Editing Screenwriting (section)

===Television writing===
A freelance television writer typically uses spec scripts or previous credits and reputation to obtain a contract to write one or more episodes for an existing television show. After an episode is submitted, rewriting or polishing may be required.

A staff writer for a TV show generally works in-house, writing and rewriting episodes. Staff writers&mdash;often given other titles, such as [[story editor]] or [[Television producer|producer]]&mdash;work both as a group and individually on episode scripts to maintain the show's tone, style, characters, and plots.<ref>[http://www.tvwriter.com/faq/faq.htm TV Writer.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929034952/http://www.tvwriter.com/faq/faq.htm |date=2007-09-29 }} from tvwriter.com</ref>  Serialized television series will typically have a basic premise and setting that creates a story engine that can drive individual episodes, subplots, and developments.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://screencraft.org/blog/what-is-a-story-engine-and-how-can-it-help-your-tv-pilot/ |title=What is a Story Engine and How Can it Help Your TV Pilot |date=2024-01-17 |accessdate=2024-05-19 |language=en-US |first=Shanee |last=Edwards}}</ref>

Television show creators write the [[television pilot]] and [[Bible (screenwriting)|bible]] of new television series. They are responsible for creating and managing all aspects of a show's characters, style, and plots. Frequently, a creator remains responsible for the show's day-to-day creative decisions throughout the series run as [[showrunner]], [[head writer]], or story editor.

====Writing for daily series====
The process of writing for [[soap opera]]s and [[telenovela]]s is different from that used by [[prime time]] shows, due in part to the need to produce new episodes five days a week for several months. In one example cited by [[Jane Espenson]], screenwriting is a "sort of three-tiered system":<ref name="jane">[http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000588.php 08/13/2008: Soapy Scenes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017045312/http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000588.php |date=2008-10-17 }}, from "Jane in Progress" a blog for aspiring screenwriters by Jane Espenson</ref>
:a few top writers craft the overall [[story arc]]s. Mid-level writers work with them to turn those arcs into things that look a lot like traditional episode outlines, and an array of writers below that (who do not even have to be local to Los Angeles), take those outlines and quickly generate the dialogue while adhering slavishly to the outlines.

Espenson notes that a recent trend has been to eliminate the role of the mid-level writer, relying on the senior writers to do rough outlines and giving the other writers a bit more freedom. Regardless, when the finished scripts are sent to the top writers, the latter do a final round of rewrites. Espenson also notes that a show that airs daily, with characters who have decades of history behind their voices, necessitates a writing staff without the distinctive voice that can sometimes be present in prime-time series.<ref name="jane"/>

====Writing for game shows====

Game shows feature live contestants, but still use a team of writers as part of a specific format.<ref name="WGA">{{Cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=2630 |title=05/15/2010: Writers Guild of America, Reality & Game Show Writers |access-date=2010-05-16 |archive-date=2010-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505081131/http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=2630 |url-status=live}}</ref> This may involve the slate of questions and even specific phrasing or dialogue on the part of the host. Writers may not script the dialogue used by the contestants, but they work with the producers to create the actions, scenarios, and sequence of events that support the game show's concept.