Screenwriting : Sincere question by Steven M. Cross

I would consider writing books. GL.

I would look at some of your scripts, figure out which ones really speak to you as a writer (what motivates you basically) and work on those scripts. You can also get feedback from the script services here and/or from people you trust and then work on the script from those notes.

Both! Work on new ones and polish the scripts that you have. Enjoy the process and keep working.

Steven, I'm almost in the same boat as you...but without the extensive writing background (and I don't have an optioned script to my credit...yet).

But I want to start on some new screenplays myself, work on making my existing ones better, and finally get a written pitch out to the folks Stage 32 lines up.

And I hope you'll keep on writing. You've got some great stuff...especially "Play Right" and "Magic." (And I wish you all the VERY BEST!)

Thanks, Jim.

I say do both. Polish the old and write the new. Keep writing and rewriting until the stories stop poking. Onward and upward.

I love the sort of questions where the anwer is so clear: you should do both; we live in a "and"-"and" world, not in a "or"- "or" one.

Whatever brings you the most joy :) You might be done with your old scripts for good reason.

I'm about to turn 43 so I would say that you might want to polish the ones that have had notes, but not too much to completely change it. If you are happy with those enough to pursue then I would focus on them. If you have decided that your interested has waned on those where you don't want to promote them as hard, then I would say start from scratch on a brand new one. My point is that you don't want to completely change the source material that you are happy with.

I am a deluded newbie...and I think you have a wealth of stories waiting to find a page. Polish what you have, but create too...Best of luck to you.

You must polish every screenplay you write that you intend to send to people in the industry. Your spec screenplays are mainly used as a calling card. How many you want to write is up to you. I wrote over 30 screenplays over the years. I probably have five to ten that are worth sending to anyone including my agent. I was never trying to make a career out of screenwriting so I spent more time writing than marketing them.

My two cents are as follows. Forget about age, no one asks how old the writer is when watching a film. No matter how good the script it's worthless if you can't get it to a producer's reader. You see producers don't read, they depend on their readers to be the gatekeepers. Even when your script is chosen, it will be endlessly written by hacks. Don't take it personally.

I spent +40 years in this industry to learn that a contact within the biz is worth more than the best scripts ever written. If no one read it then it doesn't exist. The best advice is to use these Stage 32 resources to help you get your scripts seen and hopefully bought.

I'm coming up on 80 - forget about age - I'm old enough to forget about all sorts of stuff, it comes naturally.

The truth is, if you want to be a full time writer, then you should be doing both. You should ALWAYS be polishing your scripts -- if youve only written 2 drafts, your script aint done! And if youre not polishing and finishing them, then why'd you write them?? But you should also be outlining & writing new stuff. But start with whatever project not only inspires you most but DEFINES your voice the most. Thats the one to work on first.

Well sincerely I'd like to live up to 64...maybe copula years past...and for the scripts, I'm just focused on one spec feature that has some potential and I believe I can make it stretch to the screen...If the audience says YAAAY! then Ima be back as Rocky...

Keep writing new material. A lot of writers sit around polishing stuff for years and, worse still, a lot of it is clumsy early writing built on weak foundations. That all said, the essential thing is you're learning and reflecting on writing and filmmaking craft so you're building your skillset through the process of writing. You want to get to a point where your craft is so developed you're able to deliver really strong first drafts. If a screenwriter told me they need to write a first draft and then needed another couple of tries to even get in the right ballpark, I wouldn't take them seriously as a professional at all.

I also want to add this, if you are going to spend a lot of time preening your existing specs, try to take time to learn about the industry, it's current status, and how commercially appealing your portfolio is, especially within the segment of the market you are targeting strategically.

A bitter pill I had to swallow a couple of years back was that my specs do not align well with what the market (particularly low budget film) wants right now. I write low-budget, pulpy scripts rife with profanity and gun violence that does not make it family friendly at all. It would have done well in the 90's but the current attitude with sales agents and distributors is to churn very generically appealing material out to a broad global audience. While I believe in my specs, and believe there's an audience out there who would love any movies made from them, there is sadly a wall of naysayers that would make it impossible to realistically do my most passionate work justice. I learned that the hard way from my experience producing.

For now at least, my portfolio showcases my artistic voice and screenwriting skills. Given how rarely specs are actually made anyway, that sits fine with me.

Go to Walmart and check out the DVD's on the shelf. Love it or hate it, those are the kind of films that secure distribution deals. 99% of films don't.

It's a very good time to be a family-friendly and/or faith based writer.

C.J. I have written family-friendly scripts, In fact, I had one reader in a contest that told me "Disdainfully" that my script sounded like a Hallmark Movie. I just shook my head because he didn't give me very high marks, but another reader gave nothing but praise. I polish my scripts to where the first draft is good, but good in that they have been worked on and worked on to where they are good. I keep at it, but what I really need is a manager, but managers don't want to work with someone my age who hasn't had a lot of success.

@CJ Walley stellar advice. I am not quite as old as you Steven M. Cross, the toughest hurdle I have been facing so far are industry changes and paying to play. I am writing and should keep at it to. I have been considering changing up my scripts into book form as well, although the book industry is almost as brutal. Keep in touch.

If youre writing features - and not TV - you dont REALLY need a manager. You just have to write an AMAZING F*CKING script. Not a GOOD script. Not a pretty much ready script. Not a decent 2nd draft script. a Fucking Great Script. And then get it out there. Contests, pitches, queries, network. You dont need a manager and youre right as a cis white man in his 60s not writing TV, youre not really gonna find a manager right now unless a project of yours has major buzz! So, id spend your time finding the right producers and a way to get to them.