The Best Thing to Do as a Beginning Screenwriter
Break the isolation
Before I started as a screenwriter in Turkey, I worked as an advertising copywriter, trying to write my own stories on the side. Emphasis on “trying.” I had all these creative ideas, but when it came to putting them down on paper, I had trouble finishing anything.
I was an introvert, so you would think it would be easier for me to work in isolation. But that wasn’t the case.
Each story would start strong, but somewhere along the way, I’d lose steam, get stuck, or just give up. It felt like I was trapped in my own mind, full of doubt and indecision.
One day, a friend from advertising invited me to co-write a pilot for a Turkish TV series, and everything changed. Once we were hired to write the series, we included two other friends and officially started a writing team.
The Challenges of Writing Partnerships
Before we dive into why writing as a team can be so rewarding, let’s address the elephant in the room: collaboration isn’t always easy. In fact, it can be downright hard. First, you have to persuade others to join you. Why should they? I joined my friend because she had previous screenwriting experience, and we both knew each other from another creative industry where we worked well together.
However, creative differences and legal issues can arise depending on where you work. Who owns how much of the project? Many story elements, characters, storylines, and hundreds of little ideas intertwine to create a script. Sometimes, the brilliant idea is cutting something that seems essential and creating a surprising transition. So it’s impossible to quantify each person’s contribution to the work. The members should really trust and respect each other to make this work.
If your vision doesn’t align with theirs, the partnership can quickly turn into a disaster. I’ve seen it happen, and it’s not pretty. When things go wrong, it can feel like you’re part of a dysfunctional family where everyone thinks they’re the scapegoat.
Let’s be real: writers are humans, and where there are humans, there’s drama. Sensitive, creative souls tend to amplify that drama. Egos clash, ideas get rejected, and feelings get hurt.
There were times when working with my group felt like walking in a minefield. But even with all these challenges, I can honestly say that working with others was far better than being isolated and trapped in my own head. Why? Because of the accountability, instant feedback, and creative synergy that a partnership creates.
Collaboration Turns the Impossible Into the Possible
When we started our group to write a series for Turkish TV, something magical happened. We became a well-oiled machine, finishing episodes each week like clockwork. Over the years, we wrote hundreds of episodes together.
The pay was motivating, of course, but even when we worked without pay, our process made it possible to submit scripts regularly.
Turkish TV episodes are twice the size of a regular TV show. Each week, we’d submit at least a hundred pages as a group, after rewrites and cutting at least 20%. But the real work wasn’t just in the writing — it was in the planning, the brainstorming, and the constant refining of our ideas. This level of productivity was unthinkable for me before the group. The group gave me accountability. Knowing my friends were counting on me pushed me to deliver my best work on time.
The Benefits of Writing Partnerships
Accountability and Instant Feedback
When you’re part of a team, you can’t just decide to skip a writing session or push deadlines without affecting others. It’s like having a job, but with most of the freedom of a solo writer, minus the isolation. You have to show up, you have to contribute, and you have to deliver. This keeps you on track and makes sure you’re always moving forward.
And then there’s the instant feedback. Writing can be a lonely and uncertain process. You might spend hours developing an idea, only to realize later that it doesn’t resonate with anyone else. In a group, you get feedback at each turn, at the planning stage, before you put pen on paper, and after you share the first draft of a scene.
Support and Confidence
Writing is full of doubt, even for the most experienced writers. There will be times when you’re confident about your ideas, but there will also be times when you feel completely lost. On your own, getting past these points can take hours, days, or even weeks — time you might not have if you’re on a tight deadline. But in a group, your ideas are constantly being tested and refined. If you’re a good match with your partners, the process is smooth, and you all support each other through the rough patches.
It’s hard to judge your own work when you are in the middle of it. I remember countless times when I was sure that a scene I’d written was terrible, but my friends could see its strengths, and we improved it together. This kind of support is invaluable. It helps you see your work from different perspectives and gives you the confidence to keep going, even when you’re full of doubt.
And when you go into meetings with producers or TV channels, you know that your script is much stronger than what you could have done alone. You also have the support of your group, which makes you feel more confident in defending your work.
Creative Synergy
One of the most magical aspects of co-writing is the creative synergy that happens when you and your partners bring your best ideas to the table. I might write a scene with my best vision in mind, but when another writer takes a pass at it, they often elevate it beyond what I could have imagined. This back-and-forth creates something richer and more polished than what any of us could achieve alone.
I’ve always believed that screenwriting is a collaborative process, even when you’re working solo. But when you’re actually collaborating with other writers, that process is amplified. Each writer brings their unique perspective and strengths to the table, and when those strengths combine, the results can be truly extraordinary. There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing your idea evolve into something much bigger and better than what you originally envisioned.
My Most Productive Years
The years I spent with my writing group were the most productive of my career. We started as four writers, and after a year, we grew to five. Together, we wrote more than a dozen TV shows over twelve years. Even after I moved to a different country, I stayed in touch with them and missed working with them every day. There were times when our group worked like a dream and times when things fell apart, but the camaraderie and shared experience made it all worthwhile.
Writing partnerships aren’t for everyone. They require thick skin, a willingness to compromise, and the ability to handle the complexities of human relationships. But if you find the right partners, the rewards can be incredible. You’ll work faster, smarter, and more creatively than you ever could on your own. And most importantly, you’ll have a support system to help you through the challenges of being a screenwriter.
Co-writing has always been challenging, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Writing with a group meant I had time to recharge my creative batteries.
Solo writing was never an option for us in Turkey, given the sheer volume of work we had to produce every week. But in a group, we could share the load, and each of us had the space to read, watch, and experience things that would inspire our writing.
Find Your People
In filmmaking, collaboration is unavoidable. Writing, directing, acting; it’s all about working with others to bring a story to life. So if you’re just starting out as a screenwriter, I highly recommend finding a writing partner or group.
They might be your friends who are also interested in screenwriting or people you meet at a course or writing workshop with whom you share similar tastes or styles. Even if it seems risky at first, it might just be the best thing you ever do for your career.
So, find your people. Start a group. Collaborate. Because at the end of the day, writing might be a solitary act, but the best stories are told together.
