To Learn How to be a Screenwriter, You Need to Learn How to Fail
A lot of writers start out and have this Meghan Markle idea screenwriting. You write something, a “prince” discovers you, and you live happily ever after. And we buy into it because we recognize how hard writing is and we expect that all that hard work should pay off immediately. We want the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—the agents, the big studio deals, the announcements in the trades, and the giant stars fighting over our script!
But then the truth sets in…
We fail. We get rejected. We lose contests. We get bad reviews. We get turned down by agents. We get a low score on the Blacklist. Whatever it is, our Cinderella story doesn’t take shape like we expected.
But the truth is that even professional, working writers face failures every day— getting replaced, rewritten, fired, writing a spec that doesn’t sell, not finding financing for a film that gets picked up, or even if you DO make a film, it gets bad reviews or doesn’t turn out like we hoped because of any infinite number of things that can go wrong on a film.
“We should talk about our failures more than we do because it is a huge part of our lives. For many writers, probably most writers, the majority of their careers is failure. This is a tough business and the odds are brutal.” — Craig Mazin
This is why it’s SO important to learn how to respond to failure early on. The best thing you can do for your first few years is to put out as much content as you can and learn how to fail. Learn how to bounce back. Learn how to already be two scripts ahead when your first one doesn’t connect. Learn how to keep going because you’re going to need it when you do “break in.”
We can’t control whether someone else rejects our work, but we can control how we respond to it.
I’ve struggled to “break in” to Hollywood for over a decade now. I had a script optioned by a major studio and then they dropped it. I sold a script to a production company and they threw my script out the window and started from scratch. I got rejected by hundreds of agents and managers. I wrote half a dozen screenplays that went nowhere. And throughout all of that, I got REALLY good at failing and picked up a few tips along the way.
THREE WAYS TO DEAL WITH FAILURE:
- You’re allowed to mourn for one day. Pour yourself a drink. Go into your funk. Complain to your significant other. And then put it behind you and move forward.
- Always be working on the next thing. Early on in my career, rejection hurt. But when I look back at my early scripts, I’d reject me too! They were terrible scripts. But I got better because I kept going. I’m no longer bummed out when an older script gets rejected, because I know how much better the next one is going to be.
- Learn from the experience. Figure out the source of the failure. If someone rejects your work, ask why. Ask what you can do differently. Figure out how you can grow from it.
Another very important question to ask is “Am I failing at the wrong thing?”
We all have the dream of making it in Hollywood because it’s sexy, but it’s still a situation where you’re relying on a “prince” to rescue you. Becoming a better writer and making more connections and “breaking in” are really just making you prettier. It’s your fairy godmother makeover—but you’ve still got to catch the eye of a prince.
Instead, explore the idea of starting small and making your own films. Find a group of like-minded filmmakers wherever you are. Shoot short films on your iPhone. Make a no-budget feature. Take the power away from your prince!
There’s a reason why Disney movies have moved away from the Prince Charming model — because we want to see the princess rescue themselves! You don’t have to wait for the “prince” to come rescue you. Rescue yourself!
After a decade of struggling in Hollywood, I finally wrote and produced This World Alone, my first independent feature film. It was by far the single most satisfying creative experience of my life. I wouldn’t swap it for all the agents and managers and big Hollywood sales announced in the trades in the world.
I’ve written a movie that I’m proud of and went through an amazing experience of connecting with other collaborators as we created something beautiful. Beats sitting at my desk by myself getting rounds and rounds of studio notes!
This World Alone wasn’t a Marvel movie, it’s not gonna be in theaters, it’s not gonna win any awards, and a part of me longs to create something that does check all those boxes, but the more I hear writers in those worlds talk about the reality of those situations, I realize the grass is not necessarily greener (well, maybe greener with cash but if you’re in it for cash, there are waaaaay easier ways to get it).
Learn to fail. Don’t let the odds discourage you. Start small. Find joy in the creation. Don’t put such strict parameters on what success looks like. Keep writing. Don’t wait for your prince.
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