I've been reading 'Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale (The untold story of the BBC series)' - Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook. The book is an assortment of emails and scripts sent between the writer and the journalist throughout Russell T Davies time writing Doctor Who.
It's interesting to see the writing process unfold, (or at least his writing process), as in a way it seems quite organic. It's not all structured, the character's are sort of 'known' to the writer - and develop through the stories and scripts. I think this is important, instead of having a 'fixed' character whose been given simple traits like 'Is brave', or 'is greedy', characteristics fluctuate dependant on the circumstances (which seems more realistic) yet still keep an essential 'them'-ness.
The book also sheds a little light on the 'writing for a tv series' process by discussing things such as budget and technicalities. (For example simple continuity errors - such as writing LOUNGE and then later LIVING ROOM, for the same set, could cause set directors and designers to create two different locations).
To be honest, it's best to read the book to get a true grasp of Russell T Davies' writing style and process, but it's really interesting to see such a 'natural' (if a bit hectic) way of writing, instead of a formulaic process that follows certain literature rules. To quote him 'The techniques are too often being used to disguise the truth, the real story, the heart of the script. It's all pyrotechnics and glitter, fuelled by insecurity''Oh why not just get on with it and write the story?'.
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