I was asked this recently. Here's my answer:
"It's hard to write a screenplay.
"Now cube that. That's how hard it is to sell.
"Now square that. That's how hard it is to have your sold screenplay produced.
"Now cube that. That's how hard it is to have a hit.
"As for getting the Oscar, just appeal to their current sympathies better than the other four nominees."
_____
Yeah! It ain't easy. Not for quitters.
I always tell people that if they want to write so they can say they "have written," they are writing for the wrong reason. Get famous some other way, if that's what you need. But if you want to tell yourself stories, movie-stories, and then send them out to others, those are good reasons. If you keep it up, and you're a voracious reader, you will write things people will want to see. Eventually. Like Milton Berle once said, "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door!"
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Writing a screenplay isn't that difficult.
Writing one worth reading and producing is really hard.
So hard, in fact, almost nobody can do it.
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Writing the screenplay is easy. Selling it is the hard part.
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Shitty and average script is easy. Good script is very hard. Great script is almost impossible. At least for me:)
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Bill Albert Selling great scripts is usually a whole lot easier than selling mediocre or bad ones.
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Drongo Bum Still doesn't make it easy in itself. Not at all.
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Writing a good screenplay is easy when you have know the techniques of good storytelling, which makes it easy to sell it. The hardest is to catch the attention of the right persons, the right studios.
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Iannis Aliferis Most everyone wants great scripts. These are so rare that, when one surfaces, it usually attracts a lot of attention, eventually.
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Erwann Uriac Sometimes a truly great script will slip through the cracks, but more often than not it will become a hot property. At the very least it will get noticed. Most screenplays are mediocre at best, but the majority are nowhere near as good as that. This is why the rare gems stand out.
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Drongo Bum If most screenplays are mediocre, that is because 99% of writers don't learn how to write a story, they don't learn what makes a good story. It is way more easier to right a good story than to have it catching attention of the good persons.
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Erwann Uriac "...99% of writers don't learn how to write a story, they don't learn what makes a good story."
True.
Also, 90+ percent of people writing screenplays aren't really up to the challenge, since most people writing screenplays have no real interest in screenwriting or storytelling. They write because they've been convinced it's the path of least resistance into Hollywood.
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it's always a numbers game. how many scripts you write, how many people you meet, how many positive connections you make out of the people you meet, how of those positive connections are actively looking, how many of those actively looking are in a serious position to do something, how many of those in a serious position don't have something else inevitably come up, and on and on and on. you can only control the beginning of this chain. you control what you write, how much you write, how many people you meet or get in front of, and then 50% of how those interactions go. that's the only part of the chain that matters and should be your only focus. past the point of making positive connections, it's futile to worry about all the other things it takes because that's not your job as a writer.
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Agree, Lee.
One thing I’ve been saying about my current project is that this story needs to be told, and that’s my sincerest conviction.
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This newbie Ross Evans, with only two credits on iMDB just made a mill sale on his first ever movie script...so, dream is still alive, go get it...
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Kiril Maksimoski Cool. Was it here on Stage 32? Any idea of his process?
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If you find writing a screenplay hard, then something is amiss. Artists ultimately enjoy creating art, because the challenge is balanced by the motivation, typically resulting in fulfilment.
I see lots of screenwriters who want to do anything but write, yet this is somehow their life dream. I can't wrap my head around that. Any opportunity to write about something you're passionate about should be a blessing.
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Most of the screenwriters I encounter claim to have difficulty writing more than a few pages per day. Many can't even manage that much. Of those who do write anything, it's usually nowhere near close to being ready for even an ultra low budget student or indie production. When I read a genuinely good script it's almost always written by somebody who loves screenwriting and storytelling. Only rarely do I see a decent script from someone who just wants to be able to say they're in the movie business, or be a rich and famous Hollywood player.
If you're struggling to write, or finding it impossible to write well, maybe it's time to re-evaluate your reasons for trying to write screenplays.
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It was very difficult for me when I started writing screenplays - learning the formatting (Having come from the world of audio drama I had a lot to "unlearn"). When the formatting became second nature, I was able to enjoy the process and have fun. Once I get a story idea, it's off to the races!