Read on Twitter
How do I know if I have what it takes to be a screenwriter? A thread.
The most unexpected thing about being a screenwriter is how many different skills you must have to succeed. 1/
The most unexpected thing about being a screenwriter is how many different skills you must have to succeed. 1/
While a portion of the process involves you sitting alone in a room, unlike a book, which is a finished product on its own, a script is just the beginning of a long, arduous and extremely costly process, that if successful will yield a film. 2/
(And this is yada yada-ing all of the skills you must have to conceive of, write and complete that script). So now you’ve got an amazing script. You must have the ingenuity and tenacity to get it in the right hands. You must have the patience to not go insane as it is read. 3/
You must have the confidence to not quit when you inevitably fail over and over. Once you’ve done everything right and you sell it, now you must be collaborative and cooperative. You must be charming and confident but not “difficult.” You must be a great listener. And talker. 4/
You must be good in a room, not just on the page. And you gotta be strategic and have good instincts. The biggest mistake you can make is to work with the wrong people. And did I mention patience because there is so. Much. Waiting. 5/
I’m getting tired just listing all these skills but there’s one more. You need to fucking love it. Because at every stage you will be knocked down. You can be making more money than you’ve ever dreamed of and still not have ever had a produced credit. 6/
You can be at a cocktail party, and just by virtue of the fact that your a working screenwriter you’re statistically the most successful person there (unless you’re at a party with nfl players or whatever) and people will say “what have I seen?” and then turn their backs. 7/
And here is the answer to the question. To make it as a professional screenwriter you need to know that it is a nearly impossible and often maddening path and do it anyway, because you have no other choice. EOT/
