How I started as a Screenwriter or this last year in a bucket!

July 2010 - Having a cup of tea with my friend Eric, we got onto the subject of writing. We both loved to write, so we often share snippets we are working on. I casually mentioned to him, I had part of a screenplay I had started working on 5 years before, but had never got round to finishing. He said, "read me some," so I did. As he roared with the laughter, I wondered if maybe, it had some potential. "You should finish it," he said. I thought, why not? And even though I had never written a screenplay before, I bought some screenwriting software and did just that, finished it... Or so I thought. It was 130 pages of what I thought was sheer brilliance. Now what? I thought. I shared with friends they all seemed to enjoy it. I sent it off for professional proof-reading, grammar (as you have probably noticed is not my strong suit) but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Them I decided to sent it off to a big screenwriting competition. Why not? Then I heard of a person coming to my hometown to talk about Pitchfest a sort of  "speed dating' for screenwriters. Except your "dates" are a long line of TV and movie producers (or their assistants and interns at least..)   Two weeks later I was packed and on my way to Hollywood and my first professional experience as a completely green Screenwriter....    (next blog I will tell you what happened)

My Life as a Screenwriter.

So, I have decided to write this blog, more as a visual record as my life as a screenwriter, as I don't think anyone else will be interested in my life. It's just an online place to write my thoughts, keep account of my experiences in screenwriting, map my success and generally chart my course. Something I can look back and see where I have come from or where I am going. But if you stumble on this by accident Welcome...

We always think that everyone else has a more glamorous life than our own don't we? I,'m a screenwriter. It always surprises me how peoples eyes light up when I tell them that. Always followed quickly by a comment such as "have you seen anything I your?" Then, "have you got a part for me in your next movie?" Both comments always make me smile. Firstly, a director normally likes to choose his own cast, and secondly, if your looking for the most invisible way to have a writing career, screenwriting is for you. I mean, I even I walk off to get a cup of tea when they announce the winning screenwriter at the Academy Awards. And is my imagination or do screenwriters get the shortest amount of time for their thank yous?
This, I think is because on the whole screenwriters are not part of the glamorous pack in Hollywood. They're normally packing a few pounds into a badly fitted suit, and their teeth aren't quite as white and straight as everyone elses. But that OK because screenwriters are typically in the business of telling stories, that what is our passion, creating stories that are clever, witty, breathtakingly beautiful or striking. So the reality is the majority of our life is spent underground talking, arguing and relating to a bunch of make believe characters that fill our days and night. There just isn't much time to get our teeth straightened.
So here's some advice next time you meet a screenwriter, ask them about characters, their plots, their new log line. It will make them happy.