Screenwriting : How do you stay motivated and confident when it comes to your writing? by Jeremy Hunter

Sent you a PM.

I think you need to teach motivation. Six features, twenty shorts and ten RV pilots in one year? You are the king of motivation. I am impressed. How do you motivate yourself to write so much?

I work on 2 projects at a time but all that in one year? D Marcus is right! You should teach motivational classes!

It's a lot of material. Be interesting to see the quality of the material.

Have you tested any of the scripts on a coverage service or developed them with their help to see how they rate them? If your scripts are getting Consider/Recommend ratings with coverage then indeed it is most awesome to get that much material done. I use www.script-fix.com to develop mine and find out where my plot holes or character/structure inconsistencies are. Writing in a vaccuum without the objective feedback from others is a tough way to stay motivated and I always found it hard to learn much from each script that way, a lot of the time it's the fear of criticism we writers hold our work close to the chest but as long as it's constructive and intended to make the work better I think it's worth it :) Good luck with the agents and producer approaches! I think the biggest test of writing being good enough is getting some of it produced and up on screen so if you can get some of the shorts done that will help!

Happy to read something and give constructive feedback.

are you in LA? I moved here a year ago and its made all the difference. I struggle with confidence as well, but i find people who are likeminded (this is diff from yes men) and who will read my stuff and wont hodl back, if they dont like something they'll tell me. you want to get good notes you want to improve your material and yourself as a writer how your perceiving writing. I would try to find writers groups, other writers, start PA/Crewing on film sets (any film set, it can be big budget, indie, student films) and you will meet some cool film people and there you can start amking connections. try interning at film companies--some people who work there will offer to read your stuff, sometimes its even the boss and that is really cool. thats what im going through. it can be scary. but thats how you grow. i also recommend film school? you may feel like your past that but i would still recommend checking them out. im in film school now for screenwriting at LMU, and its been wonderful. i can see a huge difference from when i started. both in terms of quality of writing and the confidence/staying motivated aspect of it. hope those ideas help.

wow! talk about prolific. If you've written so much in so little time perhaps some of the scripts will not be very good but the only way you will ever know this is by letting someone read them and someone who has some experience and knowledge to give you honest feedback. Ive only got 1 complete feature and 4 shorts to my name so far but Im constantly contacting production companies to see if they'll accept unsolicited scripts and also getting them out into the a screenwriting forum. You have enough material that you could be contacting agencies to gain representation and then they can do some of the work for you in terms of getting your scripts noticed. Good luck.

Jeremy, take the time to find ways to interact with others of like minds. There are some good free things on the internet that will help in keeping up your motivation and give you ideas to find people to read your scripts and keep you in the loop. Take a look at onthepage.net their podcasts are free, one done almost everyday, and the archives are very informative. good luck

Wake early and write. Stay in the hunt for stories. Go into book stores and look at titles and try to figure out what the story in that book is. Or combine words in titles and create your own titles and write a story. Just write. Your most create mood is after you have slept or just after waking up. Do not have only one project. As you are creating one, also create or be in the process of creating another. I have some seventy-five feature length scripts. I am writing two now. I have another four to be written. Write during your lunch hour, on the train, wherever you are. Carry index cards and write on those. It is important to keep your mind stimulated. In that way, you will always have something to write. Everette

You will need to grow a thicker skin if you want to write movies. You write, you send your stuff out, you deal with the rejections and the "helpful" comments one day at a time. Film making is a collaborative craft. If you don't like other people's input, change to writing novels.

If you "lack motivation and confidence" - my best advice is to get out now. Don't waste your time. Find something else you want to do for a living. Sorry if this seems harsh - but the business will eat you alive - even if you're very good at what you do. They don't care. There's new blood getting off the bus every day - graduating from prestigious film schools - NOT lacking in confidence or motivation. You need them - they don't need you. If there's anything else you are equally interested in pursuing (not more - but just as much) - do that. From the question you pose - you are not cut out to be a writer. Not for the movies. All you have at the beginning is what you say you lack - confidence in yourself, self-motivation, a desire to prove yourself and be the cream that rises to the top and succeeds - no matter how many naysayers get in your way or how many doors are slammed in your face or how many passes you get on your work. If you don't even possess that as a foundation - do a 180 and take a fast hike.

Try to acquire the rights to some novel and adapt it. That is the thing for which Hollywood is looking. Do not simply work on original materials.

Disagree with Mr. Nicolls 100%. Originality is exactly what Hollywood is looking for - especially on your first foray. They say there are only 7 plotlines - but it's what you do with it. It is imperative that you make a splash with something different - original to YOU (not necessarily autobiographical, but something that makes your writing stand out from the crowd). As for optioning the rights to some novel - forget it. Unless it's something old and in the public domain that you can put a new spin on (Shakespeare, Dickens) - you have no chance to acquire the rights to any novel which is recent, much less popular. You can't afford it. And it will be on Hollywood's radar long before you ever hear about it - they will grab the rights when the book is still in galley's - far before it's publication date.- or its entrance onto the public psyche or the bestseller lists. Screenwriters get hired to adapt books - and only if you're an A lister, not a novice. they don't but the rights and offer them to the studios. I stick with my original suggestion above - until you "acquire" some confidence and motivation - don't waste any more timing writing. Not unless you have a book inside of you screaming to get out. And getting published is no walk in the park either.

do u have any thing for Indian TELEVISION

I'm going to Film School in January and I live in a little town in Saskatchewan, it's been a productive year but when I go over my scripts I find very small things, imperfections that stop me from showing them to anyone because when someone reads my scripts I don't want them to say it's good, I want them to say it's the best damn script they've ever read or ever will read. This is what fuels me, that feeling of knowing I couldn't have done any better and until I feel that with every single word on page, every emotion expressed, and every character on page I will continue to sit on my stories. And Michael, thanks for the feedback, really, but telling me to stop writing when it costs nothing and is the only thing besides my girlfriend that brings a smile to this beautiful face, that's like telling a male dog to quit sniffing bitch asses, it's just not gonna happen but thanks. To the rest of you I appreciate the great advice, it has given me the confidence to start and finish a script I will make immaculate and will show to anyone interested in reading it.

Jeremy - There's no such thing as a "perfect script" and you are in danger of over thinking it. Whilst you have written a lot, I suspect that you are finding "imperfections", because you have most likely rushed your work. Quantity is nothing without quality. Even film studio's give you 90 days for your first draft. Put aside your fear of criticism and let other writers read your work. Build up a network of trusted readers, we all have them and it will only help your work get better.

Okay, Marvin, thanks for the advice, I guess it's time to put my writing to the test and trust it in the hands of others.

@floyd - At this stage, I think Jeremy would benefit from peer coverage, because "Professional Coverage" is very subjective. A lot of them use film school graduates with no real experience in the actual film world. Example: One of my scripts was optioned after great coverage, but never made. Another company then wanted to option it and sent it for coverage... The reader brutally ripped it apart so badly, I was actually laughing out loud at his "notes". Based on this, the company passed (without actually reading it). It was obvious that he had no skill in the art of subtext, theme, tone, character, story... anything actually. I checked out his credentials and he was a film grad with a string of awful shorts under his belt. A week later, the script got great coverage and was optioned by another ProdCo. Go figure.

Jeremy, if you want to share, PM me and send the first ten pages of your most recent thing and I'll give you constructive feedback.

"Your work is your life, your life is your work...breathe it with every breath". It has to be you in control of your motivation. Find those key triggers that push you on.

Agree with Marvin. Jeremy - "perfection" does not exist. Period. All in the eye of the beholder/reader. And as the expression goes - everyone has one of each - one asshole and an opinion. One per customer. I have writing friends (professionals with sales) who spend months (and longer) fine tuning their scripts. They get hung up on an early scene and rewrite it ad nauseum without ever getting to "fade Out". So they never finish and they never get it into the marketplace and they never make a sale or get constructive criticism from someone with a checkbook. It's a fool's errand. At some point - you have to trust your instincts and know that if you give the screenplay to 50 people you will get 50 DIFFERENT opinions on what works and doesn't and what's funny and isn't and so forth. It is a colossal waste of your time to wait until YOU think that you've written the "best damned script ever written" - because your opinion - once the work is in the marketplace - means zip. Look - I've been doing this for decades. Made a good living at it. WGA member. Had movies and TV shows made. Marvin makes another good point about readers and coverage - the only point I'd make is that readers are unionized - and many studios use union readers to cover script submissions. They're not all film school grads still wet behind the ears. that being said - as before - one reader = one opinion. I had a huge spec sale many years ago - the money was already in the bank - so I could laugh about it when my agent used the spec as a writing sample for a prospective writing job - and the reader said the script was mediocre and there was nothing original about it - "pass on script (which was not available anyway since a major studio had bought it outright), pass on writer". I have another script - maybe the best I've ever written in my career - which over the years has consistently garnered rave coverage - bouquets of praise - saying it would attract A list actors and directors and win awards AND be big at the box office - and other than one option - it has never been made. Never even gotten close. It's a crapshoot. What you have going for you as the writer of original material (and someone not even in the marketplace yet as you're starting film school in 3 months) - is no one has you on their radar. You are free to tell the story you want to tell in the way you want to tell it. In short - you are God. Once the words are on paper - and if you are lucky enough to have some money come your way - it is no longer yours. They pay the money - they call the shots - and you may not even be the one to make the changes. You accept payment (even an option) and you lose control. You have it now - but don't be so controlling that your "baby" never sees the light of day. As for getting it read - whatever your friends or family or your girlfriend (congrats on her BTW) say does not matter one iota. Nor in the long run does a reader (unless they got the script from a production entity). The only opinion that matters is that of a company that can buy your work if THEY like it - and to get it into those hands - you need an agent. An agent's read is a stronger barometer for you than any of the above. You can't get your work to a legit buyer unless ity goes through an agent - so THAT should be your priority. Sorry to be so long winded - and glad that my earlier post did not discourage you - because if it had - than you're not cut out for the rocky road ahead. Good luck.

Thanks Michael, I can see that you're a man of wisdom when it comes to this business. I have to start doing more when it comes to getting the work I have into the hands that matter and need to quit being so stubborn when it comes to the decisions I make regarding my writing. I have a handful of scripts that have been worked and reworked more times then I can remember, it's time to quit sitting on them and start taking some chances otherwise I won't make it anywhere in this business.

@Micheal - Apologies, I wasn't talking about studio coverage, I was referring to independents. I should have made that clear.

Confidence comes with experience, the only way to get it is to go for it.

Feed yourself some fantasies of your future success - stepping in on a red carpet, etc. Pleasant thoughts release dopamine, dopamine is the molecule of motivation.

I once heard that 'competence leads to confidence'. I keep writing, read pro scripts, books on writing, contrast and compare, and when I see that my stuff is really not all that different from good and published materials, I realize it's more a matter of time, presentation, and determination rather than being some dearth of skill or talent.

Very well said Shane. 'Competence gained leads to confidence'. It is always just a matter of time before we really see ourselves and our strengths. Rick Jey

Wow, I'm so impressed with this site. I have been browsing through discussions and finding pearls of wisdom everywhere I go - this is really empowering!

I agree Irina. Best to you!

"Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration." If you're serious about pursuing screenwriting versus just a hobby, you gotta get your scripts out there. And be prepared to have your script ripped apart. Because it will happen. So grow a thick skin, take the good, constructive feedback (and I don't mean the pat on the head), discard the others, and use that to make yourself a better writer.

Yes, that's how you know that you love writing - if you still want to do it, even after people tear your writing apart and stomp all over it.

If writing is a compulsion. You won't be able to stop yourself.

It's not that I'm afraid of getting my screenplay torn apart by a reader, it's more laziness on my part. I finish a script and think nothing of it and then I finish another and another and before I know it I have this massive pile up of screenplays I don't know what to do with no idea of where to begin when it comes to sending them out. I didn't even mention the unfinished screenplays, there's fifty that I started, some as much as half done that at one part I put a lot of work into only to push to the backburner and concentrate on something else when there was nothing wrong with the story I was working on. I'm taking all your advice right now though, I just edited a script I finished during a weekend in June and am getting it registered before I start sending it to as many people as I can to read. If there's anybody on here interested in reading it please send me a PM, it will help me out substantially.

Jeremy, sorry, I read your full post now and see that you do write multiple drafts, which is good. I think that's a typical screenwriter mentality in you speaking. As writers, we are inherently prone to these kind of fatalistic and self deprecative thinking. Start thinking like a producer. Screenwriter part of you will still think "My work is not good enough, nobody will care" the producer part of you should go "I don't give a f*** what anyone thinks, I'm going to take this script and make a lot of money with it". I know it sounds crazy, but being a screenwriter is 50% writing and 50% marketing, so you should know that you work doesn't stop after you have finished writing. Yes, the odds are slim but if you don't even try, then they are virtually nonexistent and don't you think you owe it to that six year old kid in you to at least give it a shot?

one more thing - are you familiar with TriggerStreet community or Zoetrope? These are peer review websites where you can get free feedback from other screenwriters.

Jeremy, if you are in New York you can go the library in Lincoln Center and ask for the HOLLYWOOD CREATIVE DIRECTORY. In that is a list of all the Hollywood directors, actors, producers, their companies and the films that they have made. (You can also purchase the directory online). Have a look at the companies that have produced scripts that are similar to yours and then write them a query letter. It is more than likely that you will be rejected but do it. They will eventually get to know your name. Then, you never know. You have to also join writers groups. Every once in awhile a writer there will get something sold and that will garner the writer an agent. If you know such a person, that person can then, help you to submit your material.

Irina: You must complete as many drafts as it takes to get the story right. If you are writing with an eye on Hollywood, you must have and understand the three act structure. On top of that, your first ten pages must be perfect. They must be perfect because nobody in Hollywood really reads all of those scripts. They read at most twenty pages. So, if your story takes off in the middle, they may never know. If you nail the opening, good characters, brilliant set up, excellent writing, suspenseful pacing etc. Others will have a look. If you do not believe this, just ask any story consultant. Find the type of stories that you are good at telling. Are you good at love stories? What about tales about maturation? (Growing up.) Drama? Comedy? Whatever focus on that. A mistake most emerging writers make is they see what they believe is a trend in Hollywood and they jump on that band wagon. By the time their script is completed, Hollywood has moved on to the next big thing.

Thanks for the great advice, Everette, I'll be sure to do what you suggest in order to land an agent. Right now I'm going over all my feature scripts and doing what is needed to get them ready to send out. I finished one yesterday which was already where it needed to be and started on another last night. Instead of sitting on my scripts I'm going to go over them again, do a rewrite if necessary and put in a folder of scripts that are ready to send out. I already have a large body of work, it's time to concentrate on the scripts I've written and not the scripts I want to write -- at least right now until I land an agent or at least give it a try.

I think it was John August that said not to even take your script out to market until your drafts hit double figures. Writing is rewriting (damn I hate rewriting, but it does get better every time you do iterations based on testing waters with objective feedback/input from others).

This gets pretty subjective at some point. I just saw John's adaptation of his movie "Big Fish" on Broadway - so I know who he is - not sure if Chaz's remarks were his or not. Doesn't matter. I have another friend - a pro - with half a dozen film credits as well as a number of TV series where he worked as a writer, producer and show runner - and even in a situation where the rewrites are ordered and paid for - his opinion is that after three rewrites - the script is no longer necessarily getting "better", it's just "getting different" - which is to say - it may begin to go into circles - without visible improvement and simply become an entity which is being revised over and over at the behest of the "suits" looking to mark their territory. As I said - just one opinion. I've done rewrites - some extensive and some minor - some of which DID improve on what went before - and some merely to assuage the whims of the "guys paying the checks". At some point you need to know in your heart whether the script is getting better - or worse - and when to walk away. Or in the case of your own original spec - when to quit spinning your wheels - and overwriting - and going into stall mode - and to get it out into the marketplace for other's opinions because in point of fact, you have lost your objectivity - and the newness - and you are no longer the prime barometer by which to judge your own work. You need fresh eyes on it.

On Everett's comment above - they DO read past 20 pages - they read the entire script - they have to to do proper coverage on something. Where he is absolutely correct is what he said about those first 10 pages. They must be solid and a grabber. Readers, studio execs etc. take stacks of scripts home for weekend reads. If you don't have their attention by the end of the first ten pages - your script goes into the reject pile. They have neither the time nor inclination to read further with so many other scripts waiting. So it behooves you to really deliver at the start - otherwise - you don't have to worry about a strong middle and end - the reader will never get that far.

Jeremy; 6 features; 20 shorts and 10 pilots is a lot in a year. Take your best; lowest budget, feature screenplay and edit it for a month or two. Meantime; keep an eye on Mandy.com and read the 'Worldwide' category, script calls.

That would be pretty normal Michael, when reading a few pages of a book that does not garner your interest.... you stop reading. Only if it is a page turner do you venture forth...

Michael, on what you said I finished a feature screenplay in June in two days, there were only a handful of spelling mistakes and to me the dialogue felt genuine to the character's, setting and time. Since then I've gone through the script over ten times, fixing up grammar only to switch it back to the way it was before and so on and so forth. I haven't done much in changing the story, dialogue or much of anything and reading it over it sounds as good as it's probably gonna get. I'm done editing it now and I'm proud of the draft I now have which I probably could have sent out four months ago. I guess because this is a business where only the best of the best have there scripts made or bought it discourages and doubts people like me who probably have something good enough in the first place. I've learned a lot just from this discussion and I'm gracious to everyone who gave me advice which in turn has helped build my confidence about my writing and screenplays. It's now up to me to do what is needed to get my edited script's into the right hands and thanks to all of you I have the knowledge to make that happen. Thank you.

I have to agree that the script may not get any better after a while. But the longer I work on the script, the easier and more enjoyable it becomes. In other words, if I am willing to rewrite something a dozen timees, then I know it's true love :)

To Michael: I'm talking about rewriting that comes on my own accord, and not the forced rewriting of development hell. I'm pretty sure the development re-writing only makes the script worse. That's why a spec has to be brilliant to start with - in order to remain more or less decent when everyone is done trying to change it.

Irina, I can tell that you do love your work. Hopefully Jeremy learns a lot from all the professional viewpoints and tips posted here. It is a great venue.

Agree with Irina, and yes I've also rewritten scripts to the point where I don't know if I am making it better anymore...but that all comes down to the writer's own experience and taste and to know/respond to the instinct and little voice that tells them that is wrong. (Not the lazy me voice that says it'll do, it's the best it'll ever be). I was that guy, I lied to myself that way for a long time without showing the script to people and I was always wrong. Take from that what you will ;)

Irina and Chazz - "what's love got to do with it?" It's a business. You need to love what you're doing - but you can't afford to fall in love with your own words. Big mistake. Because all you do by constant rewriting is to A). avoid the inevitable - which is to get your work into the marketplace where someone will most assuredly not have the unconditional love for your work that you do and B). make that realization more difficult and get your feelings hurt to a greater degree when a potential buyer doesn't share your level of enthusiasm. I used to think that when i was done - my words should be chiseled into stone. I'm a much better editor now because I don't fall in love with my words and I know when I've overwritten something or when a scene is terrific but doesn't move the plot or tell me anything new about a character and doesn't belong in the script. It's just taking up space. I know the expression "writing is rewriting". I've spebt months rewriting something on weekends. I've also written a first draft from scratch in less than 3 weeks. Both sold or were optioned. So there's no formula other than getting out of your own way at some point.

Jeremy - I hate to keep harping on this - but if your last posting above is an example of you fine tuning your "grammar" and spelling - than you have a train wreck on your hands. A reader is looking for a great story - as well as proper script formating and spelling mistakes. If you haven't even taken the time to correct your spelling/typos - or they think you can't spell - you're dead in the water. Just using your post: "on what you said" is not proper grammar. "Felt genuine to the character's" would not have an apostrophe in it. You're talking about the plural of characters, not a possessive. "the best of the best have THEIR scripts...", not THERE scripts. "...doubts people like me..."? Improper grammatically. You're grateful to everyone, not gracious. "get my edited script's..." - here you do NOT want an apostrophe. It's simply "scripts". I'd suggest someone going through your work to point out all the grammatical and spelling errors you made that slipped past you before giving it to a potential buyer. You get one chance to make an impression. These guys are looking for an excuse NOT to buy your work - if you give them only one - the party's over.

Irina - development hell is an expression for a project that goes through the development wringer without ever being made. The upside - is that if your script is "in development" and you're rewriting it ad nauseum - you're also getting paid to do so. At least I would hope so - otherwise, fire your agent. Sometimes - script notes come down from studio people who can't even read and are merely trying to justify their jobs - and that is indeed - hell. Other times - you are rewriting for a particular actor or director - and that is (hopefully) moving the script closer to a green light and getting made. It can indeed get worse, or merely different, and in some cases - actually better. Not all "brilliant" scripts are made, some aren't even optioned. And the better they are at the start is no guarantee of how good they are at the finish. I sold a script once - far from brilliant to begin with - but a clever idea. It was produced. A thriller/murder mystery. The VICTIM in my original - who dies in the first 20 pages - turned out to be the KILLER in the finished film - following rewrites. Not done by me.

Michael. I'm never in love with my words. What words? The words don't sell scripts. Perfect writing might help one do well in Nicholl's and make their script look really professional but in the end what sells a script is character and story. And yes, some lucky people may get both perfect on the very first try but for those of us who are not geniuses, the chances of getting it right are definitely proportional to the number of attempts. Also, I think we are talking about two different things: writing for money, which is a job vs writing purely on a spec basis. I can totally see that if someone wants to pay me to write what THEY want me to write, I'd want to take the money and get away with the minimum of drafts needed, as long as they are happy. If nobody is paying me to write what I WANT to write, then I have to keep on trying to make the damn thing so pitch perfect that someone won't be able to resist it after all. To me screenplays are like wine - they need time to brew.

Irina - not arguing with your response or logic. Maybe we're mired in semantics here. But just out of curiosity - how exactly do you write character or story without using words?

Michael, all I am saying that writers put way more stock in importance of their words than their readers. If you could ever read a screenplay with a non-screenwriter's brain (which you never will) you would notice that most lay people do not pay attention to beauty of writing, they are just trying to get the story out. The biggest proof to that is that 50 Shades of Gray has been officially the best selling book of all time. I was about to puke after the first ten pages of reading it - the writing was that awful. I could never see myself reading the full story because it really bothered me. But obviously it doesn't bother a hundred million raving fans. So ultimately, a story with a strong mass appeal will find success l as long as the writing is a little above average, while the vast majority of the flawlessly executed, polished to perfection Nicholl winning scripts will never go on to become films. This is why I do not sweat too much the words used to transcribe the story. I chose to focus on the big picture. And certainly the grammar is the least of my concern (since you were picking on Jeremy about it) - all of that can be easily corrected by an affordable editor/proofreader. Lots of people can spell. Many can write really well. But only very few can come up with an engaging, original story.

Irina - again - semantics. We have little argument here. I understand the "beauty of writing" - being a wordsmith is a rare talent. But that comes into play with a novel - and I agree that there are a lot of "best sellers" out there that are not particularly well written but appeal to the masses. Where we seem to be at cross purposes here is specifically on the writing and content of a SCREENPLAY - where style can be employed (if you've ever read any of Shane Black's work - the guy is a master at using the script format, but adding his own inimitable style to make the READ fun for the reader) - but the essence of a screenplay - ANY screenplay - is to act as a blueprint for a movie. It is NOT a novel - and there is little room for superfluous (albeit beautiful) writing when you're trying to come in at a tight 110 pages. A screenplay is written to be SEEN, not necessarily to be read - which is why it takes a certain mind set and foresight and insight from any reader of a script to SEE it for what it's meant to be. Visuals sometimes count for more than dialogue. If all you want to write is scintillating dialogue - write a stage play. That's all I'm saying. And I'm sorry if my post about spelling and grammar came off as "picking on Jeremy". My point there was that if he wants a reader to get past his first 10 pages - and not adjourn the rest to the reject pile - EVERYTHING must work - not only the characters and plot and pacing - but the format and the spelling and the grammar as well. Any excuse to stop reading - any excuse to deem the work less than "professional" - and it will be scrapped. He can write the best 3rd act ever commited to paper - but if page one is full of typos or bad grammar - the reader will never know that. As for only a "...very few can come up with an engaging, original story" - on THAT we are in 100% agreement.

Hi Michael; Irna; All - The 'non-screenwriter brain' (Thanks; I love that expression), can also be blind to the beauty of arcs; plants and all the other pieces of devilish detail. A screenplay is like a 'Circuit Board' with all of its components connected in a beautiful working array of story telling. When somebody takes a mallet to it - it can be disappointing. I have some re-writes at the moment which are a joy and am thankful for that. 'For tis not always so'.

I read PTA's script to The Master which had more spelling errors then any script I have read before or since which didn't stop it from becoming a great movie and character study. I get the point Michael is making, it's better to show your best work the first time then to show something that's going to get thrown out and rejected by agents only a couple pages in. On this site I sometimes forget that this isn't Facebook, I can't say I have perfect grammar and spelling in my screenplays without showing that in every comment. I do take pride in my writing though and do all I can to make sure my scripts are free of spelling and grammar errors but I do think it's important to have more then just an error free screenplay. The screenplay needs an engaging story, memorable characters and dialog that gets stuck in your head and then comes the grammar and spelling errors.

@Michael - we were actually saying the same thing and I believe the love that Irina was talking about was passion for a project, story and characters that provides the willingness to keep rewriting the script - not a self-indulgent love of one's own words on the page. At least, that was how I understood it. @Jeremy - that's true of the importance of story and characters, but if that script of PTA's was his first screenplay and he wasn't Paul Thomas Anderson already, the producer or executive reading it would probably stop at the first spelling error, many are literally waiting for a reason to say no and move onto the next script on the pile taking up their weekend. For directors, we are more a bit more forgiving and will read on past errors. Make it fool proof, get the coverage, ensure you really do have a page turner that has been proofread by you and others and then go and get it out there.

@Chaz - I understand, Paul Thomas Anderson, being who he is would get away with a few spelling errors, to be honest I think he's a better director then he is a writer but the point I was trying to make was that even the best make errors but I guess it helps being the best before writing a sloppy screenplay, something I would never do in the first place.

Jeremy - one last time because I feel talked out on this subject and I'm starting to go in circles here (a la William Goldman's well known verse about Hollywood being a gooney bird flying in ever shrinking concentric circles until it is swallowed up by it's own asshole). I like some of Paul Thomas Anderson's work. Not all. Hated The Master, and it bombed at the box office. Point is - it was NOT his first work - so he gets more of a pass from studios or readers than you would. Also - not sure if what you read was a copy of his actual work or someone's knockoff copy of it. Doesn't matter. My initial point is what counts. Your script being read is NOT in the same category as his. Or any other established writer. I agree with you - and have said so already - that an engaging ORIGINAL story, memorable characters and whip smart dialogue is essential. But you cannot separate out the spelling and grammar as an afterthought. For you - as a novice, first timer trying to make a splash and break in based on your srcipt - it is ALL OF A PIECE. And as Chaz has written above - in agreement with the point I have been trying to hammer home here - a reader with a stack of scripts is literally looking for the first opportunity to PASS on a writing sample and go on to the next one. And if you give them that opening - a grammatical error on page one - or a plethora of spelling/typo mistakes in the first few pages - it will be interpreted as a lack of professionalism - and no matter how good the rest may be going forward to Fade Out - they will never get that far. You are toast. No - this is not Facebook. Stage 32 is a tool. More novices here looking for advice than pros giving it - but when you ask - and are steered toward your goal by helping hands - listen. I've been doing this a long time. Written about a dozen spec originals - two were made and almost 80% were optioned and I made money on them - which is a pretty good track record. I've been hired to write a bunch more on assignment. I'm not a genius. I don't know everything. But I do know some of the trails through the jungle that is Hollywood. The path is never easy - but if you're determined to walk it - go in with your eyes wide open and beware the pifalls - especially when someone tries to help and map them out for you.

Yep, agree with everything Michael said. I'm no genius either, but I did spend a year handling all the coverage comings and goings at Miramax and that was one hell of an eye opener - just the material coming from repped leading writers got slaughtered most of the time! Those readers are brutal, don't give them any reason to say no because they also want to keep getting hired and not have an executive pissed off at them for writing "consider" on a script that then became a box office tank - it's just easier to pass on most things unless they are mind-blowingly amazingly brilliant. Just keep that in mind, there are a lot of gatekeepers to get past to even reach an exec or producer bothering to pick the script up (they'll tell you they will read it, but 90% will send it out for coverage and send a generic pass/rejection letter - with a few lines of feedback their assistant pulled out of the coverage report if you're lucky). That's most likely why myself and some others have encouraged you to make it 110% coverage/reader proof as much as you can before approaching execs/producers - be sure it's as good as it can be based on multiple objective opinions and tests, not a blind "I wrote it, of course it's great" mentality. We all think that starting out, but I believe "professional writer" status comes when we have the self-awareness to know it's never really finished, it's only as good as it can be - right now. Same goes for a finished film - you always would do things differently a week later, but that's art...you do the best you can with the resources/skills etc available to you and strive for excellence - that's really what that film is, a captured version of your team's collective capability at the time so I guess a script would be the same. Hope these ramblings from us have helped, they are candid but intended to help avoid the pitfalls and bumps in the road that many of us know all too well from seeing others do it or doing it ourselves :)