This weekend I was pondering the different ways you can break into the industry with writing samples, great loglines and a contest that is so unique it just might be what you need to get noticed. Here are my editor picks for products to help: 1. Learn how to obtain source material: Using Adaptations as the [...]

Question: “Can entering screenwriting contests really help my screenwriting career?” Beyond winning and losing, it depends on you. With the allocation of time required for reading guidelines, financial resources for entry fees, and research required to identify the best contests, writers can find themselves investing more time on entering contests than on writing. While the [...]

I recently signed my first NDA for a feature-length writing assignment. I did it without an agent (although I’ve had one), without living in L.A. (although I was born there), and without pinning a producer to the file cabinet with brass brads until s/he agreed to read one of my scripts (although I have almost [...]

Some time ago, Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt quit their jobs in corporate America and moved west.  They endured the many trials of aspiring screenwriters, among them, dwindling financial security and countless near-miss opportunities.  They also got married.  Last year, they sold their first spec script.  This Friday, that movie opens nationwide. The film is [...]

QUESTION of the day: Which screenwriting contests do you think are best and why? Chime in on our Facebook page now! Speaking of contests, the deadline is fast approaching for a contest with a twist… getting your script published as a novel! Check out the Screenplay Replay Contest – deadline September 30th.

When I work with writers giving feedback and guidance on their material and career paths, I often end up giving advice about how to gain access to agents, managers, and producers – which seems to most writers to be the biggest challenge of this business. The common conception is that “who you know” is ultimately [...]

This week’s Balls of Steel is coming at you early simply because its time-sensitive contents include an opportunity I truly believe you should take advantage of. Many of my network have asked me how to find a mentor after reading last week’s Balls of Steel: How Far Will You Go? I found my mentors by [...]