While writing my debut novel A Killer Wedding I was working in television production as an associate producer at The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. It was the perfect job for an aspiring creative like myself. Anyone who works in entertainment will tell you that every show has its own unique eco-system, and I can say, with confidence, that The Tonight Show writers’ room fostered a very collaborative environment. I was lucky to have the opportunity to pitch jokes and ideas in the writer’s room, weigh in on costume and prop choices, and learn-by-doing how magic is made in the iconic Studio 6B. I loved it all.
With A Killer Wedding now out in the world, I have fielded a lot of questions about how my time working at The Tonight Show impacted my writing style and voice as a fiction writer. There’s no doubt that my many hours spent in a room with very funny people figuring out new and exciting ways to make people laugh certainly impacted my storytelling style—there is a lot of comic relief in A Killer Wedding! But what is less obvious is how being a producer prepared me to write a mystery novel. Turns out, television producers and fiction writers have a lot in common.
Like a good producer who must be detail-oriented and organized, a good mystery writer has no choice but to pay attention to details and have an organized approach. You are laying red herrings, and dropping clues throughout a three-hundred-plus page manuscript, So it’s crucial to have a tight grasp on all the moving parts so you can wrap everything up at the end. Take note: a rock-solid outline is essential! Similarly, a seasoned producer lives and breathes by their beat-sheet, run-of-show, script, etc, in order for a segment or sketch to come together.
There is a lot to organize as a producer too—costumes, props, lighting, sound, music, hair and make-up, special effects, casting, extras, rehearsals, last-minute Shetland ponies (true story!) I think my many years juggling all of these things in my brain on a daily basis prepped me to be able to manage the many narrators, plot-lines, and crazy happenings that unfold in A Killer Wedding.
As a producer, you’re in charge of making sure your actors and team have everything they need to do their job well. As a writer, you’re looking out for your characters. While writing A Killer Wedding I was constantly thinking about where I could put my protagonist Christine to make her the most interesting and dynamic character she could be while also thinking of situations I could create that would be entertaining for the reader.
Finally, creative problem-solving is the name of the game for both fiction writers and producers. Every good producer knows that the framework of a segment, sketch or bit could change at any moment. This is especially true in Late Night television when the show is responsible for responding to the ever-evolving news cycle in real time. For example, the sketch we decide to do at ten a.m. might make no sense by the time three p.m. rehearsal rolls around. Likewise, anyone who writes fiction will tell you that the story they set out to write will be wildly different from the story they end up with. A lot of what happens on the page (and in the television studio) can’t be anticipated, only responded to with creativity and determination to make the final product great.
For me, creative problem solving is where the fun is, and it’s what I love the most about both professions. As a fiction writer, I get giddy when a character does something that I did not expect. As a producer, there’s no feeling quite like pulling something off last minute that ends up getting a huge reaction from the audience. Sure, sometimes both of these situations can be stressful, but the rush of making something cool and creative happen is dizzyingly fun—whether it’s on the written page or on the studio stage, the goal is to entertain. As the saying goes: That’s show biz, baby!
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