The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience How Award-Winning TV Writer & Novelist Georgia Jeffries Writes: Redux
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Jan 2, 2026 Georgia Jeffries, an Emmy-nominated TV writer and USC professor, shares her journey from journalism to screenwriting, crediting Cagney & Lacey as her film school. She delves into the inspiration behind her novel, The Younger Girl, revealing the chilling true crime elements that shaped its narrative. Jeffries discusses the contrasting freedoms of novel writing versus the pressures of TV deadlines and offers candid advice for aspiring writers on balancing confidence with humility. Her insights into the quest for justice and the fascination with tragedy are both compelling and thought-provoking.
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From Magazine Journalist To TV Writer
- Georgia Jeffries moved from magazine journalism into screenwriting after a UCLA extension class and a push from her father-in-law.
- Her third on-spec script won a Houston festival award and led to work on Cagney & Lacey, which she calls her film school.
Family Mystery Sparked A Novel
- Georgia investigated her father's half-sister Aldine after finding yellowed newspaper clippings about a murder in family albums.
- She researched oral histories and court transcripts and began writing The Younger Girl as a way to reckon with family grief and injustice.
Quest For Justice Connects TV And Novels
- A throughline in Jeffries's work is a quest for justice across TV and novels, connecting social issues and character-driven drama.
- Writing novels freed her from TV deadlines and allowed deeper exploration of grief, complexity, and moral ambiguity.
