HOW CAN WE BE SURE OUR SCREENPLAY IS “DONE”?
The question I presented and asked everyone in my local screenwriter’s group to speak about during a recent meeting was:
How can you be confident that your screenplay is "DONE"? Additionally, how can you be confident that you've actually written something that THE INDUSTRY will see as effective and valuable (so that a sale or an offer for other paid work is an actual possibility)?
After all, beyond personal satisfaction or some kind of personal therapy that you enjoy while writing, what other goal is there? There’s no other way to leverage screenwriting into a career or a supplemental income without money changing hands. You must be doing business. And to do business, you need to create something that people are willing to pay for - something they WANT.
It literally doesn't matter if you’ve written the greatest story ever told. If no one reads it, or if none of those that do read it actually WANT to pay for it... what was the point?
My goal for the last 10 years has always been to learn as much as I can and to understand as much as I can about the art and science of screenwriting. Knowledge is power after all and a lack of knowledge and understanding is a weakness – or, a vulnerability at the very least.
My goal has been to assemble and become as proficient in as many of the best tools as I can and to create a writing process that stacks the deck in my favour as much as I can.
Having said that, I learned very early on that I can’t take any of this too seriously. I can’t be afraid of anything screenwriting-related, get bitter about any of it, or allow myself to be influenced by my emotions.
I learned the last part the hard way as most people do. Removing any vulnerability to my emotions allows me to remain objective and focused on learning, understanding, and on cultivating my skills as a writer and businessperson.
Show business is still business, after all, and ignoring the business aspect is a huge mistake for anyone but hobbyists.
It's said that if you are not enjoying the success that you want, then you are not producing work that is capable of generating that success. But, how can we know that for sure? How can we prevent the bitterness and frustration and the tendency to explain a lack of success on some nebulous force that is - for some reason - holding us back or treating us unfairly?
Clearly, there are no guarantees in this industry. We all have to accept that cold, hard truth.
Another truth is that opportunities are few and far between. But those facts have never bothered me and they shouldn't bother you. Opportunities are out there. The industry is hungrier than ever for fresh, effective screenplays. Demand has never been higher. And although the opportunities are available to everyone, not every lane leading to those opportunities is. Many will cost you money. So, I recognize there are some financial obstacles that are also very real. Most people will have to spend at least a little money to succeed. Know that if you have literally zero dollars to invest in this path, your opportunities will be much harder to get to.
In many ways, this career is a game. A puzzle. A mystery to be solved.
And, if we let our fears and any other “lizard brain” emotions get the better of us, we'll never solve the puzzle. We’ll get too distracted by and invested in our struggle – in the drama that we are all capable of creating. None of it is real, but it can feel very real if we let it. Despite being an illusion, that kind of drama is exhausting. If we can’t insulate ourselves from that nonsense, or, if we put too much pressure on ourselves to perform financially too quickly, we'll eventually run out of drive, out of the resources required to make this kind of continuous effort - or we’ll simply run out of time. So... what can we do?
To start, I believe that adopting a very structured and dependable process is key.
A process that pushes us to write more effective and attractive (to the industry) work and holds us accountable by demanding the high-caliber feedback we need to know - for certain - our work is effective. We need that high-quality feedback not just once or twice at the end of the process, but many times during every phase of the development of the screenplay, from numerous different parties, each with different perspectives on your work.
Otherwise, you are working in the dark.
And, if you emerge from the dark, weeks, months, or years later, screenplay in hand, only to find out that all of your efforts have been wasted because you created a product nobody wants to buy, you will eventually become angry, frustrated, cynical and your creative joy and hope for success will be lost. It will break you - as it has broken many people before you. That is a very, very common scenario and there will be no one to blame but yourself if you let that happen.
But, it does not have to be that way.
If you really and truly want to succeed and become a paid screenwriter, then there are ways to create advantages for yourself (* This will absolutely mean leaving your comfort zone, btw). These advantages will not be available to those who do not want to push themselves. Many more of these rare opportunities will present themselves to you and your work will be much more attractive than the average new writer’s if you create such advantages. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but you’ll have a realistic shot.
The process itself is something I talk about a lot and it is much more detailed and nuanced than this, but here is a summary:
Start with the very essence of your story idea and write it out in one short sentence of 50 words or less. Yes. It’s a logline – sort of. It’s what I call a “DEV LOGLINE” because it’s not about promotion or selling your concept. This version is designed to help you fully develop your concept. It’s about proving you understand your story at its barest essence and can capture the heart of it in a concise and efficient manner.
So, you start with a single sentence that forces you to stay focused and not get distracted by all of the ancillary details.Then you get feedback.
Next, you write it again in 5 sentences summarizing the major story turns in act 1, act 2a, the midpoint, ACT 2B, and ACT 3. Not just the EXTERNAL events of the story, however. You need to also articulate the changes in your Protagonist. All great stories are about transformation, after all, so you need to map out the transformation of your main character as well.
Then you get feedback
Next, you write out your story in 15 sentences based on Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! Beat Sheet or Brooks Elms far superior version of it. (In my personal process I use a personal variation I like even more which is 17 sentences)
Then you get feedback
Next, you write out the story in 40 sentences. You are now at the point where you are writing out one short sentence for basically every scene and/or sequence that will appear in your script.
Then you get feedback
Next, you write a 8-12 page treatment, detailing much more of the story. No dialogue, but in more of a prose style and with more cinematic attributes and details like character introductions. Here, you can analyze the flow, and structure very carefully.
Then, you get EXCELLENT feedback. Actual, pro-quality “coverage” that will provide you with 5-10 pages of notes from a qualified story analyst. Imagine how much better prepared you’ll be to write a full draft armed with all of this feedback! Nevertheless, some people like to just jump into the deep end. Don’t do that to yourself.
Next, you are ready to write your first draft - what I refer to as the “MUD draft”. Write it non-stop. Just knock it out in one, continuous effort with no editing! It will be terrible, but that’s normal and important to the process. Once finished, you do a light, simple clean-up pass.
Then you get feedback.
Next, you begin the multi-draft “COAL” phase, creating at least 3 and up to 5 significantly different drafts of your script, testing each one on different sets of allies. And, once you feel the momentum slowing down because you are running out of ideas about what to improve – and/or how…
You get more feedback. Through this period, you can enter as many competitions as you want – but don’t bother with any unless they guarantee feedback. And, more importantly, I recommend using the COVERFLY X program where you trade time and feedback with other writers – for free. COVERFLY X is a great resource for the mid-stages of development because you get as much as you can give. Giving notes actually helps your writing skills as well as it is a great exercise in articulating things that do and don’t work and it keeps those principles in the forefront of your mind as you work. Ultimately, the more scripts you read, the more you will learn. After getting several new sets of notes from a source such as COVERFLY X (and only when at least 4 out of 10 are undeniably positive) you move on. You address those notes in your work and enter the toughest phase yet…
Now, you enter the “DIAMOND” phase of drafts. This represents another 3-5 significantly edited drafts. Here, you get very granular and start reassessing every single word and line, and paragraph in your screenplay. No detail gets a pass. Everything is carefully scrutinized – from the perspective of the audience/reader’s experience. You need to get mean about it and attack your script like it owes you money. And, once again, when you simply don’t know what else to do with it…
You get more feedback. Now, you submit it to the top-tier organizations like the BLACK LIST (https://blcklst.com/8+)or SPEC SCOUT (www.specscout.com7+), or SLATED (services.slated.com 75+) you take a run at the ACADEMY NICHOLL FELLOWSHIP (https://www.oscars.org/nicholl) because, with very few exceptions (see below), no other contests or possible awards or laurels mean anything to the industry.
You have to understand that they don’t care how many regional contests you’ve won. To succeed you have to prove you can compete with the very best (at being effective)– and that means you have to create work that is considered among the very best by people who are also considered to be among the very best. You need to be elite and to be acknowledged by the elite – within the industry.
Here are a few more events with excellent reputations that could actually help your career:
Austin Film Festival
https://austinfilmfestival.com/submit/screenplay-and-teleplay-submissions-2/
Cinestory Feature Retreat and Fellowship Competition
https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/cinestory-feature
The Screenwriting Lab
https://www.filmindependent.org/programs/artist-development/screenwriting-lab/
Fresh Blood Selects
https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/freshblood
Humanitas New Voices
https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/humanitas-new-voices
Launchpad Feature Competition
https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/launch-pad-feature
Sundance Feature Film Program
https://www.sundance.org/programs/feature-film
Slamdance Screenplay Competition
https://writers.coverfly.com/competitions/view/slamdance
The Golden Script Competition
https://www.goldenscript.net/
Screencraft Fellowship
https://screencraft.org/fellowship/
InkAndCinema First Ten Pages Showcase
https://www.inkandcinema.com/products/first-10-pages-showcase
International Screenwriter’s Association Contests
https://www.networkisa.org/contest
Big Break Screenwriting Contest by Final Draft
https://www.finaldraft.com/big-break-screenwriting-contest/
Emerging Screenwriters (Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family/Holiday/Young Adult, Historical/Bio, Horror/Thriller, Mystery/Crime, and Sci-Fi/Fantasy only) https://www.emergingscreenwriters.com/
A quote from arcstudiopro on the above list:
Though (reputable) screenwriting competitions are indeed an investment, both in terms of time and money, they're also one of your best chances to break into the industry no matter who you are and where you're from. Make sure that your screenplay is in pitch-perfect shape, and you'll soon see the return of your labor—mainly if you apply to competitions that guarantee feedback.
So, don’t fall in love with the romantic notion that screenwriters get to work in a quiet little bubble and never have to come out. That they will magically attract representation that will take care of all the very necessary interactions that need to happen to create the relationships you will need to succeed. Remember that there is no such thing as self-publishing for screenwriters. You need to get your work out there and get the proof you need to know that your work is effective - that you are working at an effective level. In screenwriting you are – first and foremost – a writer, but you must also be a promoter, a salesperson, a mascot, and even a manager all at once. You could pay people to do that all for you of course, but I have yet to hear a success story that worked that way.
Writing screenplays is actually the easy part
Everyone pursuing success as a screenwriter understands they need to be able to write – even if they don’t have a clue how. But few people understand just how critical those other responsibilities are. BUT…if you embrace them and develop skills in those areas as well, then you’ve got a much better shot at success. You WILL have an advantage.
For me, the bottom line is that if you attempt to find success as a screenwriter and refuse to participate in any of the aforementioned additional responsibilities… you are leaving the most important details to chance. And very, very few people ever get that lucky.
