Dishing up more constructive writing advice in an hour than Cosmo does hot sex tips in a month, comedian and writer David Watts recently spoke as the first guest on the "Writers of the Round Table" series of TeleClasses.

The TeleClass program, 'At the Table', is an ongoing series of interactive conferences offered by the literary development and author management company, Writers of the Round Table, Inc. Writers currently working as creatives for an eclectic variety of large-scale projects and audiences speak on subjects including creative inspiration, writing advice, and industry-insider information.

Beginning this first 'At the Table' conference with a distinctly relaxed and engaging vibe, David Watts discussed the history of his writing career. With a foundation in acting (at Indiana University), rather than writing, David began his career with some serious sweat equity: Comedy Improv.

On 'Adult Island' at Disneyland, five improv shows per night were standard working hours. Fighting against permanent brain freeze, David Watts and his wife moved to LA in order to pursue comedy writing Hollywood-style.

Once in LA, David Watts studied with one of the most famous improv companies around, the Groundlings. Launching the careers of comedians such as Will Farrell and Pee Wee Herman, the Groundlings worked David Watts hard, toughening him up against serious criticism. First working on group sketches and then monologues, the Groundlings suggested Watts pursue writing as a career, specifically, writing sitcoms.

Watts decided to try it out and took some writing classes at UCLA. From there, he started writing and submitting his stuff to film festivals.

Submitting material to film festivals is a tip David suggested for all. "Agents are lazy," he said during the TeleClass. "They like it when someone else reads it first."

In regards to his winning TV script, "Eric Cartman and the Cheesy Poof Factory," Watts commented, "I 'bout crapped my pants when I won." He had never won anything before in his life (outside of a six pack of orange crush).

Not only did the festival get him a literary agent, but more importantly, it gave him the opportunity to meet a lot of other writers. His strongest piece of advice was to make friends with people and stay in touch. Forever. You never know who you might be writing for one day.

A film festival is one place to do that, but David recommends keeping this in mind all of the time. Keep in contact with people working towards the top, not just people writing at the top. Case in point: David's current boss for MTV's 'Rob and Big' was an old friend from the Groundlings.

Another great tip Watts proposed for script writers: actors are just as desperate (if not more so), than writers. It's often possible to pay to get scripts stage read, which not only gives you a venue to meet more people, but also gives you a shot at possible production.

David Watts waxed eloquent about the solitary nature of writing. "Remember you're not alone, a blank page is a scary thing." Whenever he feels stuck on writing a piece he asks himself the most important question for comedy: "What could go wrong?"

We hope just enough to keep us laughing, David!

Listen to the recording of this 'At the Table' TeleClass on the Writers of the Round Table website at www.writersoftheroundtable.com, and be sure to join us every Wednesday for an entertaining and enlightening hour. To register, or for more information on this free service, email teleclasses @ writersoftheroundtable.com