Writing for series television means following a prescribed format, whether it s a sitcom or a one hour drama. There are true act breaks to allow for commercials, a limited number of recurring characters and sets, and an overall mandate about what kinds of stories can happen. The pace of television writing is much, much faster than film writing, because there s a continuous need to keep up with production. Writing for film has far fewer limits on structure, storyline, characters and tone. It s also a much more solitary endeavor, because aside from the occasional producer note, you're off doing the work by yourself on your own timetable.
Some writers thrive in that freedom, while others become paralyzed by indecision.
Usually, a film writer is paid per draft, rather than per week as a TV writer is, so dawdling can be costly. There are other important differences between film and TV work. In television, you see your work on screen every week. In film, you're lucky if you see it on screen once a year. On film, you get to use your characters for two hours.