Carole Kirschner
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carolekirschner.bsky.social
Carole Kirschner
@carolekirschner.bsky.social
Director, CBS Writers Program & WGA Showrunner Training Program.
Entertainment Career Coach, Speaker & Author
Once kicked out of girl scouts for telling a dirty joke.
https://linktr.ee/carolekirschner
Talk to me. What do you think about this break from good to great? What's been hardest for you in getting your sample to the "blazing hot" level?
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Those are different questions than "Is this pretty good?" And they tend to solicit different responses.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Don't just ask "What do you think?" Ask: "Do you think this script is not just good, but GREAT? Do you think this sample would make a potential manager not just interested, but excited to sign me?"
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
So how do you know if your work is not just good, but great?

Ask smart people. Could be peers at your level, could be more established writers. But ask them specific questions.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
When you’re trying to get a manager or a staff job, you’re competing for limited spots with hundreds of other talented writers. Managers and showrunners can't take a chance on "shows promise." They need scripts & writers they're excited about right now.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The truth is, that’s just not how things work. This is a business, and an incredibly competitive one at that.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Many emerging writers imagine that managers are looking for work that “shows promise.” They assume that, though their work falls far short of their heroes, if they’re smart and have good ideas, representation and “entry level writing jobs” might be around the corner.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
In 2025, a sample that moves your career forward has to already be at the professional level. It has to be the kind of script where someone finishes reading and immediately wants to meet you.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Going from Good to Great is what took him from Assistant to Staffed.

What does that look like?
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Notice, I said it was good. Not great. Not blazing hot. Not the kind of script I wanted to send to my industry friends right away because WOW you have to check this out.

Just solid. Workmanlike. Really pretty decent.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
It wasn't until I saw his sample that I diagnosed the problem.

His sample was good.

Does that sound like a problem to you?
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
When I met with him, I couldn't tell why. He was smart, personable, hardworking. He knew how to tell his own story in meetings.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
A client of mine is now a working TV writer with a great career. Five years ago, he was a writers assistant who just couldn't make the jump to his first staff job.
November 14, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I completely agree, Vincent!
November 13, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Congrats!
November 10, 2025 at 7:40 PM