4 Signs Screenwriting Isn't For You
Y'know, many people dream of working in the so-called glamour industries of film and telly - and lots more people really love the idea of writing a film or TV series. It used to be everyone had a novel in them - now everyone has an ace idea for a film.
But I want to tell you – screenwriting isn’t for everyone.
Here are 4 signs that screenwriting ain’t for you…
1) You believe the ads for screenwriting workshops and classes that promise new writers that if they do this one course they'll “sell your screenplay to Hollywood” or “make a six-figure fortune as a showrunner.”
This BS just makes me wild. Like rant-at-the-screen angry.
Screenwriting is a craft like any other – you need to practice it, do it badly and get better at it, then get competent, and then good at it before anyone is going to give you money for your work.
2) You don’t want to make changes to your screenplay – and want the final say on every word. So…this is great if you’re writing a novel but making films and television is by its nature collaborative. And expensive. It doesn’t matter how amazing you are, at some point you are going to have to take advice, instructions, and notes from somebody. And you're not always going to agree with what they say.
3) You find it hard to believe that restrictive industry-standard script format is really necessary – and can’t be bothered learning how to do it properly. Erm, it may be really boring but it is necessary and yes, you have to learn how to format properly.
4) You don’t want to read screenplays, you just want to watch movies. That’s like a baker saying I don’t want to read and understand how recipes work I just want to eat pie. I get it – movies and pie are very good. But eating a great pie doesn't make you a baker.
If you decide screenwriting actually IS for you - and want to know how to avoid newbie mistakes - you can find out more about my Beginner's Guide to Screenwriting workshops below.
Want to be a more productive writer? Dive into our brand new book! Check it out here.