Debunking Hollywood Myths for Uncredited Screenwriters - Part 5

Two giant myths have not yet been addressed in this series of posts. I'll tackle them today before ending this series. However, I am happy to return to this topic again with your encouragement. Feel free to send an e-mail with a particular "myth" or any question that you might have. These two remaining myths have killed many a career before they ever had a chance to begin.

Myth: “I don’t need professional feedback on my screenplay; everyone I know says it’s great.”

If your agent is sending your script to the studio’s Business Affairs office for a Deal Memo, then your script is great. If multiple studios and production companies are bidding on your script, then it’s great. If you win every screenwriting contest with the same script, then it might be great. But if no one is asking to read your screenplay, then you really need to consider getting professional feedback on your screenplay. I’ve interviewed more credited screenwriters than I can remember. All of these professionals get feedback on their material. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear the phrase “brutally honest” feedback from the pros. After all, they know the truth. It’s better to hear a script isn’t working from a colleague than from a potential buyer. Screenwriting is all about rewriting. It’s a process and everyone must do it.

Steven Barnes, who has seventeen published novels, explains the problem suffered by most non-professional writers. “They don’t appreciate the difficulty in learning the craft of writing. It takes years of dedicated discipline, reading, writing, and re-writing.” There are no shortcuts to the path of becoming a good writer. One needs to learn the craft one step at a time. Ray Bradbury believes the same thing, explaining he felt like a complete fake for his first years as a writer. At some point, Bradbury realized he had become a professional at the craft. But he estimated he had likely banged out over one million words from his typewriter by the time he reached that level of confidence.

Since credited writers understand the need for objective screenplay feedback, they don’t hesitate to get it. Uncredited writers should follow the same logic and get feedback on their material. In fact, there are strong arguments to be made in getting coverage on the first ten pages of your screenplay to determine if you are even on a viable commercial track. Read the article “Avoiding the ‘Page 10’ Rejection” (http://tiny.cc/42Kbh) for more about this topic.

Myth: “If I work hard enough, I’ll have a Hollywood career.”

Regrettably, effort alone will not guarantee results in Hollywood. But if you work SMART enough, you might achieve that screenwriting career. Remember William Goldman’s great scene in “Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid” where Harvey challenges Butch to a knife fight? Harvey is ready, knife in hand. Butch is unarmed and a knife is offered him by one of the gang. “Not yet,” says Butch, moving up to Harvey. “Not til Harvey and me get all the rules straight.” Harvey is astonished, “Rules? In a knife fight? No rules!” As he finishes speaking Butch delivers a kick to the crotch that could be felt in the back row of the theater. There really are no carved-in-stone rules for the credited screenwriter, but here are some “Rules of Thumb” for the uncredited scribe to strongly consider.

- Always remain humble, courteous, and curious
- Volunteer as often as possible, to increase the number of Hollywood people who know you.
- Become an intern doing anything at any entertainment industry company
- Become a script reader anywhere reading unproduced scripts
- Read at least four produced screenplays per month
- Keep your eyes open for potential material to option, etc. (Remember those percentages of
produced adaptations vs. original screenplays)
- Don't be afraid to push the envelope when you write. (Remember, fear is the enemy of
creativity)