The Hero Succeeds: The Character-Driven Guide to Writing Your TV Pilot Paperback – April 4, 2016

If you’re working on a pilot script this book is an excellent resource and streamlines the process of going from idea to polished script. Even if you’ve had success with other methods like Save The Cat or the Story Circle, Kam Miller’s perspective is incredibly helpful and engaging. 10/10

I decided to try my hand at screenwriting and book after book most of them only focused on feature films or just storytelling in general. When I heard this book mentioned on a podcast I immediately put it in my cart. A book that solely focuses on writing a pilot is exactly what I'd been looking for.I'm about halfway through and this book has taught me so much. Kam breaks things down into pieces so it's manageable and isn't overwhelming. She also gives a lot of examples and assignments to keep the progress on your own project going. The more I read the book the more my own script gets closer to being complete.

At first I thought, oh my....not another one of those books to master the elusive art of screenwriting; but slanted for the TV novice looking to break in. Way different. My feelings, insights and most vividly, Kam's book, chanalled my creative side, while coalescing the business facets in a straight-no-chaser sharp style. The free association aspects shook off the fears stifling me before and probed my mind from a seed of an idea, into a one hour serial with legs. For a book to knock me out is rare (unless being fixated on savvy Hollywood literature gurus is standard). Anyone stirring in a plethora of unhatched, unimagined ideas , delve in and digest The Hero Succeeds! ---- See what doors open for you.

If you want direction on how to write a pilot get this book! The insights are gold and more importantly actionable. I have a subscription to Hulu that I never used prior to reading this book. By the time I was a quarter of the way through I was curious to see if Kamm Miller's tv structure was true. Lo and behold after watching at least 20 pilots on Hulu both comedy and drama wouldn't you know it she was spot on. Soon I got a new found appreciation for tv shows because now I knew how they worked! I got excited to watch new shows or old shows I had never seen just to see how closely they abided by the character version structure! The best shows did! Even the bad ones. What this book does is take the mystery out of tv writing and gives you the confidence that you can do what the pros do! I do recommend other books to read to help expand your skills set such as making a scene by Jordan rosenfels, conflict thesaurus, wound thesaurus, occupation thesaurus, scene and sequels, mastering plot Twists. These books will give you a strong foundation in character driven story telling. There are many other books out there but if tv is what you want to write definitely get Kamm Miller's and go from there!

There are plenty of terrific screenwriting books out there. But a terrific book on TV writing? There aren't many go-to tomes that are agreed upon classics.And maybe that's because the rise of Peak TV has been a relatively recent phenomenon.Writing a TV show in 2018 is really different than writing one in 2000. TV shows are regularly more sophisticated than most everything you see on the big screen. And, most books about TV writing, that I've encountered, focus on writing specs for existing shows. Very little attention has been paid to original TV pilots.That's why Kam's book is so helpful. Not only does she take you into the structure of a good drama pilot, she also takes you inside of comedy pilots as well--and streaming and cable options, too.As you work through the book, you'll learn how you can build a structure that can survive season after season (if that's what you want to do). But, more importantly, I think, you'll also learn the structure of an episode. How to put together the scenes to create an effective TV pilot.I really enjoyed this book and found it really helpful. If you're interested in not just writing TV but specifically creating your own original TV pilot, you need to check out this book.

I decided to take a crack at writing and just happened to cross paths with this book in the many I was reading for insight and direction. It just so happened to be "the one." It is excellent in breaking down the process of writing from beginning to end with all the steps in between. I actually now see the breakdown in the shows and movies I watch and catch myself calling out the steps of the process and character driven structure. It makes so much sense now. If I could recommend just one book to learn to write for tv and even movies it would be this one.

Kam Miller's book is the definitive text on how to write a TV Pilot and arc your series. This isn't a quick book of shortcuts. This is an in-depth guide that leads you through the steps of LEARNING how to write a relevant, character driven television series. Ms. Miller has no doubt spent countless hours breaking down current shows and laying them out in a way that makes them accessible to writers creating their own series. Each chapter has a very clear exercise at the end. These exercises help you build your world and create your arcs for the story you want to tell. The format of this book is about giving you the tools that you need as a writer to make your show. Along the way, exercises are EXACTLY THE SAME as what would be asked of you as a professional writer in a writer's room or developing a show for producers or a network. It's hard work, but if you really want to write a show that has a shot of getting made or have a writing sample that will be noticed, use this book.

With its step by step guidance, relevant examples and fresh take, The Hero Succeeds will either add to what you already know about writing a pilot, or lay the groundwork for your very first attempt. This book is a must for everyone who aspires to create riveting television.

What I really liked about this book is: (i) that Kam Miller has written it in a style designed to encourage you; (ii) her analyses of various TV pilots from a range of genres show concrete examples of how to apply what she's writing about in practice; (iii) that it focuses on the writing of a pilot script. That may sound obvious, but as Kam illustrates, there's a big difference between writing a movie-script and the pilot of a TV show - with the latter having to do so much more heavy-lifting in a shorter space of time. This book breaks down what a pilot has to do and explains why it has to do it. There are not that many books out there that focus on writing for television, and in particular writing pilots, so if this is something you're attempting, or thinking of attempting, then I'd suggest that this book should be on your shelf. What also sets this book apart from other 'how to write' books is that its author, Kam Miller, has actually written pilots for major Hollywood studios and for a major US TV series. Who better, then, to get advice from?I'm based in the UK and I've found this book really useful for my own writing - both in terms of inspiration/motivation to write and for the sound, practical advice it contains. I highly recommend it.

Super intéressant. L'auteur explore notamment les composants essentiels du "Series Treatment" qui s'apparente à ce qui est demandé en France pour convaincre les productions. Puis elle détaille les différents points de façon à chaque fois très instructive et concrète. Elle fournit également une méthode d'analyse des épisodes qu'elle détaille pas à pas sur de nombreux exemples, ainsi que des synthèses des structures d'épisodes. L'auteur est aussi très disponible pour envoyer d'autres "Story grids" si on les lui demande. Merci à elle ! Je recommande.

Das hat mir echt geholfen, mein Pilot Episode zu schreiben. Gut daran ist, dass Kam vieles über dir Industrie weiß. Das empfehle ich der Leute, die schon Autor sind, und wollen ein Pilot schreiben!

I've read many books and manuals about screenwriting, some are good, few are excellent, and just a couple are worth every millisecond you dedicate to it. The Hero Succeeds is one of them. Reading it feels like attending an actual lesson, and by that I mean it feels like having a coach next to you that explains you every concept, trick or assignment.It not only provides many examples and magnificently analyzes them, but furthermore, it guides you through it so that you can do it over and over again on your own.It guides you step by step, concept by concept throughout everything is needed to nail the creation of a tv pilot. If I had to describe it with an adjective other than awesome, I'd say dense. Like in a good script nothing is wasted. Every paragraph, every single line has a purpose in this book. Nothing is ever unnecessarily repeated, everything gives you something more. It is 482 pages and each of them is significant.I loved that the authoress gave the opportunity to ask for extra materials. I loved the little insights, jargon explanations, and jokes that kept the study light and enjoyable every single page. I liked the idea of the spoiler alerts, even though I'm not bothered by them. I thought it was nice because it shows attention to the reader. Even if it's not requested or necessary.In the end, I honestly think this is the book you are looking for if you typed tv writing in the search box. This manual probably get as close to a mentor as a book can get, I only wish I had found it before.To the authoress Kam Miller, if for some reason you are reading this, thank you very much, this book meant a lot to me.