The television made a great backdrop for my flowers.

Watching television can also improve your writing. Try these exercises while viewing a favorite show.

1.Whose story is being told? Does it stay with one point of view?

2.Close your eyes and listen to the dialogue--can you tell which character is speaking or do they sound alike?

3.Can you identify the arc of the story--the conflict, the complication, the solve--and when it happens? Long running shows fall into a set patterns. Genre fiction, such as mysteries and romance, also have predicable formulas.

4.Lastly, why do you watch your favorite show? Probably for the same reason someone would read your novel--interesting characters that you care about.