How to become a good Screenwriter

Here are a few ways to become a good screenplay writer---number one on my list is to make sure you used the correct screenplay format. I was guilty of this mistake when I first got into committing my story ideas for film/video in the spec-script-form. I made it my mission to learn everything I could about the screenplay writing format after that, and in the long run, my efforts paid off. Since that time I have read television scrips, stage play scripts each one of those scrips is unique unto itself. By the time a spec script morphs into a shooting script, you end up looking at a list of instructions for everyone in the production crew to follow. Knowing the proper screenplay script format, in my opinion, is a very important first step to becoming a good screenplay writer.

Another good quality of a good screenwriter is being able to develop productive writing habits. If there is one thing good writer do well it is to write! Every day! Good writers don't suffer from "writer's block." If their mind is not in creative mode, there are proofs to be read and writing corrections to be made in other places, on other pages, Almost every writer I know has a different way of dealing with low created energy spells, but none of them ever tells me they have run into a writer's block. Part of being a good writer, I believe is to be able to develop the ability to simply sit down and write. I am not saying write well, or write correctly, I am simply saying write. I usually get so into my writing when I'm working on a story that I need to keep writing to find out what happens next.

Another good thing for a new screenwriter to do is to read successful screenplays in your spare time, like the ones in the paperback Three Screenplays, by Barry Levinson (ISBN0-87113-435-7) that features the complete screenplays for the movies Avalon, Tin Men, and Diner or the paperback version of the screenplay for the motion picture The English Patient (ISBN 0-7868-8245-X) two of my favorites. 

Good screenplay writers are not afraid of criticism so don't be afraid to accept constructive criticism of your writing. The way I chose to get feedback on my screenplay writing was to join a small screenwriters group made up of four members from the San Jose Writer's Club where I was a member, the group met once a month. Each month one of us would duplicate and share our screenplay with the other members who would, over the course of the month, read and mark up their copy of the screenplay with suggestions, or comments. 

Naturally, I wanted to hear only positive things about the screenplay I had labored so hard to produce over that past couple of months but that was not always the case. Still, I didn't get discouraged and when something was called to my attention that I had not considered I would find a way to add or subtract the suggestion in a way that I could feel good about. The experience did teach me to think more about my audience than I had before and to take nothing for granted when it came to the development of my characters. Constructive criticism of your writing and the ability to accept or reject that criticism in a positive way is the mark of a good writer. Whatever way you chose to get some feedback on your writing will be helpful.

It's the writer's job to describe the story in detail from the mood of the characters to the physical environment the character finds herself in, remember the shooting script laundry list I mentioned above the actors, makeup artist, and gaffers are all involved in your writing. Using other ideas, or your own the driving force behind your screenplay will be you and as a screenplay writer, the willingness to accept that responsibility can usually get you paid quite well. How much money can you expect to make if you perfect all of the necessary writing skills and get very lucky? Low budget films can usually net the screenwriter $55,000 to 60,000 dollars. A comic book scriptwriter can expect an average of from $100 to $300 dollars per page (sticking with the 120-page standard). And dealing with the high budget end of the screenwriting business scale you could get paid more than $100,000 for your screenplay writing work. Good luck and don't get discouraged, I'm rootin' for you.