Info About Screenwriting?

Question

What can you tell me about screenwriting as a career? How much money do they generally make? What do they do specifically? Anything you can tell me would be great!

Answer 1

Screen writers flow from various backgrounds. One was a radio writer and producer. Another was a play writer. Another wrote the book and proceeded to write the screen play. The common denominator is demonstrated skills.

Answer 2

You could check out the Screenwriter's Guild of America, now the federation - remember they were on strike not too long ago?  It is generally very hard to make money as a screenwriter as it is hard to find a steady job writing for the screen.  They have to be able to write in the proper format for film and television production which varies between producers.  It would help if you knew someone in the TV/Film industry and had good writing skills with pleanty of material to showcase.

Answer 3

Most screenwriters make about.... nothing. It's very tough and recently it's become even tougher. There are some who earn a good living, but more write because they NEED to. It's like an awful compulsion. = )

Screenwriters write scripts, then they rewrite that script about a zillion times, and by the time it's done, it looks totally different from the first draft. Some writers work on tv shows, some are hired specifically to write a movie, but more write on spec -- speculation that someone will buy your script.

In case your interested in being a screenwriter, there are screenwriting courses at colleges (credit and non-credit), community centers and online. I prefer in-person learning myself and the kind of class that isn't lecture based. There are many good books at amazon.com, your local library and bookstore. Spend an hour browsing at the bookstore and you'll find something that will suit your learning style. Search Google for: Screenwriting and you'll find a lot of information.

Writers Guild, West - http://www.wga.org/

Good luck!