Kara Taylor is not your typical 23-year-old. While many young adults are struggling to find a job, Taylor has had the kind of early success most young writers only dream of. At 23, she has already released her debut novel, Prep School Confidential and is currently the co-executive producer and writer for the new CW show, The Revengers, created by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack.
Taylor recently spoke to Mediabistro about the pressure to churn out books, what her typical day is like (spoiler alert — she writes morning, noon and night) and how she broke into the world of TV writing:
What tips do you have for other writers who want to break into TV?
I think the most important thing — and this is hard advice because it’s not something that you can really learn — [is to] just have a voice and a point of view and focus on branding yourself, whether it’s [with] humor or whatever. Just be unique and be yourself, and write as much as you can. I obviously broke into it in a strange way because it was actually the novel writing that helped me break into TV. So I think it’s good to keep in mind that there’s not one clear path or way to break into the industry. You have to put yourself out there in all mediums and all aspects and not write anything off, and [don't] get discouraged, obviously. I was writing books for two years before I found an agent, and I heard a lot of nos. I must have been rejected by over a hundred literary agents with my first book. So if you’re expecting instant results, it’s not going to be the career for you. You just have to be patient and be in it for the long run.
To hear more about her incredible rise to success, read Hey, How’d You Become a Published Author and TV Writer at 23, Kara Taylor?
– Aneya Fernando
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