So You Want To/Write a Very Special Episode

How-To Guide

• Main
• Wikipedia
• All Subpages
  • Avoid Unfortunate Implications
  • Avoid Writing a Mary Sue
  • Avoid the Theme Park Version
  • Be A Wizard
  • Be Original
  • Be a Booker
  • Be the Next Alfred Hitchcock
  • Be the Next Grant Morrison
  • Be the Next HP Lovecraft
  • Be the Next JRR Tolkien
  • Be the Next Stan Lee
  • Be the Next Stephen King
  • Be the Next William Shakespeare
  • Build Your Own Fictional World
  • Create Believable Aliens
  • Design an Alien Mind
  • Develop Character Personality
  • Make Interesting Characters
  • Make Urban Legends True
  • Make a Collectible Card Game
  • Make a Runaway Hideaway
  • Make a Visual Novel
  • Mind Screw the Audience
  • See a Template
  • See the Index
  • So You Want To
  • Write Scheme and Scansion
  • Write a Black Comedy
  • Write a Cloud Cuckoo Lander
  • Write a Conspiracy Theory
  • Write a Crossover
  • Write a Cyber Punk Story
  • Write a Dating Sim
  • Write a Detective Novel
  • Write a Diesel Punk Story
  • Write a Dom Com
  • Write a Fanfic
  • Write a Film Noir
  • Write a First Person Shooter
  • Write a Furry Comic
  • Write a Gaming Comic
  • Write a Good Yaoi
  • Write a Hard Science Fiction Story With Space Travel
  • Write a Harem Anime
  • Write a Harem Hero
  • Write a Heroic Fantasy
  • Write a High Fantasy
  • Write a Humongous Mecha Anime
  • Write a Kid Friendly Series
  • Write a Kid Novel
  • Write a Korean Drama
  • Write a Love Story
  • Write a Magical Girl Series
  • Write a Magical Girlfriend Series
  • Write a Magnificent Bastard
  • Write a Major MMORPG
  • Write a Minor MMORPG
  • Write a Mon Series
  • Write a Police Procedural
  • Write a Real Time Strategy
  • Write a Romantic Comedy
  • Write a Shonen Series
  • Write a Shoujo Series
  • Write a Slasher Horror Story
  • Write a Steampunk Story
  • Write a Story
  • Write a Superhero Comic
  • Write a Survival Horror Game
  • Write a Tabletop RPG
  • Write a Teen Drama
  • Write a Trickster
  • Write a Vampire Novel
  • Write a Very Special Episode
  • Write a Villain
  • Write a War Story
  • Write a Webcomic
  • Write a Yuri Manga
  • Write a Zombie Apocalypse
  • Write an Adventure Game
  • Write an Alternate History
  • Write an RPG
  • Write an Urban Fantasy
  • Write the Next Doctor Who
  • Write the Next Harry Potter
  • Write the Next My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic
  • Write the Next Star Trek
  • Write the Next TMNT
  • Write the Next X 1999
  • Write the Next X Files
• Create New
  Analysis Characters Laconic Recap Trivia Setting YMMV Fridge Fanfic Recs Haiku Headscratchers Ho Yay Image Links Memes Radar Quotes Reviews Useful Notes WMG Awesome Funny Heartwarming Nightmare Fuel Tear Jerker

/wiki/So You Want Towork

So you have a lesson that you want to teach your audience. Good for you! But before you do you might want to read this here page.

Necessary Tropes

Well, obviously there's going to be an Aesop.

Choices, Choices

The world is your oyster when it comes to Aesops but just in case you're not sure what you want to teach your audience check out our handy-dandy list of Stock Aesops.

Pitfalls

• Broken Aesop
• Clueless Aesop
• Space Whale Aesop

Potential Subversions

Pick an Aesop, any Aesop, and subvert it.

Writers' Lounge

Suggested Themes and Aesops

Again, the world is your oyster, but make sure that whatever Aesop you pick doesn't get cancelled-out by your premise. Also, make sure that your series can deliver an Aesop that your intended audience can handle reasonably well.

Departments

Set Designer / Location Scout

Having your Very Special Episode take place in its original setting will drive your Aesop closer to home than if you change settings all of a sudden.

Props Department

Make sure to have Aesop-related props nearby (car and booze for the drunk-driving episode etc.).

Costume Designer

Casting Director

It might be tempting to bring in a Long-Lost Uncle Aesop but it might be more meaningful if you either introduce them several episodes prior or if you use an already exisisting character (for example if the drunk driving episode is one where Tonight Someone Dies).

Extra Credit

The Epic Fails

Captain Planet had a few.