Why do we even bother?

Aspiring screenwriters are masochistic. Whether or not they are more so than aspiring actors, directors and filmmakers remain to be seen, but it’s not exactly a contest, is it? Is it? I say this as a person new to writing but not new to show business.

A newbie wrote me yesterday that he had just finished his second screenplay that he thinks has legs and will make it big. Where does one go from here, he inquired? I wrote him back with the following advice:

1. Move to Los Angeles. Barring that or in addition to moving to LA, you might also…
2. Enter your script into some competitions. If you are a finalist or a winner, then tout it and you may have a calling card to begin to talk to agents. This is a way to distinguish your material from the hundreds of thousands of scripts that are written each year by aspiring screenwriters.
3. Take an online class at UCLA or USC on screenwriting. It’s a great way to establish a network in the writing community. It demonstrates that you’re serious about writing and that this is not just a hobby. Professors especially may be plugged into the industry, and if they think you’ve got writing chops, they may be able to help you out.
4. Read as many screenplays as you can. Screenplays that have been produced as well as those that have not been optioned, sold, or made. Reading screenplays gives you a sense for how your material stacks up. It won’t, but don’t worry because…
5. Join Trigger Street (which is awesome) or another peer-review online community of writers. This will give you access to read and learn from others as well as receive feedback to make your script sparkling, crisp and refreshing.
6. Fix the structure of your screenplay. No matter how good you think your script is, the structure is probably weak, so fix it. Blake Snyder’s beat sheet can’t be beat!
7. Check out Ink Tip which is a website for writers to put up their material. People may not option your script, but they may assess your writing abilities and you may be asked to write on assignment.
8. Be prepared to face rejection every step of the way.

This last point really is what I was trying to get to all along: Aspiring screenwriters are masochistic.

In addition to struggling with their craft, from agonizing over their outlines to rewriting a draft for the umpteenth time and doing so in a lonely vacuum… to… facing rejection after rejection (i.e., passed over in competitions, no call backs from agents, etc.). They have got to be masochistic to endure all that for the one brief glimmer of hope of getting their material produced.

Or they do it for the love of writing.

Punchlines 

Hi. You have reached the offices of Amalgamated Consolidated. If you would like to speak to a representative at any time, please... 

...scream OPERATOR every 5 seconds. In time, you might either give up or pass out. Either way, it's a win-win for us because there's nobody here to help you.