As I approach the end of the time in the writers room for the show I’m on, I am trying to reflect on what I’ve learned and hopefully absorbed.
One thing that’s struck me is what makes an experienced TV writer. Not a showrunner necessarily, but someone who can go from room to room and be an asset to the showrunner (a.k.a. co-executive producer, supervising producer, producer, etc.).
It’s seems to be that a good high-level TV writer is one who understands the vision of the showrunner on such a deep level (and has learned it quickly) that they can be trusted to go run with that vision (in outlines and script and later on set) and be utterly consistent with it, down to the minutia. That, plus the experience of being on set and knowing what pitfalls to avoid and what tricks to use, starting from the outline stage.