Writing What You Love

So what’s hot? What’s making money out there in movieland? What should you be writing if you want to make your living as a screenwriter?

Or perhaps the more important question—why do we ask these kinds of questions?

Well, we ask them because we want to work in the business. And if you want to work in any business you look at what that business wants and try and groom yourself to fit in. Logical, right? Wait a minute, I’m sorry—do you know anything about this business? I mean, if you did, you wouldn’t use the world ‘logical’ when referring to this wonderful thing we call the movie business.

You need to face the fact that you’re in a business that is not normal. You can’t map out a five-year plan, follow it carefully, and become successful. If you want to be a lawyer you go to school, do some clerking work, pass the bar, and bam, you’re a lawyer. But being a writer is different. There is no tried-and-true career path. I don’t care how organized and motivated you are, this is something that is, to a large extent, out of your control.

I remember coming to L.A.—which all by itself was a huge step—thinking that I was smart, determined, and I’d figure out how this business worked and take all the steps necessary to succeed. At this point, btw, I hadn’t even SEEN a movie script. Clueless? You bet.

But I learned the lay of the land very fast and so can you. Because there is no lay of the land, there is no ‘thing’ you need to understand in order to master your career trajectory.

The only thing you have control over is what you write.

So. Well. OK. What are you supposed to do to make sure you at least write what people are looking for?

You can read articles from studio people and development executives talking about what they’re looking for, you can look at the trends in terms of what kinds of scripts are being bought, and you can then try and tailor your writing to their needs.

Logical, right?

Logical—but wrong. Why? Because the question itself is wrong.

You shouldn’t be asking what the studios and production companies WANT you to write, you should ask yourself what YOU want to write. Believe me, you can drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what the hottest new trend is and even if you DO figure it out, by the time you write your script the town could be on to a new trend.

I know the feeling of wanting so badly to break into this business, to write something someone will buy and make… but the way to do it is to start with your own vision, whatever that is. Trust yourself to write what you think you’ll have fun writing, what you feel you need to write—it’s the best chance you have of breaking in to this nutty business. I don’t care if you become the most successful screenwriter in the country, you’ll never get to the point of knowing if what you’re writing is what the studios are looking for. So do what you do best—write. Write from your heart.

Copyright © Diane Lake

16Apr17

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com