'Inspiration is everywhere'
Jan Nash talks about writing for popular TV shows, why working with a room full of writers is fun, and what makes an episode great.
When a good friend of mine was unable to attend a recent writing retreat led by the reknowned author Pam Houston in Bayfield, Wisconsin, I was lucky enough to go instead. This retreat took place in one of the most gorgeous settings along Lake Superior at the spa resort Wild Rice Retreat, but for me one of the best parts of going to retreats like this is getting to know the other writers who show up. One of those was Jan Nash, a Wisconsin transplant via Los Angeles, where she spent years writing for (and directing) some of our most popular TV shows. I’m a huge fan of TV and film, so naturally I peppered her with questions. I love hearing about how people got started in different aspects of the creative arts and what they love about them. And I found out that Jan is multi-talented, having penned the YA novel River of Dreams. Read on to learn more about Jan & her work!
Where is your hometown? Where do you live now?
My hometown was Wheaton, Illinois, where my family moved after my father left the military. I currently live in Milwaukee, moving there to be closer to family, after 30+ years in California.
What's one of your first experiences of creativity or imagination? I loved books and movies as a kid. I lived walking distance from a real bookstore, my local library and a movie theater. I spent hours and hours in all of them.
Has where you lived influenced your creative work? I’m not sure it has as much as relationships and loss have influenced my creative work.
I actually wanted to write for movies, but a wise executive told me that if I actually wanted to get things made, then TV was a better place to work.
What interested you in writing for TV & how did you get started? I actually wanted to write for movies, but a wise executive told me that if I actually wanted to get things made, then TV was a better place to work. I started writing “spec” scripts, as well as working as a development executive and was lucky enough to work with a few people who gave me opportunities when I needed them. I have worked on a lot of shows, some long running, some cancelled quickly. The ones people might know are: “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Without a Trace,” “Ellen” (the sitcom, not the talk show), “NCIS: New Orleans,” and “NCIS: Hawai’i.”
What is the process of writing a TV episode like? TV, at least the TV I’ve been involved in, is very collaborative—a room of people working together to figure out the structure of a season of TV, an episode of TV and, often, the scenes within the episode of TV. The scripts themselves, in my experience, are then written by individual writers who bring their flair to the episode that the room and the executive producers have helped create. The good news is that if you do your job well, what you have written is then actually said by actors and appears on TV. Plus, writers are often hilarious and hanging out of groups of them is a very entertaining experience.
Do you have a favorite episode? Was there an episode that was particularly difficult to write? That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child. I like any episode that creates an emotional moment for the audience (or me). I’ve written some that are better than others, but that’s true of all writing. Sometimes we connect better with the core idea. Sometimes the idea that we have in our head doesn’t actually translate when real people have to say the words out loud. They can’t all be home runs. One just hopes not to strike out too often. And the hardest one to write was probably the first one, because I had no idea what I was doing.
I’ve been very lucky and worked/met wonderful people who helped me along the way.
Have you experienced any barriers to your creativity /or pursuing a creative career? The creative barriers are usually of my own making. As for my career, I’ve been very lucky and worked/met wonderful people who helped me along the way.
Everything can be melded into an emotional story or character element.
Where do you get your inspiration? Inspiration is everywhere: one’s own life, stories other people tell me (never tell me a secret, it might end up on TV), books, magazines, the news. Everything can be melded into an emotional story or character element. My biggest challenge is the day-to-day of life, which easily distracts me from doing anything creative. There are children to be fed, dogs to be walked, tidying up to be done… it all gets in the way of sitting down and doing something that feeds your soul. That said, it all needs to be done, which means making sure that time isn’t being wasted doing it.
Why did you attend the Pam Houston retreat? Did you get what you were hoping to from it? I really wanted to get some sleep (I have teenagers) and see the Apostle Islands ice caves. The writing retreat was bonus, and amazing. I didn’t get the sleep, but I did see the ice caves. So all in all, I call it a success.
Do you work on any other creative pursuits? What recharges you? I love to walk by the lake, write in my journal, cook and draw.
What's something people might not know about you? I started my career as an investment banker. I learned a lot, worked with great people and consider the experience a vital part of my education.
What advice would you share with the next gen of TV writers and/or people who want to pursue their creative side? Working on a TV show is a wonderful way to hone one’s craft. Everyone wants to create their own show, but having the skills to do that sometime requires working on someone else’s, even if the lessons you’re learning are how not to do things.