Screenwriting

   Linda is teaching "How to Write and Publish Mystery Novels" at the Learning Annex (http://www.learningannex.com/instructor.taf?id=2737) June 28, July 9, August 11, and September 13, 2005.

When you write for movies, usually you can see the results of your hard work faster than when you write novels. For one thing, you can go into theaters to watch the audience react. (If you try to follow people who buy your book into their homes to learn their reaction it’s called “breaking and entering.”)

The advantages of being a screenwriter, as opposed to a novelist, are that a screenplay is a lot shorter than a novel, and the purchase price is often considerably higher.

The disadvantage is that as a screenwriter you’re a captive to what happens after someone buys the script. Think of a screenwriter as being the first runner in a relay race. The writer hands the “baton” (the script) off to the next runners: the producer, the director, actors, set decorators, costumers, marketing and distribution people—any of whom can stumble and lose the race for you.

I urge the writers who take my classes, or who read my screenwriting book, to find their joy in the work itself. That’s the only part of the process you can control. Learning the craft of screenwriting is absolutely vital. The best part of the movie business for an aspiring screenwriter is that nobody cares that they’ve never heard of you—IF you’ve written a script that they think will make them money. If they like your script, they won’t care about your gender, your age or your ethnicity. ALL that matters to a movie producer is what’s on the page. The trick is to get filmmakers to read your script—but they won’t read it unless you have mastered the craft. If you haven’t taken the trouble to learn how to write with the craft of an established “pro,” then agents and producers will think that reading your script won’t be worth their limited time. My strong advice is: DON’T DEFEAT YOURSELF! Learn the craft of screenwriting before you try to sell your script.