The Writers’ Police Academy is delighted to announce that Thomas B. Sawyer, head writer/showrunner of the TV sensation, Murder, She Wrote, will highlight WPA’s Thursday night opening. He’s titled his 8:30 p.m. presentation “How Jessica Fletcher and Murder, She Wrote Made Homicide Fun – Without Science, Crazy People, or Gore.”
One of the original writers of the classic 12-year TV series, Tom will share anecdotes about the show’s early history, from the casting of its star and its subsequent effect on one of Broadway’s mega-hit musicals, to Dashiell Hammett‘s influence on the show and the show’s influence on Tom’s career
Tom’s Murder, She Wrote credentials are just the beginning. He’s sold and written TV movies, 9 series pilots, and 100 episodes, both comedy and drama. He wrote/directed/ produced the feature-film cult comedy, Alice Goodbody. His documentary film, Reunion, was honored by the New York Film Festival.
He is co-librettist/lyricist of JACK, the celebrated musical drama about John F. Kennedy, publisher of Storybase 2.0 writer’s software, and the author of Writer’s Digest Book Club Selections Fiction Writing Demystified as well as a memoir: The Adventures of the REAL Tom Sawyer. His best-selling novels include The Sixteenth Man, No Place To Run, and Cross Purposes .
Tom returns to the spotlight twice during the WPA weekend to teach two classes: “Cinematic Writing Techniques That Will Make You A Better Storyteller” and “Packaging Your Baby for Hollywood.”
Les Edgerton, originally scheduled as our Thursday night presenter, had to cancel due to unexpected surgery. But Les says he’s already put an appearance at next year’s WPA on his “must-do” calendar.