A handful of people e-mailed me after last week’s article stating it was one of the best screenwriting articles they’ve ever read. I also saw some comments from writers who felt I was oversimplifying the issue of screenwriting success (or lack thereof). Either way, the article struck a chord. And I think that’s because articles like that one force you to confront your bullshit. They ask you to be honest with yourself. And being honest with yourself is hard.
But it’s necessary if you want to succeed. Your struggles as a screenwriter don’t always come down to dialogue or pacing or character development. They can just as easily be due to the lies you tell yourself, to a corrupted belief system, to an inability to see yourself as you truly are. Failure is advertised as one of the most awful things a human being can be. So it’s no surprise we create excuses to protect ourselves from that label. That way, when we fail, we can blame the excuse instead of the person in the mirror.
For example, I’m trying to do some new things with Scriptshadow. However, I never have time to work on them. That’s what I tell myself anyway: “I don’t have enough time.” As I say this, I’m well aware that I spend 3 hours a day fucking around on the internet. Whenever I come home, I waste half-an-hour “getting myself into the work mindset.” And don’t get me started on how long it takes me to make and eat breakfast before the day starts. If I just had more time, I tell myself, I’d have these things done. The truth is, I have plenty of time. But it’s easier to blame the excuse than myself.
I’m bringing this up because yesterday, Avatar presented me with a question that plagues so many screenwriters: How do I get over the hump? I place well in contests. I’ve optioned a couple of screenplays. I won Amateur Offerings. Everyone who reads my stuff says they’re surprised I’m not professional yet. Still here I am, on the outside looking in. How do I get over the hump? This is a complex question because everybody’s situation is different. With that said, there are a few common reasons why screenwriters struggle to make that final push. Let’s go through them.
1) You haven’t dealt with your shit yet – I can’t help you get over the hump if you don’t have the courage to send your script to anyone. I can’t help you get over the hump if you start scripts but never finish them. I can’t help you get over the hump if you’re scared to face your weaknesses as a screenwriter. These problems are often psychological and can’t be fixed through writing. You need to talk to a professional and work through the real reasons you struggle with these issues. Once you tackle your personal issues, you’ll be ready for your screenwriting issues.
2) You’re not as ready as you think you are – This is the hardest reality to accept because everybody thinks they’re ready. No one wants to consider that they’re 1, 2, even 3 years away from success. But it’s a reality. If you’ve only written a couple of scripts or if you’ve only been writing for a short while? You’re not ready yet. And that’s okay. It means you’re only going to get better. But the point is, if you’re in your first three years of screenwriting, there is no reason to get upset that you haven’t made it yet. This skillset takes time.
3) Know where the odds are stacked – The fastest way to break into Hollywood is to direct your own script. Period. If you have any inclination to direct, I’m begging you to do so. The odds of your success are way higher if you’ve got a finished product to show than a stack of paper. If you don’t like directing, the next fastest way to break into Hollywood is with a cheap-to-shoot horror spec.
4) You’re trying to break in with the wrong script – This is one of the biggest mistakes I see amateur writers make. They’re trying to break in with a script that doesn’t fit into any known marketing template. An intense fictional drama. Or something semi-autobiographical. That’s not the script you break in with, guys. You break in with the horror specs, the thriller specs, the action specs, the true stories, the biopics. Once you sell one of those scripts and people know you, THEN you can pitch your extremely unmarketable script. I can’t stress how many writers make this mistake. Nobody cares about your passion project until you’re A-List. Even then they’ll beg you to do something else.
5) Promote the hell out of your script – You just spent 6 months writing a script. You deserve for it to be read! If you’re not blanketing every single avenue you know with that script, you won’t succeed. Period. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s writers who send a script out to two people, get subpar reactions, then give up on it. This is a NUMBERS GAME guys. When you’re a nobody, numbers are all you’ve got. So if you’re not doing everything in your power to increase the number of people reading your script, success will be elusive.
6) Give it your all – You are competing against people who are willing to live in rat-infested apartments with 12 other tenants just to be closer to Hollywood. These people would sell their right arm to get their movie made. If you’re not all in, you’re probably not going to succeed. The competition is too stiff. Your free time needs to be spent either reading screenplays, writing screenplays, or studying screenwriting. Do yourself a favor. Download and read number 1 Black List script, Blonde Ambition. Not only is it a great screenplay. But pay attention to how every waking moment of Madonna’s life was dedicated towards breaking in. If you have that kind of attitude, I guarantee you you’ll succeed.
7) You don’t know what your weaknesses are so you can’t fix them – You can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broken. People send me scripts all the time saying they’re “finally ready!” and they hope I’ll be able to “pass their script along.” Then I read the script and there’s an utter lack of clarity. The dialogue is on the nose. The characters are defined by their quirkiness rather than their flaws. The writer doesn’t know that the average scene is 2 pages long, not 10 pages. Yet these writers think they’re on the verge of breaking in. Come on man. Don’t be the writer who makes this mistake. Get tons of feedback, find out what your weaknesses are, then start fixing them.
8) Diversify – A lot of writers have this romantic notion that they’re going to sell a screenplay for six figures and that’s going to be their way in. Guys, it’s not 1993 anymore. Believe me, I wish it were. But the screenwriting game has changed and you need to change with it. That means looking for avenues BEYOND the spec sale. That means submitting for TV workshops at the studios. It means writing stuff for the web. It means making short films of your script. It means self-publishing a novel. A writer published a story a couple of weeks ago on The Daily Beast about the Monopoly Scam. Two days later, everyone in Hollywood was bidding for it. If you really want to break in, the front door is usually the hardest door to get through. If you walk around the house, you might find that one of the side windows is open. We just saw this with yesterday’s spec! Not a good script at all. But the writer sold it because she wrote a successful article in the New Yorker and A24 wanted to work with her on anything she had.
9) You haven’t written an awesome script yet – The number one reason you haven’t gotten over the hump is that you haven’t put it all together yet. It’s as simple as that. Write an awesome script and Hollywood will open their arms for you and pull you in for a big warm embrace. I’m not talking about an okay concept with a strong main character. Or a strong concept with an okay main character. Or a script with great dialogue but no story. Or a fun idea with with bland execution. You have to put it all together. The good concept. The strong characters. On-point plotting. Preferably a distinctive voice. It’s still the best way to get over the hump. This is why I advocate stacking the odds in your favor. Pick a marketable genre. Come up with a strong concept. Make sure the main character’s interesting enough to attract an actor. Be smart about it. Good luck.
