Creative Screenwriting

DANNY MUNSO (Creative Screenwriting):

The best tool you can use is persistence. If you believe you’ve written a great script, then you will find it easy to do anything you can to get it into the hands of the right people.

It’s beyond cliché at this point, but sending out query letters to agencies really does work. We just did a piece in the magazine where these two guys peppered the town with their logline and only one person read it. That person is now their manager and brokered a million-dollar spec sale for them that will be directed by Jason Reitman and is going to star Jim Carrey.

If you’re going to send out letters, be smart about it and do your research. Look up each company’s credits and make sure their in step with your idea. Don’t send your family comedy to a company that exclusively deals in horror films. Get to know the industry as well. What are some of your favorite films or films that inspired you to write your script? Look up their producers and give that a try. There are a million ways to do it – you just have to want to put the work in. (NOTE: The Hollywood Creative Directory is a great place to find information about every production company in town.)

Another way is simply connections. It is who you know that matters – because everybody knows somebody and if you’re script is good, it will be passed around. This happens all the time and all it takes is one glowing recommendation to get the ball rolling.

The bottom line is, you need to get your script out there one-way or the other. If it’s good like you think it is, then it will be found. But they can’t find it if the only place its located is on your hard drive.

Get your work out there and have it read!

AMY DAWES (Editor, Creative Screenwriting):

Know what you have, know who is most likely to be looking for it, figure out how you can reach those people, and present your idea well.  And of course, be sure at the outset that your idea is written and protected.

JEFF GOLDSMITH (Senior Editor, Creative Screenwriting):

This is a common question with one true answer.

Of course the old school which still has weight was: Register your material with the WGA and then copyright it and then get it out to as many friends and friends of friends as you can because this town is always looking for new great material. The concept was that if the script is good someone, somewhere might have a friend who likes it and who can then help you bring your material to a new person who in turn might be able to help get it along its merry way.

This does still work, but nowadays with the Internet, people are able to connect a lot easier than the simple old school chaos-theory of simply throwing it out there. Sites like www.Triggerstreet.com are user-feedback venues where you can get other writers to evaluate your work, first and foremost, but if your work is up to par you might also catch the notice of an agent, manager or producer who looks at Triggerstreet or even might end up high-rated on the site, which again means people are reading and reacting to your work which is a good thing.

Screenwriting contests are also always good ways to bring attention to your work, as are fellowships. Both of these venues mean that someone else is reading and evaluating your work and if they react well to it - it will inevitably continue to end up in the hands of the right people. At Creative Screenwriting Magazine, we hold screenplay competitions year round - our big one ending at our Expo and have multiple awards and categories that can be entered. The honor of winning an award or even placing at any contest sends a strong message to those in search of material saying that yours is worth a read. There’s no guarantee that it’s going to get your script greenlit, but it certainly is the best way for someone who doesn’t have a track record to begin building one.

Best of luck and of course always keep on writing!