Writers' rooms are the beating heart of any TV series and sometimes film. They're where the magic happens - where writers come together to come up with ideas for episodes, break down scripts into detailed outlines, and work together to write drafts.

Although every show is different, here's what you should know about what goes on in a writers' room.

Each writers' room is different

A writers' room is a team of writers who meet several times a week to brainstorm episodes of television series. Each writers' room is different, but at its core, it consists of a group of people sitting around a table tossing ideas back and forth.

The process of a writers’ room can be both exciting and daunting. There is no right or wrong way to run one, but there are some basic principles that any writers' room should follow.

A writers' room generally consists of a small group of writers

A writers' room is a group of writers who work together on a TV show. The number of people in the room can vary, but it's usually just one or two pairs of writers. The head writer/showrunner usually runs meetings and keeps track of all the stories that the team comes up with.

On an ongoing series like a soap opera such as Britain’s Coronation Street which has aired since 1960, the writing team is likely to be in a continuous state of flux as writers leave for other projects.

As a result, ensuring a consistent tone of voice for recurring characters written by different writers will be especially important in a long-running series. In a writers' room for a film or a mini-series, it would be unusual for a writer to change halfway through.

Continuity of narrative is also important in an ongoing TV series so the TV show bible becomes vital. 

How much time is spent in a writers' room?

The amount of time the team spends in the room is dictated by several factors. This includes the production schedule and writing deadlines.

 If they have a lot of work to do, they'll spend more time together. If there's less work to do, they might meet less frequently.

Who runs the writers’ room? 

The show runner or head writer will run the meetings. They will keep track of the story ideas that are pitched. The show runner will decide which ideas are best to pursue and assign each one to a specific writer.

The writer assigned to a particular story will be responsible for developing it. They break it down into acts, outlining each act as a separate story to keep track of where it fits within the larger narrative arc of the season or series. 

Who comes up with story ideas and characters? 

The writers' room is a place where the show's staff collaborates to develop new story ideas, often by talking out loud about their characters and stories. The room is filled with whiteboards, easels, and post-it notes which allow them to sketch out possible plots for discussion.

They share existing knowledge about characters and story structure with each other and come up with ideas as a group. They also help each other out when they encounter problems during their writing process. In this way, everyone gets the chance to contribute while receiving help from others at the same time.

How is the script broken down? 

Once they have a general outline for an episode, one or more writers will "break" the script—write a step-by-step breakdown of what happens scene by scene in each episode. Here is a guide of how to outline your screenplay using Arc Studio.

The writer who breaks down the script is often not necessarily the same person as the writer who writes it. The showrunner may sometimes bounce ideas off other people and take suggestions from them, which can lead to co-writing credits on some episodes (though this is rare).

In TV writing rooms, there are generally two kinds of writers: those who work on "story" (the overall plot) and those who work on "scripting."

Every writing room is different and it’s not unusual to see a showrunner or head writer pen several episodes of the show him or herself. 

How does the writing process itself work in a group? 

In some writers' rooms, it's common for writers to work in pairs on different drafts. The first writer is responsible for outlining the story, while the second writer fills in the details and dialogue. They pass drafts back and forth until they arrive at a final script.

On other occasions, individual episodes are allocated to one writer and then the team comes together and swaps them around and contributes to all of them. 

Although each writers' room is unique, there is a basic structure to how most rooms operate

Although each writers' room is unique, there is a basic structure to how most rooms operate.

The head writer leads the room and makes sure that everyone gets their work done. The head writer may also pitch ideas for episodes or help write them, but they're not the only one who contributes. Other writers in the room can pitch ideas and even write entire episodes themselves if they wish.

If you want to learn more about the process of writing for television be sure to check out our specific blog on the topic. 

How should you approach a writers' room? 

If you’ve been lucky enough to get the chance to work in a writers’ room then be excited but also remember to discipline yourself.

If you’ve been used to working on your own it can be hard to adapt to working on a team. Be sure to take the time to listen to other people’s ideas and not railroad anyone or talk over them. Respond positively to feedback and see it as a chance to get better not as an attack on your integrity.

Remember that as you’re part of a team you’re not always going to get the final say on where the story or the characters are heading and there might be a consensus for a take different from yours. 

If you’re looking for an industry-standard screenwriting software to get you from blank page to pitching to Netflix then be sure to consider Arc Studio. 

Happy writing from the Arc Studio team.