Today is the final post in my “Planning Your Screenwriting Career” series. I’ve talked about generating material, crafting a brand, and building your network. Today I’ll discuss how to pull this all together into a specific plan for the next year or so.
As I mentioned previously, one of the challenges is that we can’t always determine the outcomes of the things we try. If we plan to get a script produced or to win an Academy Award, our success or failure will be dependent on things we don’t control. However, we all have those kinds of goals, and we should acknowledge them because we won't reach them without taking purposeful actions.
For the purpose of this post, I’m going to define “goals” as the dreams we have that have caused us to pursue a screenwriting career, and “objectives” as the achievable things we can put in a plan that don’t depend on anybody else.
Before formalizing your plan, spend a few minutes thinking about your goals. Be specific, but not limiting. So, rather than just saying, “My goal is to be a professional screenwriter,” say something like, “My goal is to write studio action/adventure films,” or, “My goal is to write independent character-driven comedy films,” or “My goal is to create and run dark cable television dramas.”
Once you’re clear on what your goals are, break down the steps and milestones that will be required to get there. What is the next step you have to achieve, and the step after that? Do you need to build up strong sample material? Get your material to buyers? Change your brand? Widen your network?
It will probably also be helpful to inventory your assets and resources. What do you have going for you already? What are the strong scripts you’ve written that support your brand? What contacts have you already built? Do you have representation? Can you leverage your assets to help you achieve your goals?
Writing Objectives
The first part of your plan will involve writing. Plan the things you will write over the next year (or maybe two… but going beyond two is probably pointless as your situation will likely change in unexpected ways. More about that in a minute.)
Set realistic deadlines for when you plan to finish each draft of your work. You should also probably incorporate a couple of pitches into your plan so that you are ready if you get a meeting or if a spec script does well. While you work on one script, you might develop the pitch for your next one. When choosing the material you will write, keep an eye on the brand you want to create. You are building a portfolio with purpose.
If you don’t have enough ideas to plan out what you’re going to write, the first part of your plan should be to develop half a dozen ideas to the treatment level, then pick the ones you think are best. For the time being you can use “Spec 1” and “Spec 2” as placeholders in your plan, then fill them in once you know what you want to do.
You might set objectives based on process as well, such as writing a specific amount of time each day, or working on a certain writing skill. If you are fortunate enough to have writing jobs currently, incorporate them into your plan.
Business Objectives
The second part of your plan is getting your writing sold and produced. Of course, those are goals. You need to create objectives. Your objectives will depend on your resources. If you are just starting out, maybe you will select several contests to enter. If you have representation, maybe you will write a spec and target half a dozen new buyers for them to get it to.
Other objectives could relate to networking. You could join an organization or an Internet forum where film industry people are active. Or you could target a few good networking events to attend throughout the year – writers’ conferences or film festivals or pitch fests. Don’t put quantity over quality. Plan time beforehand to do your research and get prepared, and time afterwards to follow up with the people you meet.
If you have an agent or manager, be sure to include them in your planning. Tell them what ideas you are planning to work on and what brand you’d like to create. Elicit their input – it’s part of what they’re there for. And if your reps aren’t on board your plan, they will not do as good a job helping you fulfill it.
(Be aware – agents these days have limited time for this type of career planning. Don’t bug them with it more than once a year, and make sure they know you want fifteen minutes of their time and schedule the call/meeting when it’s convenient for them. Managers typically work more closely helping you develop the plan.)
Finally, your plan should be flexible and subject to change as things succeed or fail. You might even build some alternative pathways into the plan based on the outcome of certain events.
But having a plan will help you react to things that pop up. Let’s say a producer offers you a gig writing an adaptation. You’ll know the right questions to ask: does it fit my brand? Will it move me forward toward my goals? How much does it pay? (Sometimes you do need to just put some money in the bank to finance your career progress.) It can be hard to say no to a job, but sometimes it’s the right choice for the long term.
So, with that in mind, here’s a hypothetical plan a writer might create for the rest of 2014:
Goal: Write mid-budget studio thrillers
Feb – Apr: Write first draft of spec, “The Murder of Molly”
Feb: Develop two thriller pitches, including “The Death of Dan”
May: Write second draft of “The Murder of Molly”
June – Aug: Write first draft of “The Death of Dan”
June: Pitch completed spec “The Killing of Kevin” at the Great American PitchFest
Follow up with new contacts from PitchFest
September: Write third draft of “The Murder of Molly”
September – December: Take Character Development Class
October: Send out “The Murder of Molly” to industry contacts.
October – November: Write Second Draft of “The Death of Dan”
November: Develop two new thriller pitches
December - January: Write first Draft of Spec 3
All year: Follow Done Deal and the Trades and identify potential thriller producers
All year: Write two hours every day Monday through Friday
A plan like this can keep you focused and moving forward. But only if you follow it. If you make it and forget it, it does you no good. So put a reminder in your calendar at the end of every month to check your plan, evaluate your progress and revise.
Good luck!
Showing posts with label Making a Plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Making a Plan. Show all posts
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
A Plan for Your Screenwriting Career – Part 3: Marketing Goals
When I started this series on making a plan for your
screenwriting career, I mentioned that one of the challenges is dealing with
things that are out of our control. The last couple posts I’ve talked about
writing spec material. That is something that is within our control – it’s one
of the advantages of being a writer. We don’t need permission from someone else
to write.
But there’s more to being a professional writer than writing. If it’s not a hobby, then we need to do the business side of the job as well. So if we’re making a plan for our career, then we should include some goals related to marketing our work. Making a goal to “sell a script” or “get a writing assignment” is no good, though. Those things are out of our control. But we can control what we do to increase the odds of something like that happening.
Everyone’s resources will vary. If you’re an unknown living in the Midwest, you will need a different plan than a writer with an agent and manager and produced credits.
Fundamentally you build your career in screenwriting by writing great material and getting as many industry people as possible to read it.
If you are just starting out, getting those reads will be more difficult. Screenwriting contests can be helpful, but there are a thousand of them and most won’t do you much good. So you have to do research to find out which are best. There are also fellowships you can apply for, and the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. Part of your plan may be to do some homework and compile a list of appropriate, worthy places to submit your work.
If you are an established writer with representation, then a goal might be to increase your contact list or refresh your current network’s perception of you. Both goals require writing a spec.
Most professionals should be writing new spec material every few years at minimum. A new spec gives your agent a reason to contact new producers and development execs and get your work to them. And if you find your current network isn’t generating assignment jobs like it used to, then new spec work can get their attention and remind them what a great writer you are.
When you produce a new spec, don’t just hand it to your representation and wait for them to do the selling. Make a list of people you’d like them to get the work to. You might start with the list generated when you were considering your brand. Get on IMDB and look up movies similar to what you do and find out who produced them. Sign up for Done Deal Pro and search for spec sales in your genre and find out who bought them. Follow the trades and keep track of any relevant buyers you read about. I keep a running document on my computer of potential new contacts. Whether your representation contacts all these people or not, they will appreciate that you have done your homework.
Even if you don’t have representation, if you have some credibility (produced credits, a degree in screenwriting from a major university, significant contest wins) you may be able to get some of these people to read your material by cold calling (or cold emailing… is that a thing?). But plan your call or email carefully – keep it brief, highlight why they should pay attention to you up front, and have a killer logline. And be ready with a two-minute pitch if they should ask you to tell them about the script.
Of course if you don’t have an agent or manager finding representation could be a goal – but perhaps it shouldn’t be. It is easier to get producers to read your work than agents. When the industry takes an interest in you, the agents will come calling. Managers might be more useful. You can make a list of candidates using Done Deal Pro and target them with cold calls/emails just like producers. But really, unless you’re somewhat established, you may find chasing representation takes a lot of time for not much result.
Networking is also a big part of getting new contacts and getting people to read your work. You might include a greater focus on networking in your plan. Perhaps you could join an organization like Film Independent or Scriptwriters Network and make a point to attend their meetings/events regularly.
(For tips on effective networking, try these posts:
Everyone’s resources will vary. If you’re an unknown living in the Midwest, you will need a different plan than a writer with an agent and manager and produced credits.
Fundamentally you build your career in screenwriting by writing great material and getting as many industry people as possible to read it.
If you are just starting out, getting those reads will be more difficult. Screenwriting contests can be helpful, but there are a thousand of them and most won’t do you much good. So you have to do research to find out which are best. There are also fellowships you can apply for, and the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. Part of your plan may be to do some homework and compile a list of appropriate, worthy places to submit your work.
If you are an established writer with representation, then a goal might be to increase your contact list or refresh your current network’s perception of you. Both goals require writing a spec.
Most professionals should be writing new spec material every few years at minimum. A new spec gives your agent a reason to contact new producers and development execs and get your work to them. And if you find your current network isn’t generating assignment jobs like it used to, then new spec work can get their attention and remind them what a great writer you are.
When you produce a new spec, don’t just hand it to your representation and wait for them to do the selling. Make a list of people you’d like them to get the work to. You might start with the list generated when you were considering your brand. Get on IMDB and look up movies similar to what you do and find out who produced them. Sign up for Done Deal Pro and search for spec sales in your genre and find out who bought them. Follow the trades and keep track of any relevant buyers you read about. I keep a running document on my computer of potential new contacts. Whether your representation contacts all these people or not, they will appreciate that you have done your homework.
Even if you don’t have representation, if you have some credibility (produced credits, a degree in screenwriting from a major university, significant contest wins) you may be able to get some of these people to read your material by cold calling (or cold emailing… is that a thing?). But plan your call or email carefully – keep it brief, highlight why they should pay attention to you up front, and have a killer logline. And be ready with a two-minute pitch if they should ask you to tell them about the script.
Of course if you don’t have an agent or manager finding representation could be a goal – but perhaps it shouldn’t be. It is easier to get producers to read your work than agents. When the industry takes an interest in you, the agents will come calling. Managers might be more useful. You can make a list of candidates using Done Deal Pro and target them with cold calls/emails just like producers. But really, unless you’re somewhat established, you may find chasing representation takes a lot of time for not much result.
Networking is also a big part of getting new contacts and getting people to read your work. You might include a greater focus on networking in your plan. Perhaps you could join an organization like Film Independent or Scriptwriters Network and make a point to attend their meetings/events regularly.
(For tips on effective networking, try these posts:
How Not to Network )
Your business-oriented goals will work in concert with your writing goals, of course. The best time to increase your contact list is going to be when you have a new spec script ready to go. Next week I’ll wrap up this series by discussing how we can pull all these things together into a coherent plan.
Your business-oriented goals will work in concert with your writing goals, of course. The best time to increase your contact list is going to be when you have a new spec script ready to go. Next week I’ll wrap up this series by discussing how we can pull all these things together into a coherent plan.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
A Plan for Your Screenwriting Career – Part 2: Crafting Your Brand
Last week I began talking about how you can make a plan for your screenwriting career. I discussed the need to build up a portfolio of material to show potential reps and buyers. Sample material is how you get attention and jobs in the industry. And who knows, every once in a while you can sell a spec. I’ve done it.
Since you are writing spec material to build up a portfolio, you should think strategically about what your portfolio says about you. Your sample work is creating a “brand” for you as a screenwriter. When selecting which of your ideas to write, you should have an eye toward intentionally shaping your brand.
News flash: There are a lot of very good writers out there. There are a lot of very good writers with credits and experience and contacts. You obviously need to be a good writer to have a screenwriting career, but you also need something more. You need to offer the industry something it can’t get anywhere else. That thing is your voice.
A big part of your brand is the genre you work in. Specializing in one genre is wise, especially when you’re starting out. You might be able to pull off two if they are similar. Your brand might also include a particular aspect of writing that you’re particularly good at (“my scripts are in touch with the youth zeitgeist,” or “I write spectacular action scenes.”) It could include a thematic or stylistic aspect (“The humor in my broad comedies is really edgy,” “My sci-fi scripts contain subtle social critiques.”)
If you are known for something specific, then producers and executives will think of you when they need someone to do that thing on a project. You’ll be much more likely to get adaptation and rewrite assignments. Also, everyone has personal tastes. If you build up a group of contacts with one spec, you want the next one to be in the same genre to increase the chances they’ll like it. Finally, if you are pitching an idea, you will need a sample similar to that idea to assure the buyer you can pull it off.
When you are first starting out, you probably ought to write whatever moves you. It may take a while before you really find your voice. Don’t lock yourself into a direction too quickly. But once you’ve got a few scripts under your belt, you should start to figure out how you want to brand yourself.
Some writers know exactly what kind of thing they want to write. If you spend every night watching horror movies and you’ve always dreamed of being the next Wes Craven, you’re set. Most writers aren’t so clearly focused.
Start by thinking about what kind of movies you love. I encounter far too many young writers who are trying to write a movie that they wouldn’t pay to see themselves. Why would you do that?
Next, think about what you like to write and what you’re good at. Sometimes what a writer writes isn’t quite the same as what they most like to watch. If you love romantic comedy but can’t write witty dialogue, that’s probably not the best brand for you to pursue. Usually it isn’t hard to settle on a type of movie that you both love and that you can write well.
(You may want to poll people who have read your work – your writers group, your agent – to find out what they think you’re good at.)
Next, you should examine the marketplace. If you really want to write musicals or westerns or courtroom dramas, you will find Hollywood today a very frustrating place. Try to identify a dozen successful movies from the last five years that would have fit your brand. (Keep this list… it will be a resource to target producers, stars, and other folks who might be interested in your work.)
Okay, so let’s say you love musicals but Hollywood doesn’t really make them anymore. That doesn’t mean you have to give up the business. Can you apply your love of musicals to a genre that is viable? Alvin and the Chipmunks, Magic Mike and Pitch Perfect weren’t musicals in the traditional sense, but they all had strong musical components. Maybe you can write comedies set in the world of music, or biopics about famous musicians.
The Same But Different
You don’t want to just mimic what’s already successful, though. Believe me, I see writers try to do that a lot. Remember, what you have to offer is your unique voice. So think about what you can bring to the commercially viable genre that isn’t currently out there. What’s your fresh perspective? This will help you hone your brand so it is uniquely yours.
If you are already somewhat known in the industry – whether you have produced credits or a few sales or you have representation – then you already have a brand based on the material you’ve previously sent out. Try to define what your current brand is. Does it match the brand you want to have?
One reason for more established writers to write specs is to shift their brand. Maybe they’ve grown bored with the genre they’re in, or maybe the industry has changed since they started out and their brand feels dated. The average screenwriting career is something like eleven years. If you want to beat that average, you need to reinvent yourself periodically.
It’s probably not a great idea to try to radically shift your brand. It’s difficult to jump from family comedy to torture horror. Instead, make a subtle shift. Maybe go from family comedy to more edgy comedy. You might plan your shift in several steps. The idea is to keep the valuable reputation you’ve built, but show people you can do more.
Once you know what brand you are trying to build, select material that will help you get there. Develop your next two or three spec ideas to highlight your brand and also show a bit of range within it. Develop a couple of pitches that fit your brand for when you get meetings from your specs. Research the market and the competition in your corner of the business. Remember, these are still ideas that you love and are excited to write. But you're choosing the ones that will also help advance your career.
Our plan is starting to come together in terms of what we’re going to write. Next week I’ll discuss how to incorporate getting your material read into the plan.
Since you are writing spec material to build up a portfolio, you should think strategically about what your portfolio says about you. Your sample work is creating a “brand” for you as a screenwriter. When selecting which of your ideas to write, you should have an eye toward intentionally shaping your brand.
News flash: There are a lot of very good writers out there. There are a lot of very good writers with credits and experience and contacts. You obviously need to be a good writer to have a screenwriting career, but you also need something more. You need to offer the industry something it can’t get anywhere else. That thing is your voice.
A big part of your brand is the genre you work in. Specializing in one genre is wise, especially when you’re starting out. You might be able to pull off two if they are similar. Your brand might also include a particular aspect of writing that you’re particularly good at (“my scripts are in touch with the youth zeitgeist,” or “I write spectacular action scenes.”) It could include a thematic or stylistic aspect (“The humor in my broad comedies is really edgy,” “My sci-fi scripts contain subtle social critiques.”)
If you are known for something specific, then producers and executives will think of you when they need someone to do that thing on a project. You’ll be much more likely to get adaptation and rewrite assignments. Also, everyone has personal tastes. If you build up a group of contacts with one spec, you want the next one to be in the same genre to increase the chances they’ll like it. Finally, if you are pitching an idea, you will need a sample similar to that idea to assure the buyer you can pull it off.
When you are first starting out, you probably ought to write whatever moves you. It may take a while before you really find your voice. Don’t lock yourself into a direction too quickly. But once you’ve got a few scripts under your belt, you should start to figure out how you want to brand yourself.
Some writers know exactly what kind of thing they want to write. If you spend every night watching horror movies and you’ve always dreamed of being the next Wes Craven, you’re set. Most writers aren’t so clearly focused.
Start by thinking about what kind of movies you love. I encounter far too many young writers who are trying to write a movie that they wouldn’t pay to see themselves. Why would you do that?
Next, think about what you like to write and what you’re good at. Sometimes what a writer writes isn’t quite the same as what they most like to watch. If you love romantic comedy but can’t write witty dialogue, that’s probably not the best brand for you to pursue. Usually it isn’t hard to settle on a type of movie that you both love and that you can write well.
(You may want to poll people who have read your work – your writers group, your agent – to find out what they think you’re good at.)
Next, you should examine the marketplace. If you really want to write musicals or westerns or courtroom dramas, you will find Hollywood today a very frustrating place. Try to identify a dozen successful movies from the last five years that would have fit your brand. (Keep this list… it will be a resource to target producers, stars, and other folks who might be interested in your work.)
Okay, so let’s say you love musicals but Hollywood doesn’t really make them anymore. That doesn’t mean you have to give up the business. Can you apply your love of musicals to a genre that is viable? Alvin and the Chipmunks, Magic Mike and Pitch Perfect weren’t musicals in the traditional sense, but they all had strong musical components. Maybe you can write comedies set in the world of music, or biopics about famous musicians.
The Same But Different
You don’t want to just mimic what’s already successful, though. Believe me, I see writers try to do that a lot. Remember, what you have to offer is your unique voice. So think about what you can bring to the commercially viable genre that isn’t currently out there. What’s your fresh perspective? This will help you hone your brand so it is uniquely yours.
If you are already somewhat known in the industry – whether you have produced credits or a few sales or you have representation – then you already have a brand based on the material you’ve previously sent out. Try to define what your current brand is. Does it match the brand you want to have?
One reason for more established writers to write specs is to shift their brand. Maybe they’ve grown bored with the genre they’re in, or maybe the industry has changed since they started out and their brand feels dated. The average screenwriting career is something like eleven years. If you want to beat that average, you need to reinvent yourself periodically.
It’s probably not a great idea to try to radically shift your brand. It’s difficult to jump from family comedy to torture horror. Instead, make a subtle shift. Maybe go from family comedy to more edgy comedy. You might plan your shift in several steps. The idea is to keep the valuable reputation you’ve built, but show people you can do more.
Once you know what brand you are trying to build, select material that will help you get there. Develop your next two or three spec ideas to highlight your brand and also show a bit of range within it. Develop a couple of pitches that fit your brand for when you get meetings from your specs. Research the market and the competition in your corner of the business. Remember, these are still ideas that you love and are excited to write. But you're choosing the ones that will also help advance your career.
Our plan is starting to come together in terms of what we’re going to write. Next week I’ll discuss how to incorporate getting your material read into the plan.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
A Plan for Your Screenwriting Career – Part 1: Great Writing
Reader Billy Martin sent me the following suggestion for a blog topic he titled “Starting Right Now”:
It's New Year's Resolution time. For many of us part time, wanna be screenwriters we are looking at all of the awards show pomp and realizing another year has passed us by. Or more accurately, we have passed it by. We see some great movies released in the popular Holiday pre-awards season. But, throughout the year we have been reaching to the bottom of the Redbox barrel and saying to ourselves, "How did that movie ever get made?" For me personally, I write small, human stories, that could be made on a budget.
Regardless of how straight-forward and candid you are about the difficulty of making it in the business, I believe there are many of us not willing to give up on the dream. Maybe you could steer us in the right direction.
It’s now well past New Year’s resolution making time, but who says January 1st is the only day you can plan your career? Mr. Martin’s suggestion inspired me to do a series of posts on making a career plan for screenwriting. (And maybe even inspired me to update my own plan! Yes, I consciously plan my career, in writing.)
This isn’t perhaps exactly the same as the suggested “Starting Right Now,” but it encompasses those things. I’ll cover plans for various levels of existing career, from just-getting-into-this to already-a-produced-writer. I’ll discuss both creative and business issues. It’s a big topic – thus the series of posts.
(A note on Mr. Martin’s last paragraph – it is true the business is unbelievably competitive. It’s true that it is difficult to break in and even more difficult to make a living once you’re inside! But that doesn’t mean you should give up your dream. It does mean if you hope to achieve your dream you have to be willing to work extremely hard.)
Planning a screenwriting career, even in the short term, is tough because so much is out of your control. Any “how I made it” story always contains a heapin’ helpin’ of good luck. Of course, remember the saying “luck is opportunity meets preparation.” If you work at this long enough you will get opportunities. Your plan should be about making yourself prepared for when they occur.
The other challenge is that “events on the ground,” to use a military phrase, can change everything. Let’s say you send out a spec script. The outcome of that experience will determine what happens next – if it sells, you’ll likely be hired to rewrite it. Or perhaps it will impress someone enough to offer you a shot at pitching an assignment. Or if it lands with a dull thud, you’ll have to go back to other spec work. So how do you plan beyond sending the spec out?
Let’s start with the most basic thing you need for a screenwriting career: great screenplays. Note that this is plural – one won’t do it. You need to have a selection of material to show. Also note that I said “great” – not good or competent or your Mom likes it.
If you want to be a screenwriter but have not yet written a screenplay, your first goal should be just to finish a script. Finishing the first one is really hard. You don’t want to take forever, but it’s your first one so it will probably take a while. Your plan right now should focus on the process: setting aside time to write every day.
You might also need to learn something about your craft, so taking a screenwriting course or reading books on screenwriting might be part of your plan (and a class can help motivate you to finish). You also may want to find a writers group that can hold you accountable and give you feedback on your work. But you’ll learn the most simply by doing. Until you finish that first draft, it’s hard to even understand what you need to know. Until you have a screenplay, the rest of it doesn’t matter much.
If you’ve written some spec scripts but don’t yet have a body of top quality work, your plan should include more writing and possibly rewriting existing material. Most writers have to write at least five scripts before they turn out anything that’s any good. Of course, you must approach every script as if it will get made, but the reality is you have to practice your craft a lot before you will master it. If this sounds discouraging, remember that you’re in this for the long haul. And becoming a professional screenwriter is not easy.
You might want to work on improving your productivity. Standard professional contracts generally give the writer twelve weeks to do a feature draft. Often this is loosely enforced, but if you’re going to be a professional, you should be capable of this pace. Try making a plan for your year that involves writing a draft of a screenplay every three months. That will help you increase your output. I suggest alternating new, first drafts with rewrites of other scripts.
If you’re interested in writing television, the ability to meet deadlines is critical for a career. Definitely work on turning out spec material in a timely fashion.
(Here are some Tips for Productivity that might help.)
If you have a body of work or are established, then turning out new spec work may not be the most important part of your plan. But you probably already know that it’s critical for your career to keep writing. Any time you don’t have paid work, you should be writing a spec. And possibly you need a new spec to send out so you can expand your network or re-brand yourself or just update your image.
It’s important – no matter what your level – that you choose your spec material carefully. That requires thinking about your passions, the market, and the “brand” you want to establish. Those things will be huge influences on the plan you’re making. Choosing material and planning your brand will be the topic for my next post.
It's New Year's Resolution time. For many of us part time, wanna be screenwriters we are looking at all of the awards show pomp and realizing another year has passed us by. Or more accurately, we have passed it by. We see some great movies released in the popular Holiday pre-awards season. But, throughout the year we have been reaching to the bottom of the Redbox barrel and saying to ourselves, "How did that movie ever get made?" For me personally, I write small, human stories, that could be made on a budget.
Regardless of how straight-forward and candid you are about the difficulty of making it in the business, I believe there are many of us not willing to give up on the dream. Maybe you could steer us in the right direction.
It’s now well past New Year’s resolution making time, but who says January 1st is the only day you can plan your career? Mr. Martin’s suggestion inspired me to do a series of posts on making a career plan for screenwriting. (And maybe even inspired me to update my own plan! Yes, I consciously plan my career, in writing.)
This isn’t perhaps exactly the same as the suggested “Starting Right Now,” but it encompasses those things. I’ll cover plans for various levels of existing career, from just-getting-into-this to already-a-produced-writer. I’ll discuss both creative and business issues. It’s a big topic – thus the series of posts.
(A note on Mr. Martin’s last paragraph – it is true the business is unbelievably competitive. It’s true that it is difficult to break in and even more difficult to make a living once you’re inside! But that doesn’t mean you should give up your dream. It does mean if you hope to achieve your dream you have to be willing to work extremely hard.)
Planning a screenwriting career, even in the short term, is tough because so much is out of your control. Any “how I made it” story always contains a heapin’ helpin’ of good luck. Of course, remember the saying “luck is opportunity meets preparation.” If you work at this long enough you will get opportunities. Your plan should be about making yourself prepared for when they occur.
The other challenge is that “events on the ground,” to use a military phrase, can change everything. Let’s say you send out a spec script. The outcome of that experience will determine what happens next – if it sells, you’ll likely be hired to rewrite it. Or perhaps it will impress someone enough to offer you a shot at pitching an assignment. Or if it lands with a dull thud, you’ll have to go back to other spec work. So how do you plan beyond sending the spec out?
Let’s start with the most basic thing you need for a screenwriting career: great screenplays. Note that this is plural – one won’t do it. You need to have a selection of material to show. Also note that I said “great” – not good or competent or your Mom likes it.
If you want to be a screenwriter but have not yet written a screenplay, your first goal should be just to finish a script. Finishing the first one is really hard. You don’t want to take forever, but it’s your first one so it will probably take a while. Your plan right now should focus on the process: setting aside time to write every day.
You might also need to learn something about your craft, so taking a screenwriting course or reading books on screenwriting might be part of your plan (and a class can help motivate you to finish). You also may want to find a writers group that can hold you accountable and give you feedback on your work. But you’ll learn the most simply by doing. Until you finish that first draft, it’s hard to even understand what you need to know. Until you have a screenplay, the rest of it doesn’t matter much.
If you’ve written some spec scripts but don’t yet have a body of top quality work, your plan should include more writing and possibly rewriting existing material. Most writers have to write at least five scripts before they turn out anything that’s any good. Of course, you must approach every script as if it will get made, but the reality is you have to practice your craft a lot before you will master it. If this sounds discouraging, remember that you’re in this for the long haul. And becoming a professional screenwriter is not easy.
You might want to work on improving your productivity. Standard professional contracts generally give the writer twelve weeks to do a feature draft. Often this is loosely enforced, but if you’re going to be a professional, you should be capable of this pace. Try making a plan for your year that involves writing a draft of a screenplay every three months. That will help you increase your output. I suggest alternating new, first drafts with rewrites of other scripts.
If you’re interested in writing television, the ability to meet deadlines is critical for a career. Definitely work on turning out spec material in a timely fashion.
(Here are some Tips for Productivity that might help.)
If you have a body of work or are established, then turning out new spec work may not be the most important part of your plan. But you probably already know that it’s critical for your career to keep writing. Any time you don’t have paid work, you should be writing a spec. And possibly you need a new spec to send out so you can expand your network or re-brand yourself or just update your image.
It’s important – no matter what your level – that you choose your spec material carefully. That requires thinking about your passions, the market, and the “brand” you want to establish. Those things will be huge influences on the plan you’re making. Choosing material and planning your brand will be the topic for my next post.
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