Today we have a different kind of treat for you here at the Café. We have with us mystery television writer Matt Witten of WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB. In his honor grab a cup of his favorite, green tea, and join us for this fascinating interview. When it’s over maybe we can head over to one of his favorite coffee shops, the Interactive Café or The Infuzion Café in Santa Monica.

Café:
Matt started out writing mystery novels and has 4 published in a fun series put out by Signet between 1998 and 2001. Matt, tell us about your series.

Matt:
I wrote an amateur sleuth series set in Saratoga Springs, New York. My hero was Jacob Burns, a married writer with two young sons. His wife and kids helped him solve the crimes.

Café:
Why did you stop writing novels and do you see yourself ever going back to it?

Matt:
I stopped writing novels because my TV career became too demanding. But I definitely see novel writing in my future. I loved writing the novels, and I continue to enjoy reading crime fiction.

Café:
How long have you been writing?

Matt:
Since I was in first grade, writing poems.

Café:
Starting early seems to be very common for successful writers Did you always know you wanted to write?

Matt:
Since I was in first grade.

Café:
What different types of things have you written and published/had produced?

Matt:
I started out as a playwright, writing gritty, Mamet-esque plays. Then I got into writing light crime novels. Meanwhile I wrote articles for parenting magazines for extra cash. Then I came out to Los Angeles and I’ve been writing for such shows as LAW & ORDER and WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB.

Café:
What do you enjoy the most?

Matt:
I enjoy novel writing, TV writing and playwriting in different ways. Novel writing for the total artistic control and the ability to get deep into my characters’ lives; TV writing for the collaboration, the craft challenges, the huge audiences and the high pay; and playwriting for the kick of having a live audience and the immediacy of that connection with the audience.

Café:
How did you get into screenwriting?

Matt:
Just thought I’d try my hand at it.

Café:
What made you want to get into that type of writing?

Matt:
Like all Americans, I’ve been watching movies and TV shows since I was a kid.

Café:
What are some of the shows have you written for?

Matt:
WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB, LAW & ORDER, HOUSE, JAG, JUDGING AMY.

Café:
Have you had any other types of jobs through the years or always been a writer of some kind?

Matt:
I’ve taught in prison, worked in a circus, been a bicycle messenger, and other jobs.

Café:
Wow no kidding? You’ve had an interesting life. Bet all those jobs have given you material to write about. How long does it usually take you to write a TV script?

Matt:
Anywhere from a week to two months.

Café:
What kind of process do you go through?

Matt:
Make sure I have a good central idea, then write a rigorous outline, then rewrite the outline, then rewrite the outline again, then write a first draft, then a second draft, and then a third draft.. My wife helps with editing.

Café:
That’s a lot of work. I can imagine most people have no idea it takes that much work to get something on the TV before it ever starts being filmed. Do you write to entertain or do you hope for people to take more away from your writing?

Matt:
I write to entertain. I also hope that people take away something that will help them in their lives or inform them in some way.

Café:
Do you tend to have any kind of message?

Matt:
My favorite shows that I’ve written have been both entertaining and have had some kind of message. For instance, I wrote an anti-torture episode of JAG.

Café:
What is your typical writing day like?

Matt:
Get up at 6:30 and start writing. Sometimes take the morning shift with the kids. Then drive to work. Either go to meetings with the other writers on the staff of the show and/or work on a script or outline and /or work on some producing job like editing. Head home around 6.

Café:
Wow that’s a long and busy day. If you had your preference what time of day do you most like to write?

Matt:
Morning.

Café:
And we have yet another morning person. I must be in the minority. When you wrote/write novels did you outline?

Matt:
No. I always knew who got killer; who the killer was; and why he did it. I usually knew who the red herrings were and I had some other ideas about what would happen in the novel, but it wasn’t totally set. TV is a different animal; there I outline rigorously.

Café:
You mentioned screenwriting being different. How exactly does novel writing differ from screenwriting?

Matt:
Less rigorous outlining for me. More depth of character. More ability to digress.

Café:
Any funny book signing or on set stories you would like to share?

Matt:
One time I got a job as "PLAYWRIGHT IN RESIDENCE" at a shopping mall. Worked for an hour and a half and got paid $200. I didn’t do anything, just sat at a table in the middle of the mall that had a banner above it saying "ARTIST IN RESIDENCE." Basically I said hi to people as they walked past.

Café:
That may be the most unusual story I’ve heard on here yet. Any good rejection stories?

Matt:
No, but a lot of bad ones!

Café:
I bet. Was it hard to break into TV writing?

Matt:
I got lucky; I fell into it because some TV producers liked a play I’d written.

Café:
Do you have any heroes? Someone you would most like to meet — dead or alive?

Matt:
WOODY GUTHRIE.

Café:
Favorite TV shows/movies?

Matt:
MOVIES: HARVEY and THE PETRIFIED FOREST. TV SHOWS: GET SMART. Current shows: THE WIRE, THE RICHES, MAD MEN.

Café:
Time for any hobbies?

Matt:
No, just hanging out with the family.

Café:
Anything you would like to promote?

Matt:
Vote democratic.

Café:
I’d have to say that’s a new one on here, too. Advice for someone wanting to write for TV?

Matt:
Write specs of existing shows.

Café:
Tell us about your new show.

Matt:
WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB is about four women — a cop, an M.E., A.D.A. and a reporter — who get together to solve crimes and help each other with their personal lives. It’s a really fun show, combining elements of the cop genre and the amateur sleuth genre.

Café:
I highly recommend this show to those of you here visiting the café. It’s awesome! Have you written for movies?

Matt:
Haven’t had any screenplays produced yet.

Café:
Thank you so much Matt for joining us here at the Café today. It’s been nice to see a little bit about writing mysteries for TV as opposed to novels. I look forward to watching more of WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB and any other shows you are involved in down the line. Best of luck with the new show.

©2008 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.