**UPDATE**: Check out the Kids on Bikes Save the Day video or or find similar movie lists at NotAnotherKidMovie.com. When you're a kid, your bike will take you places you've never been before. It's your first real taste of independence and, ultimately, freedom. It starts with that first pushback against mom—who tells you not to... Continue Reading →
This is my biggest chapter because I have a lot to say. I love honoring my heroes and, over time, I've learned how to give them the sendoffs they deserve. Writing obituaries seems easy. You tell viewers so-and-so died and share a few sentences about what they're known for. It airs. Viewers go about their... Continue Reading →
It's 4:40 p.m. Your show is on in twenty minutes. You need to be in the booth, ready for five live reporters, and there's suddenly breaking news. How will you write the ten teases you have in the show? Teases feel like a burden. But when they're written correctly, they're an effective way to make... Continue Reading →
You would think studies are dry and dull, but they can add a lot of spice to a show. They're essentially bite-size mysteries. You offer a problem and a potential solution in 25-30 seconds. They're timely and offer actionable information. The best part is that they're easy to write if you approach them correctly. Sentence... Continue Reading →
When editing your script, ensure everything is correct, not just spelling and grammar. I once referred to the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University as the Horned Toads. Why? I can't tell you. I was helping the sports department on a Saturday morning. I knew they were the Horned Frogs. I wrote Horned Toads. The... Continue Reading →
Writing coaches like to fill your head with quotes about Hemingway that likely are not true, such as "Write drunk. Edit sober." Did he say that? I don't know. It seems like good advice for most kinds of writing. You want to spew something onto the page and clean it up later. Another one is... Continue Reading →
One of the most important lessons I learned about writing happened years before I became a writer. I was working at a pizza shop in college. An entourage of businesspeople flew into Michigan to tour our shop's daily operations. The visitors were interested in opening a similar pizza shop in Japan. One of the visitors... Continue Reading →
Here's the scenario. You're at the bar, watching the Cubs play. Your friend arrives late. You ask what took so long. He says he couldn't find an Uber, so he pounded the pavement instead. What? What does that even mean? Is your friend beating the concrete with a mallet? This is what goes through a... Continue Reading →
People who watch the news are unforgiving. And the people who are the focus of a news story can be litigious. You can get in trouble incorrectly attributing statements, facts, quotes, and images. If you're writing about science, economics, social justice, or crime, you want to correctly attribute the information you receive. People who are... Continue Reading →
We live during an information gold rush. With Google as your tool, you can chisel away at the internet to find nuggets of info that will make your story sparkle. The nuggets give your writing depth, context, intrigue, and make your viewers feel better informed (maybe a little smarter) because they watched your show. Let's... Continue Reading →
Resident. Pedestrian. Citizen. On more than one occasion, a consultant or manager has told me not to use these words because they're not relatable; viewers don't say them in casual conversation, or only police or public officials use them. I say malarky and poppycock (Words that are actually unrelatable). Yes, there could be more precise... Continue Reading →
Among the Reads 