9 Writers ~ 1 Story
post by Michelle Griep
Let's face it. Peer pressure works. Recently one of my BFF's (yes, I have more than one) stayed over and got me hooked on the TV show Parenthood. I'm a little behind the times since this one ended last year, but hey . . . better late than never, eh?
The show's premise is simply an account of the Braverman family, their ups and downs dealing with the struggles of life. You get attached to the different characters and wonder how they'll cope with all the curveballs.
But what really intrigues me about Parenthood is that the story is written by 9 different authors. Nine. Can you imagine 9 chefs in a kitchen all working on one pot of soup? Nine carpenters all nailing and hammering the same cabinet? Nine any kind of humans all creating one piece of art? That's pretty amazing. And here's how they did it . . .
The writers met every day to come up with a story structure for the next episode. In professional jargon, that's called a "story break." Basically they take the story and break it down into minute details. Think of it as kind of an epic brainstorming session.
Once that's finished -- once the episode is "broken" -- only one writer takes the generated information and outlines it, then goes on to write a script. So really, it's a combo of teamwork and individual writing.
Of course, working together has it's ups and downs, just like the Braverman family. Hmm. Wonder how much of that story was real life?
The show's premise is simply an account of the Braverman family, their ups and downs dealing with the struggles of life. You get attached to the different characters and wonder how they'll cope with all the curveballs.
But what really intrigues me about Parenthood is that the story is written by 9 different authors. Nine. Can you imagine 9 chefs in a kitchen all working on one pot of soup? Nine carpenters all nailing and hammering the same cabinet? Nine any kind of humans all creating one piece of art? That's pretty amazing. And here's how they did it . . .
The writers met every day to come up with a story structure for the next episode. In professional jargon, that's called a "story break." Basically they take the story and break it down into minute details. Think of it as kind of an epic brainstorming session.
Once that's finished -- once the episode is "broken" -- only one writer takes the generated information and outlines it, then goes on to write a script. So really, it's a combo of teamwork and individual writing.
Of course, working together has it's ups and downs, just like the Braverman family. Hmm. Wonder how much of that story was real life?
