Home > Writing Tools > The Masters > The Masters
The Masters 

The Masters presents candid, one-on-one conversations with some of the most legendary and influential names in screenwriting.

  D.C. Fontana
Star Trek legend D.C. Fontana on how she climbed out of the studio typing pool to carve out a 50-year career in TV writing. 
  Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
The screenwriter-novelist behind the legendary Merchant Ivory catalogue on the key to her longevity and how she “disrespected” the classic novels she adapted. 
  John Sayles
Indie master John Sayles on his latest Amigo and how he uses the system to make his own rules. 
  Alvin Sargent
Spider-man scribe and double Oscar-winner Alvin Sargent on how he’s lasted 45 years in the business. 
  Frank Pierson
Frank Pierson on the origin of his most famous line and why his scripts never “fail to communicate.” 
  Carl Reiner
Comedy legend Carl Reiner on his creative process and what current TV shows make him laugh. 
  Master Carpenter
John Carpenter kicks off WGA.org’s new column The Masters by reminiscing about the original Halloween, sharing his key to crafting suspense, and revealing what he fears the most.  
  King Lear
His Royal TV Highness Norman Lear delivers his state of the modern sitcom address and ruminates on his lasting legacy.