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So far, we've exploded Myth's 1-4 of Screenwriting: #1: You either got it or you don't; #2: You don't have to rewrite (if you nailed the first draft); #3: You're creating Art; and #4 You're creating crap. Now we move from the realm of beliefs you the writer have about your talent and writing habits, and move to the beliefs you will have about your scripts once they're out there in the cold, harsh world. Myth #5 of Screenwriting is...It Takes One Good Script.
This belief says that if you happen to crank out a well-crafted, commercial script that hits all the buttons, sells a concept, and all those other things we all shoot for, and that script gains interest, then it's in YOUR interest to hock that script (send it out, if it doesn't sell, rewrite it again and repeat the process until said script is a major motion picture.)
Now if you've been reading this column, you know that I'm a big fan of big-time rewriting, and not just once but as many times as it takes to get it right. So then why is the above a myth? It's a myth because even if your script does all the things we mentioned, and even if it gets you somewhere job-wise (hell, even if it DOES become a major motion picture) you still must realize that that one script is NEVER enough. You must continually crank out spec scripts, no matter where you are in your career. Why? Well, first, remember back to Myth 1 (You got it or you don't) where we learned that developing your talent requires constant writing of many scripts. But beyond that, odds are that for any PARTICULAR one good script, it WON'T sell, or get you work, or anything else. Even after you've done as much work on it as you can, it might just be one of those "close-calls." But this is the point where you have to move on. Nothing is sadder than watching a would-be writer who had a decent script, then spends the next few years taking around that same old screenplay, never writing anything new, as his talent and potential drift into the ether.
The only way to get success in this business is to be a machine, one who can crank out script-after-script. Because it's usually that whole body of work, rather than that one piece, that will eventually coalesce into a career. That means that your big sale might not come until the fifth, seventh, 10th, or even 20th try. But you can be assured, if you write that many scripts and constantly try to improve, somewhere along the way you will become a working writer. Remember, it's a numbers game, and the higher your numbers, the more chances you have to win.
Oh, and one more thing. Remember I said last week that, after telling you how NOT to think of your work (as either Art or Crap) that this week I would tell you how you SHOULD think of it. Here it is: Think of your work as a product, and of yourself as a business. By adopting what I call a Business Model, you separate yourself from the personal attachments you have to your work. You won't be guarding your precious words as if they're Art, nor will you be so easily willing to trash them as though they're Crap. Rather, you will be constantly trying to improve your product, market-test it, increase production, and accomplish it all in a rational, non-emotional way. When it comes to your writing, remember the legendary words of Michael Corleone: It's not personal, it's business. |
