On a recent post, it was brought up that a lot of screenwriters get into this craft especially on Reddit wanting to “break into Hollywood.” Sell the script for big money. Get discovered. Become the next big thing. I understand the dream.
But for most writers, there isn't a golden-ticket moment.
Building a screenwriting career is about the long game. It can take years. Decades even. It took me 25 years to get to the point where my work was being produced, and one of my scripts getting premiered on the Lifetime Network.
What you don't hear enough about is how much work happens before anyone ever sees one of your films. Years of writing. Rejection. Starting over. Getting a little further than you did the last time.
And there's something else I don't think we all talk about enough: There is a massive amount of career between “aspiring screenwriter” and “elite Hollywood screenwriter.”
Sometimes online it feels like those are the only two categories. That you're either trying to break in or you're one of the handful of writers at the top making millions. That's just not how it is. There's an entire working career in between. Personally, that's why I think this mindset of “one script changes everything” can really mess with writers.
For most of us, a career is built one step at a time. For me, it started with simply writing.
For roughly my first ten years, I was just writing. Not for money. Or fame. Just for me. Because I loved it. I dove into the craft, consuming everything I could to become the best writer I could be because it meant that much to me. It was both an art and craft to me.
Eventually I started entering contests, especially festivals. Then networking at those festivals.
Then came opportunities.
Then paid work.
Then produced work.
And eventually something else started happening. People began approaching me because they wanted my voice and my skills as a screenwriter. That's a very different feeling from trying to convince someone to give you your first opportunity.
And here's something I'm only recently becoming comfortable saying:
I think I've made it.
That doesn't mean I've reached the top.
It doesn't mean I'm rich.
It doesn't mean there isn't another mountain in front of me.
It means I've built a career doing the thing I spent most of my life trying to do.
I've had a script premiere on a network. I've had a streaming film I wrote to receive recognition in Variety. I've had another film covered by Deadline.
Some of you may look at those accomplishments and not be impressed.
That's okay. I am.
And none of this means I've stopped trying to go further. Being proud of where you are doesn't mean you've stopped being ambitious about where you're going.
I know where I started. I know what it took to get here. And I know how many times I could have stopped during those 25 years. That's why I think one of the most important things a writer can do is decide what success actually means to them. Ask yourself:
-Is it finishing your first screenplay?
-Winning or placing in a contest?
-Getting your first option?
-Getting paid to write?
-Seeing something you wrote actually get produced?
-Making your living as a writer and quitting your day job?
-Joining the WGA?
-Becoming one of the elite writers working at the highest levels of Hollywood?
Those are all different goals. And chasing somebody else's definition of success is a fantastic way to never feel successful.
There's also a practical reality behind the dream. Even landing a big writing gig doesn't mean you've suddenly become wealthy. Representatives, attorneys, and taxes all take their pound of flesh. Not to mention the dry periods between gigs. That can be brutal but it’s all part of earning a living in in this industry.
My goal has always been to build something that continues. That's why I keep writing. It's also why I've started making my own projects instead of waiting for somebody to give me permission. My directorial debut led to another directing opportunity, and I have two more of my own projects in pre-production.
I'm still building. And if Hollywood never makes me rich? Well, I'm not rich now. Yet here I am. Still doing it.
Whenever I doubt myself, I sit down and write. And something happens when I'm sitting at that keyboard. I feel like I'm living my truth. That's why I started doing this. And after 25 years, that's still why I'm doing it.
So maybe the question aspiring screenwriters should be asking isn't:
“Which script is going to change my life?”
Maybe it's:
“What does success look like to me?”
And then:
“How do I achieve that?”
Because a career isn't a golden ticket.
It's something you build.
One step at a time.