Do you know what a 'clam' is? How about 'a barrel' or the dreaded 'Nakamura'?

You will now, thanks to THE OTHER NETWORK'S FREE GLOSSARY OF TERMS FROM THE WRITERS ROOM, gathered from writers of SNL, 30 Rock, Family Guy, The Simpsons.

This collection of comedy writer's jargon and insider lingo will help you sound like you know what you're talking about when you get inside the room, but each phrase also encapsulates an important principal of comedy writing.

I'm doing a free teleseminar next week (Wed. Sept. 8 at 12:00 noon Eastern, 9:00 am Pacific) with writing coach Lisa Tener about how to put more 'me' in your memoir. And of course by 'me' I mean you not me. Click here to register for the teleseminar and/or get a taste here in the pre-interview:

Lisa: Greg, I know we’re going to cover this in more detail on our call, but what are some of the factors that make a best-selling memoir, like Eat, Pray, Love?

Greg: My theory is that the major factor that made it such a publishing phenomenon is that it embodied a compound fantasy. 1) That Gilbert had the house and relationship to begin with. 2) That she was willing to walk out. 3) To chuck it all and just go traveling (which is a fantasy because, she got paid to write the book so she wasn’t really chucking it all: she was doing a job plus getting to eat in Italy, pray in India and find love again).

Also, getting featured on Oprah. That really helps sell books.

"This place looks like Johnny Sack's office," Seth MacFarlane noted at the outset of our comedy showrunner panel. It was the first of many obscure TV references during the hourlong discussion, during which Ryan Murphy revealed the only two artists to deny their songs to "Glee" and Doug Ellin admitted he takes notes on "Entourage" from bloggers. Below is our conversation with Chuck Lorre, "The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men" (CBS); Doug Ellin, "Entourage" (HBO); Steven Levitan, "Modern Family" (ABC), run with Christopher Lloyd; Ryan Murphy, "Glee" (Fox); and Linda Wallem, "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime).

Read the article in the Hollywood Reporter.

Get more in-depth info from the Other Network Writers Room.

Rare gems rescued from the secret vaults of Hollywood!

The Other Network screens the best un-aired TV pilots ever made - written, directed and introduced by their creators including Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller, Conan O'Brien, Robert Smigel, John Riggi, Bob Odenkirk, Sam Seder and others.

Starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler, Jason Segal, January Jones, Ron Silver, Judge Reinhold, Bob Odenkirk, Robert Smigel and others.

TUESDAY, JULY 20, 8pm
THE OTHER NETWORK at Club Oberon, 2 Arrow St. Harvard Square, Boston, MA. $15 at the door / $10 advance. Call 866.811.4111 or click here.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, JULY 23 & 24, 7:30 & 9:30pm
THE OTHER NETWORK at 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson St. NY, NY. 4 different shows. Call 212-601-1000 or click here for tickets and details.

If you have questions about any events call 323-717-4731 or e-mail us.

Even established stars like Matthew Perry and Paul Reiser have to do more than take a meeting and toss out some ideas for a TV series these days.

Many TV projects currently getting greenlit involve fully-scripted pilots (plus even additional episodes), full-season story arcs, attached talent and/or showrunners.

Read the whole article at Daily Variety.

The Comedian's Way workshop for Writers, Performers & Other Humans is the place to develop your authentic voice and deepest material for one-person shows, personal essays, books, scripts, blogs, or just to have a better attitude about life.

Each class starts with a Q & A and an inspirational rap from Beth about some aspect of the creative process. Here for your entertainment and edification is video of a recent talk about the 7 Questions Every Writer Should Ask Themself Before Sitting Down To Write.

Read more about the workshop on Beth's site and the Un-Cabaret website.

Class meets most Sundays from 1-4pm at M-Bar, 1253 N. Vine St. LA 90038. For more info, call 323-717-4731 or e-mail us.

Any single class $60  
Any 4 classes $200

Audit (observe) any class for just $10
Audit 4 classes for $25

I was just talking to a great TV comedy writer, who was stuck in the middle of a feature film script. He was bored of the characters and had lost touch with the excitement and momentum that got him started on the project in the first place.

Kubler-Ross famously ennumerated the stages of coping with death (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance). Writers face these stages when finishing a project too, but before you get to that there are other stages to be aware of. Each one has their challenges, and it's really helpful to know which stage you're in because that helps you focus on the right challenges instead of getting caught up in problems you don't have yet - or anymore.

A screenwriter friend shared this piece of oral tradition that lays out the stages of a Hollywood project:
1) Unbridled Enthusiasm
2) Total Despair
3) Desperate Search for the Guilty
4) Punishment of the Innocent
5) Promotion of the Un-Involved

Don't let another season slip through your fingers!

Greg is offering a SPRING FORWARD SUPER SALE on his creative consulting. Get 12 hours for the price of 10 and commit to weekly check-ins for the next 3 months while you...
Draft your script
Write your show
Outline your book
Finish a book proposal
Create your online profile
Transform your standup act

Veteran screenwriter, story editor, teacher and writing coach Greg Miller will get your creative work on track with concrete suggestions, fresh perspective, strategic planning and regular deadlines.

"It's like magic!" - Parker (outlined and drafted article)

If you have material you've already generated, e-mail your pdf or link(s) or mail to: 137 N. Larchmont Blvd. #107 LA CA 90004. Greg is an expert reader and will help you focus the project, re-ignite your excitement for the material and chart a course to a finished draft (or performance).

"Terrific insights!" - Noah (re-wrote a script)

If you don't have any material generated... then you really need to saddle up and get started. Call Greg directly at 323-717-4731, explain your particulars and schedule your first session today.

"Rockford Files" and "Hawaii Five-O" are flying high, procedurals are hotter than ever before, multicamera comedies are staging a comeback and veteran sitcom directors James Burrows and Pamela Fryman are the most sought-after helmers with three projects each.

While the '80s were hot last year with remakes of "Parenthood," "The Witches of Eastwick" and "V" and the '80s-set "Gossip Girl" spinoff, networks have shifted back a decade this year with "Rockford," "Hawaii" and the '70s-set ABC comedy "Funny in Farsi."

Read the whole article at The Hollywood Reporter.

Nice article in Salon:

The four rules of action movies Kathryn Bigelow breaks every time (and thank goodness for that).

Pick any scene at random from among Bigelow's films and it's possible to mistake it for a high-grade Jerry Bruckheimer or Joel Silver production: the roiling guitars, the guns 'n' ammo, the flaming cars, the shirtless guys punching one another. But one of Bigelow's many virtues as an auteur—and perhaps her box-office Achilles' heel—is her willingness to break some unwritten rules of the hard-charging spectacles that are often her stock in trade.

Rule 1: Heroes should be heroic.

Rule 2: Violence should both excite and relax your audience.

Rule 3: There should be at least one Hot Chick (viz., Jolie, Mendes, Fox).

Rule 4: Send the viewer out on a high!

Read the whole article on Salon.