from time to time. Imposter-syndrome was rearing its ugly head after the strike. Wondering if the industry was truly this bleak, or if it was my fault for not having finished a new spec. Then it suddenly hit me: I have been writing! Since 2019 until the strike started, I worked on three seasons of television, wrote six episodes, produced five of them, wrote a feature, rewrote another, sold a TV Show, and developed projects with people I admire. All while also putting takes and pitches together so I could land my next gig - and you all know the amount of work a single pitch takes! When I am employed, I don’t work on my own material. I just can’t.

But hey, that’s just me.

So, how much should writers be writing? How much do we really write? I talked to a few writer friends at various stages of their careers and lives. Married, single, with or without children, TV or feature writers, employed or seeking work.

How the strike affected output

The writers’ strike hit us all in different ways. From emotional anxiety to financial stress to finally having vacation time. From building signs to picketing to returning to a day job. Some of us could write, some were too overwhelmed and couldn’t.

I started a feature a month into the strike, but I felt slow and foggy. It was much harder than before. It felt like I wasn’t writing at all - and I wasn’t alone. The industry was surprised at the lack of specs being taken out after the strike. I finished my feature around six months after it ended.

My friend Melody Cooper found herself writing quite a bit as her way of coping.

I wrote several treatments, outlined a new feature, and started adapting a few scripts into short stories, two of which have now been published. I also worked on a sci-fi novel that I’d started last year.
— MELODY COOPER, Co-Producer

Other writers focused on what they could do to help the cause. Anna Klassen decided to picket frequently, and Nicole Feste became a picket line captain halfway through the strike and made that her priority.

I expected to have a ton of free time on strike, but found myself fairly active on the picket line, so finding time to write a full new spec was a challenge. But I didn't want to come out of the strike empty handed, so I made it a priority to finish a first draft of something new.
— ANNA KLASSEN, Feature Writer

Matt Harry, who has three books published and works mostly on features, didn’t notice a big change in his routine.

The strike wasn't a huge change from my normal writing schedule. I don't work in TV, so I'm used to finding the time to write in between my day job and family life. I picketed a couple days a week, then kept on writing. I worked on two books, a spec horror feature, and a podcast. I managed to finish all of them eventually.
— MATT HARRY, Author and Feature Writer

Meanwhile, Saeed Crumpler found himself struggling to write.

I tried to write and failed miserably. Like most writers in the beginning of the strike I was like: “Great, now I can have time to finish this script and that pilot,” but I ended up just being tired and stressed out. It was a very stressful time, not being paid for months and not knowing how long the strike was going to last. I couldn’t write at all.
— SAEED CRUMPLER, Story Editor

Another friend shared similar thoughts of frustration.

I wrote maybe two pages during the strike. It was really hard to be creative and motivate myself with an existential threat to our industry looming over us all.
— ANONYMOUS WGA WRITER

I experienced that stress too but thought I was handling it well until I noticed that I was stress-eating. So I focused on prioritizing my personal life. I got into cooking and I worked out a lot. I saw friends more regularly and made new friends outside of the industry. I took care of me, so eventually, the stress lessened and I ended up having a blast writing my feature.

How long does it take to finish a sample?

A first draft of a feature takes me two to three months, a pilot one to two months. But in total - with treatments, outlines, draft revisions - a feature can take six to twelve months and a pilot three to six months to complete. And I usually take two to four weeks off in between drafts, depending on how long it takes to get notes.

My friend Tessa is probably the fastest writer I know. Her managers actually had to tell her to slow down at some point because they had enough material.

For a TV show, it takes me about two weeks to a month to write a sample and for features, it takes me about two to three months. 
— TESSA SCOTT, Story Editor

Tessa and I get together often to give each other notes. I’ve seen her finish a draft in two to three weeks, over and over and over. Melody has a similar cadence, in the two to three week timeline for both pilots and features. My friend and former coworker Corey Moore, however, has a completely different rhythm.

A pilot usually takes me three months to write, from conception to outline to second draft completion. The first draft of a feature usually takes me six to eight months. 
— COREY MOORE, Co-Producer

Eddie Mujica believes it just depends on the nature of the project.

It really varies. The biggest catalyst seems to be genuine excitement about the idea. I'm an actor and director, too, so my time gets split with last-minute auditions or other creative work, so that can contribute to a longer turnaround time.
— EDDIE MUJICA, Executive Story Editor

Anna’s rhythm is very similar to mine.

It takes me a month or so to outline a new spec feature, and about six weeks to write the first draft. Then depending on who I’m handing it over to for notes, rewrites can take anywhere from a few weeks to many months. I always assume I'll be rewriting the script many times before we send it to producers or studios. 
— ANNA

Ultimately, I agree with my friend Saeed when he says it doesn’t really matter because when someone reads your script they have no idea how long it took you. The script is either good or isn’t.

How are we able to write when we’re staffed versus not staffed?

If I’m not staffed, I can write two pilots per year or one feature, so it surprised me to hear that writing team and Co-Executive Producers, Gina Gold and Aurorae Khoo, focus on pitches instead and only write material as needed.

We used to write about one to two spec pilots a year, but once people started insisting on pitches instead, we switched to writing one pilot every two or three years. When it comes to features, we write one every three to four years. And we rarely work on our own material when we’re staffed.
— GINA GOLD and AURORAE KHOO, Co-Executive Producers

This industry is all about novelty. Everyone wants to know what is the new thing we’re working on, so it’s refreshing to hear their approach. Maybe Gina and Aurorae have written so many samples throughout their career that they don’t need them as much.

For the rest of us who are not at Co-EP level yet, we try to write something new every year, though it’s not always possible.

I write at least two samples a year. I write mostly TV pilots with one feature sample. When I’m in a room, I’m not really in the headspace to focus that deeply on two projects at once so I don’t write any personal projects when staffed.  
— TESSA

Eddie and Corey usually write one new thing per year, mostly pilots. Neither of them work on their own material when they’re staffed, so instead they do smaller things, like fleshing out ideas or creating a loose beat sheet of an original spec. Melody, however, always finds time to work on her personal projects when she’s staffed as a way of “keeping them alive.”

What does our writing routine look like?

I write two to four hours per day, Monday through Friday, preferably in the mornings, occasionally after lunch. I don’t write on the weekends, and I don’t write after 6pm, unless I’m staffed and actively writing my outline or episode.

Here’s what works for my friends:

In a perfect world, I have my mornings free, and can work uninterrupted until lunch, then I'll take afternoon meetings. I find my best writing happens in the moments right after I wake up. If I can transfer that early morning energy into my script immediately, that's ideal. My creative light dims as the day goes on. 
— ANNA

I write every day at least one hour and four or more if I’m working on a specific deadline. Occasionally, all I’ll write is a grant or lab application but those essays can kick your ass!
— MELODY

I usually commit six to eight hours per day on pages. It's often broken up between mornings and evenings. 
— COREY

I don't have a well-defined routine, but I try and spend some time every morning doing some version of writing. Going on long walks to ideate, working in Google Docs to flesh stuff out, talking to myself in the shower. Then, once it's ready, I jump into Final Draft and try not to hate myself.
— EDDIE

I try to be consistent and write at least two hours a day. You’ll be amazed at how much work you can get done. To be honest, a lot of writing is thinking about the story and how to fix plot holes or problems.
— SAEED

My writing routine is an absolute mess. I write daily but there’s never a set time or length. It’s just whenever I feel inspired. 
— TESSA

When we're in the thick of it, we write six to seven hours a day, from 11am to 6 or 7pm with about a 45 to 90 minute lunch break.
— GINA and AURORAE

I try to get in two to six hours, five days a week. If I have a couple days in a row with only two hours, I'll usually do a sixth day. Because I have kids, I mostly write during school hours. It's hard to concentrate on nights or weekends if they're running around, and I feel like a bad dad if I'm ignoring them!
— MATT

Every writer is different, so why would the answer to the question “How much should we be writing?” be the same for everyone? We all have different styles, rhythms, and processes. What our reps need from us is good material. And writing isn’t just pages. Sometimes it’s a pitch or an outline. Maybe it’s just a logline. Or even thinking about your story while you take a walk. If you’re like me, at times intimidated by the amazing speed other writers have, I hope this makes you feel better. Do the work and give yourself grace. Find your own pace.

♥