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3bffb8"> <div> <div> <h2>If You Want to be A Writer, You Should be Watching TV. Here’s Why.</h2> <div><h3>My daughter Ruby and I have this ritual. Twice a week, as we drive home from soccer practice, we listen to Delilah on…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*j1F0VbYCICNxiHBw.)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="e2b3">I know I promised you that none of the assignments in this series would take very long. This is the only exception.</p><p id="7640">Spend a little time thinking about television and how it’s affected you. Which shows did you watch as a kid? Which do you turn to now? Why?</p><p id="7f40">And I want you to pick an episode of any show and watch it through the lens of a writer. Here are some questions to think about:</p><ul><li>Why did you pick this episode?</li><li>What works about it for you?</li><li>What doesn’t work?</li><li>What did the writers do to make you want to watch the next episode?</li><li>How were the characters developed during this episode?</li><li>Did the characters interact with the setting?</li><li>What part of the story was resolved within this episode?</li><li>How was the larger story arch moved forward?</li><li>Can you tell where the three acts are in this episode?</li></ul><p id="d9cf">I’ve created a couple of worksheets you can download to help. <a href="https://convertkit.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/documents/3832/1275777/Watch_Like_a_Writer.pdf"></a>Download them below.</p> <figure id="60da"> <div> <div> <img class="ratio" src="http://placehold.it/16x9"> <iframe class="" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fupscri.be%2F7e2465%3Fas_embed%3Dtrue&dntp=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupscri.be%2F7e2465%2F&image=https%3A%2F%2Fe.enpose.co%2F%3Fkey%3DdRXnS9Gplk%26w%3D700%26h%3D425%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fupscri.be%252F7e2465%252F%253Fenpose&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=upscri" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" width="800"> </div> </div> </figure></iframe></div></div></figure><p id="0c7a"><b>ASSIGNMENT SIXTEEN:</b></p><p id="906a">Choose an episode of television and watch it like a writer.<

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/p><p id="ee3a">Download the worksheets and use them.</p><p id="e164">Come on over to our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1582424518747057">Facebook group</a> and share what you learned.</p><p id="aa87">If you haven’t signed up for a summer workshop or class yet, <a href="https://ninjawriters.org">check those out here.</a></p><p id="56d1">Also, I’m hosting a free live workshop on Zoom Friday (5/17/19) at 1 p.m. EST. I’d love to see you there. We’re going to work through my favorite writing exercise. <a href="https://zoom.us/meeting/register/64ac5925f31ecf6f7c24e00bf0acd2b8">Register here.</a></p><h2 id="a685">Read all of the challenges in this series here:</h2><div id="e615" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/31-days-of-ninja-writing-challenges-2019-e519e8a6e7c7"> <div> <div> <h2>31 Days of Ninja Writing Challenges: 2019</h2> <div><h3>Spend the next month kicking ass!</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*XjGKUO5osWXPH6B5DsxuBw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="48fc">Want the rest of the challenge posts in your email inbox?</p> <figure id="1fae"> <div> <div> <img class="ratio" src="http://placehold.it/16x9"> <iframe class="" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fupscri.be%2F7df6ae%3Fas_embed%3Dtrue&dntp=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupscri.be%2F7df6ae%2F&image=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.screenshotlayer.com%2Fapi%2Fcapture%3Faccess_key%3Dfe59908dad3baab69ffab249a2224b03%26viewport%3D1024x612%26width%3D1000%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fupscri.be%252F7df6ae%253Fscreenshot&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=upscri" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" width="800"> </div> </div> </figure></iframe></div></div></figure><p id="2b5a"><b>Shaunta Grimes </b>is a writer and teacher. She is an out-of-place Nevadan living in Northwestern PA with her husband, three superstar kids, two dementia patients, a good friend, Alfred the cat, and a yellow rescue dog named Maybelline Scout. She’s on Twitter <i>@shauntagrimes </i>and<i> </i>is the original <a href="http://bit.ly/2dfEiaJ">Ninja Writer</a>.</p></article></body>

Challenge Yourself To Watch TV Like a Writer

31 Day Ninja Writer Challenge 2019: Day Sixteen

Don’t forget that Ninja Writers Academy is open!

Ninja Writers Academy - Learn. Write. Repeat.

Hi! I'm Shaunta. I started Ninja Writers in 2016 as a way to combine my two passions: writing and teaching. After three…

ninjawriters.org

I fully admit that today’s advice is probably not something you’ve heard before. (Unless it was from me.)

I mean, even Stephen King said: If you’re just starting out as a writer, you could do worse than strip your television’s electric plug-wire, wrap a spike around it, and then stick it back into the wall. See what blows, and how far. Just an idea.

But, I want you to watch TV today.

I want you to watch TV like a writer.

Stay with me here. Television can be a time suck. It can steal your writing time. BUT, it can also be some of the best writing there is right now. (And, Mr. King is pretty hard on a medium that’s told some of his stories very well. Dead Zone, anyone?)

Television is one of the most time-efficient ways to take in a full story arch. And writers need to be story consumers, right? They just do. I feel strongly enough that if you’re a writer, you should be watching television — that it was the first thing I ever wrote about on Medium.

If You Want to be A Writer, You Should be Watching TV. Here’s Why.

My daughter Ruby and I have this ritual. Twice a week, as we drive home from soccer practice, we listen to Delilah on…

medium.com

I know I promised you that none of the assignments in this series would take very long. This is the only exception.

Spend a little time thinking about television and how it’s affected you. Which shows did you watch as a kid? Which do you turn to now? Why?

And I want you to pick an episode of any show and watch it through the lens of a writer. Here are some questions to think about:

Why did you pick this episode?
What works about it for you?
What doesn’t work?
What did the writers do to make you want to watch the next episode?
How were the characters developed during this episode?
Did the characters interact with the setting?
What part of the story was resolved within this episode?
How was the larger story arch moved forward?
Can you tell where the three acts are in this episode?

I’ve created a couple of worksheets you can download to help. Download them below.

ASSIGNMENT SIXTEEN:

Choose an episode of television and watch it like a writer.

Download the worksheets and use them.

Come on over to our Facebook group and share what you learned.

If you haven’t signed up for a summer workshop or class yet, check those out here.

Also, I’m hosting a free live workshop on Zoom Friday (5/17/19) at 1 p.m. EST. I’d love to see you there. We’re going to work through my favorite writing exercise. Register here.

Read all of the challenges in this series here:

31 Days of Ninja Writing Challenges: 2019

Spend the next month kicking ass!

medium.com

Want the rest of the challenge posts in your email inbox?

Shaunta Grimes is a writer and teacher. She is an out-of-place Nevadan living in Northwestern PA with her husband, three superstar kids, two dementia patients, a good friend, Alfred the cat, and a yellow rescue dog named Maybelline Scout. She’s on Twitter @shauntagrimes and is the original Ninja Writer.