Imagine you are sitting down to watch a really good television show or play. Even though this is the first time you have seen the show you know every line by heart. How can this be? The answer is simple. You wrote it! Have you ever dreamed of being a screenwriter? Have you ever imagined what it would be like if millions watched your television show or play?
A career in screenwriting is not all glitz and glamour. Screenwriter Ernest Johnson, author of Destiny of the Divas, shares his experiences of screenwriting. Ernie started by writing novels. He then decided that his books would be much better as screenplays. That is in laments terms of how he started screenwriting. He explains, “As a writer, first, making the transition to screenwriter was difficult. If you intend to attempt a screenwriting career, do your homework first. Research how others write screenplays. Join different screenwriting forums and ask questions. Don’t go into it thinking you know it all, because it’s a different kind of writing. If the camera can’t see it, you don’t write it. That’s a hard concept when you write novels, or short stories. Look at your screenplay as if you were a camera.”
Ernie is also brutally honest when asked how much money he was making from screen writing. “I have eleven screenplays written and yes they are being presented to production companies and television executives, as I speak, but I’ve had nothing optioned or bought. I’ve entered three screenwriting competitions, but like any writing profession, there are no guarantees.” says Ernie.
Do not get your hopes up just yet. You should not enter the screenwriting field for money at first. You realistically should not expect to get paid until you have the craft down. Do not quit your full time job cold turkey to pursue screenwriting. Try it out and if you start becoming successful with it, then you can do whatever you like with your other job.
Ernie Johnson gives a much better play by play on how one should get started in screenwriting. Instead of re-writing it so it is in my words, I will let the professional do all the talking. Here are Ernie’s five steps to starting off as a screenwriter:
A) Read ten or fifteen screenplays to see how produced screenplays are written.
There are several sites online where you can see them for free.
B) Join Screenwriting Groups and ask questions. That’s how you learn. (Try http://www.scriptologist.com or http://www.screenwritersutopia.com.)
C) Either buy the screenwriting software, or go to http://www.scriptbuddy.com and write your first screenplay for free. All the steps are there for you to learn, and it’s absolutely free, for one screenplay only. I liked it so much I wrote all eleven of mine there.
D) Before you go and get embarrassed, have your screenplay critiqued by another screenwriter, and preferably someone who’s written several and knows the ropes, before you try getting an agent or submitting it to a production company.
E) There are ways to get your finished screenplay in front of movie and television execs without the hassle of submitting and waiting forever for them to respond. Go to http://www.inktip.com and register as a member. Registration is free. If you want your screenplay posted on their site, the cost is $50.00 for 6 months, but there are thousands of movie and television executives looking for scripts that look at those on Inktip.com.
There you have it, the basics of screenwriting from screenwriter Ernest Johnson. Be sure to check out more of his advice and read excerpts of his plays at http://www.ernierjohnson.net.
