Are You New To A Writers’ Room? Niceole Levy’s “The Writers’ Room Survival Guide” Is Here To Help

There are many books on writing for television and breaking into the business. But there weren’t any on how the inner sanctum of the writers’ room works… until now. Showrunner Niceole Levy (The Banker, S.W.A.T., Cloak and Dagger) answers all the questions that you were too afraid to ask? Is there decaf coffee? When (if any) are the bathroom breaks? Who buys lunch? How do you tell a colleague their deodorant (or lack of) can knock out a small town?

“There was a need to answer the questions that writers are always asking. The writers’ room has such a mystique and nobody knows what goes on in there.” The TV Writers Survival Guide is targeted to those interested in TV writing or who work in another part of the industry and want to know how TV scripts are written. “It demystifies what I do all day.”

To complicate matters, not all writers’ rooms are the same. Many are vastly different or even oppositional. The best Levy advice is to “feel out the room.” If it’s your first writers’ room, you have no point of reference for comparison. You’re probably at the bottom of the writing totem pole. Watch and learn.

“Watch how people interact with each other. Get a feel for the personalities of the room. Who pitches in a way the showrunner best responds to? Who goes off the rails? Who talks over people? Who’s supportive and who’s toxic?” It’s a guide to how to behave in the writers’ room.

Even though you may have the lowest rank in the writers’ room, there are legal and professional behavioral standards that must be adhered to. You have the right to feel safe and dignified at your workplace. “Hopefully, there’s someone on staff you can discuss these issues with. They may have advice for you or they may offer to personally take it up with the offender.” If the behavior isn’t addressed, then hopefully you have enough allies for moral support. “Racist, abusive, offensive or other profoundly inappropriate behavior can be reported to the HT department at the studio.”

Since many TV writers produce their own episodes, you can request a set visit. “As a general rule, writers are allowed to go on set during broadcast TV shows because production is happening alongside the writers’ room. They often need some writers on set while the rest remain in the writers’ room.”

Set visits is an acceptable question to ask during your interview.

Writing staff should be given all relevant information regarding the writers’ room before it opens.

“Generally, on broadcast shows, you’ve probably already read the pilot, or even seen it if it’s been shot,” Levy said. Some rooms have “additional material” which deal with enhanced character biographies and story arcs. “Once your deal is closed, the showrunner may send you those things.”

The typical information includes meeting days and times, location, in-person or zoom via email. “This introductory email contains the names and email addresses all the other writers so you can start making connections before the room formally opens.” It’s a great way to research your colleagues and familiarize yourself with their work as a way to start collegial conversations.

Streamers tend to work slightly differently because all the writing is done before production begins. The writers’ room has disbanded and it’s much harder to go on set. “It’s common for a streaming show to have a written pilot, but not a shot pilot. There are situations where there isn’t even a written pilot because the show was purchased off a pitch.”

Paper Teaming

This is a staffing term that works from top to bottom. Paper teaming occurs if there are fewer staff writer slots than the budget allows and a showrunner would like to hire more TV writers. “If I have a budget to hire one writer, but want to hire two, I can ask the studio to split a salary so they can work as a team on paper.”

This is a dubious practise because the WGA rules for writing teams are for that purpose, not for when a studio wants to hire two writers for the price of one.

Many diversity writers enter the business via this route. “It’s technically a violation of WGA rules, but it’s the difference between getting your first credit or not. Staff writers are not guaranteed a script, whereas a writing team is.”

Mini Room

A mini-room is often a discussion between the senior writers to shape the structure of a future television show. This will expand into a full size room once a production order is placed. The WGA is still fine-tuning the definition of a mini room. Some mini rooms last for several weeks to several months. “Extended mini rooms is where writers break all the episodes and scripts.”

Broadcast writers’ rooms tend to be bigger because they are writing more episodes – 22 to 26 per season. “You need at least 12 writers on these because some writers will be on set while others are breaking stories.” Broadcast shows also break TV episodes with act outs and they have stricter rules regarding allowable content.

Niceole Levy advises all TV writers to write to an act out structure even if there aren’t commercial breaks. “It creates the ebb and flow of the story. The stakes rise and then we can catch our breath until the problem is solved at the end.”

“In streaming shows, you can get away with a lot and are breaking between 6 and 13 episodes per season. All the writers are breaking stories together. All the scripts are assigned and written before production starts.”

Occasionally, there are top-heavy writers’ rooms where the bosses either disagree or give conflicting or inconsistent feedback. “There are EPs who write and EPs that co-run the room. The showrunner typically takes first pass of the scripts until one the EPs intervenes with a change in story direction, the other gives conflicting notes, leaving the writing staff baffled. It’s about who gets say and their historical relationship with the TV show.”

Niceole Levy suggests doing a side by side comparison of both notes and seeing where the biggest issues are. “Then I use the notes which make the most sense and explain to the EPs what I did, ask them what they think, and give them space to resolve the conflict.”

If the notes are really confusing or derail an episode, Niceole suggests a prompt conference call of the writers to make sure they’re all on the same page.

Story Area vs Research

Research refers to finding a specific piece of information such as how to pick a lock or crack a safe. “The most important thing is the timeliness of the request. If you want a list of romantic restaurants in Brooklyn, a researcher can have them to you by the next day.” If you’re looking for stories in a women’s health clinic or cases taken on by a white collar attorney, a researcher may have more time to compile them.

A story area is a sales document informs the studio of what the first few episodes will be about before a script is written. “These are very show dependent. I’ve written story areas that are five sentences long and others that run for five pages.” It’s a nuanced skill because their purpose is to sell the excitement of the show without giving away too much storyline. Writers are given specific deadlines to give you an idea of how comprehensive story areas should be.

A lot of TV reflects society so there it’s important to be relevant, sensitive, and responsible how certain issues are portrayed. You can’t be seen as jumping on a bandwagon, but you also can’t ignore current life events.

“It comes down to what the showrunner wants to say and the tone of the show. Writers should speak up if there is nuance to be added or different points of view to be explored. When George Floyd was killed, we had serious discussions in the S.W.A.T. writers’ room which is a show about a black cop who is the lead. What will we say about policing?” The writers had to balance the DNA of a CBS procedural with real life events.