It’s one thing to strive to be a better screenwriter. It’s a whole different necessary approach when you’re trying to be a more successful one. 

We can define success as the achievement of a desired goal or outcome, often marked by personal fulfillment, growth, or recognition. Screenwriters have three common pursuits — to sell a script, to be assigned to write a script, and to make a living doing so. 

Here we offer five easy ways to be more successful as a screenwriter. We’ll offer proven tips that can help you write better screenplays that give you better odds of success, and we’ll also offer proven tips on how to handle your screenwriting journey, which will, in turn, open more doors for you to achieve your screenwriting career goals and see that screenwriting dream come true. 

Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard'

1. Read Contemporary Produced and Successful Screenplays 

Yes, reading produced screenplays will make you a better screenwriter, but reading contemporary produced and successful screenplays will help you be on par with the current Hollywood system. 

Many screenwriters turn to the old guard greats — Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather, and Chinatown to name a few. The problem with reading classic old Hollywood screenplays is that they are not up to the times when it comes to aesthetics (format, page structure, pacing, page count, etc.) — at least for what Hollywood is looking for in spec scripts (scripts written under speculation that they’ll be sold, usually by unknowns). 

By all means, study them for actual story structure, plotting, tone, and characterization. But you shouldn’t be trying to emulate them from an aesthetics perspective. Things have changed. 

When we’re talking about contemporary screenplays, we’re referring to anything from the 1980s and beyond. I know, it’s strange to use the term “contemporary” for anything that’s up to forty years old. But since the screenwriting boom of the 1980s and 1990s, the general formatting of scripts haven’t changed that much. 

Some of the greatest, most effective, and most commercially successful screenplays were written during that time (Die Hard). Screenwriters, and Hollywood as a whole, have utilized most of the same screenplay formatting since then. 

And, yes, if you can also read successful scripts from within the last decade, you can learn the latest subtle variances. Stay up with the times. You’ll be a more successful screenwriter because of it.

2. Choose Your Concepts Very Wisely

When you’re trying to break through, you need to find the balance between writing stories you want to tell and writing scripts Hollywood will want to buy. 

It’s very easy for established screenwriters and industry insiders to say, “Just write what you want to write and see.” In addition to this, you also need to write something that they’ll look at and go, “I can sell that to an audience.”

The point is that you need to be aware that Hollywood is a business. They need to sell tickets or pack desirable content onto streaming platforms to gain more subscribers. Experimental storytelling is great, but it’s best relegated to auteurs who are directing their own scripts. If you’re a screenwriter looking to break in by way of writing and selling spec scripts, and/or using them as samples to be considered for paid writing assignments, you need to choose your concepts very wisely. 

Do your best to find a different angle/take on what has proven to be successful. If you do that, you’re giving Hollywood what they want, with the slight spin of also offering something new.      

3. Don’t Chase Trends

Yes, you want to choose concepts that Hollywood will also want to buy, but an accompanying mistake is that screenwriters try to chase current trends. Trends happen. You’ll see one genre flick become a huge box office success, and then you’ll see imitators within a year. 

It’s only natural for screenwriters to stop and go, “Oh, I should write my own version of that since it’s so popular now.” You may even hear industry insiders on interviews and panels talking about the current trends and how desirable they are. 

Here’s the problem. The people making the imitators (whether those imitators are successful or not) are already embedded within the Hollywood system. 

• They are decision makers. 
• They can see a trend and jump on it fast by hiring established screenwriters to tackle an assignment that emulates the dynamics of the trend. 
• They can develop and greenlight a copycat (or, better yet, a different take on the trend) fairly quickly.  

Emerging screenwriters don’t have that type of turnaround and power. It’ll take some time to write the script. It will then take months to years to get that script into the hands of industry players. By that time, the trend is likely waning. The market is saturated with copycats and scripts emulating the trend. In short, it’s too late. 

Here’s the difficult part — but also the fun challenge —  it’s your job as a screenwriter to not only give Hollywood what it wants, but to also give them what they didn’t know they needed. 

This is no easy task. But if you read the trades, watch the current releases, pay attention to the box office (and even the Rotten Tomatoes scores), and keep up to speed with the current pop culture vibe (seeing which new movies people are talking about), you can use that information to analyze what people may like in the new future. It’s this type of thinking that will make you more successful as a screenwriter. 

4. Take the Time to Stack Your Script Deck

Another common mistake beginner screenwriters make is rushing to market to sell those first couple of scripts — and/or using them to get representation. 

The hard truth is that your first couple of scripts are always your worst. They could very well be great in many ways, but because they are your first ones, your writing isn’t as honed as it will be after some more time and experience.  

When you begin your marketing campaign to sell scripts or use them as samples to gain representation or writing assignments, you’re going to be showcasing your first impression to the industry. Once that impression has been made, it’s usually your one shot to connect with them as a screenwriter. It’s very, very important to make sure that one shot counts. 

You need to stack your deck of scripts to the point where you have 3-5 amazing scripts that are ready to be purchased and produced. And, yes, this can often take some time to get your writing to a point where you are churning out winners like this. You may have to write 2-3 scripts before you even create one that is worthy to market. 

Once you have those 3-5 amazing scripts, you’re a step ahead of most. Here’s the key thing. When you do get those meetings or calls with industry insiders that took a liking to your queries and script, the first question they’ll ask is, “Cool. What else do you have?”

When you have an instant answer, with those scripts in your metaphorical back pocket, you’ll look like a pro in their eyes. You have a body of work. 

Sylvester Stallone in 'Rocky Balboa'

5. Make Your Own Luck 

There’s no escaping the truth that success in Hollywood as a screenwriter has a lot to do with luck — being at the right time, right place, with the right script and the right people. 

Luck can be a frustrating pursuit for screenwriters. But it doesn’t have to be. You can make your own luck in Hollywood. Here’s how to do it.

Practice Opportunism

Take advantage of opportunities and circumstances with little to no regard for negative consequences. What that means is you never fear to Ask and Accept. Go out on a limb and query major production companies or industry insiders (IMBbPro is your tool to get email addresses). Don’t be afraid to network. Don’t be afraid to ask for a read. All they can do is say no. But they could very well say yes if the concept stands out. 

Embrace Optimism

Be hopeful and confident about the future and the successful outcome of something. Don’t fall into the trap of cynicism. You won’t be successful griping about the industry. Maintain a level of optimism in everything you do during your screenwriting journey. And when rejection occurs, stay positive and learn from it. 

Build Intuition

Lucky people often make their own luck by trusting their gut, being open to hunches, and following their instincts. If you do your research and learn about the industry, your subconscious mind will pick up on things that your conscious mind doesn’t see. This is intuition. It’s powerful. Use it. 

Be Resilient

Have the capacity to recover quickly from rejection and defeat. This is the key to success. I’ll let Rocky do the rest of the talking here. 

HD - Rocky Balboa (2006) - inspirational speech

There. You now have five easy ways to be a more successful screenwriter. I’ve got 20 years under my belt in the industry. I’m still nowhere near where I want to be in my screenwriting, but I’m making a good living. I’m blessed. And it all came from these five practices in my screenwriting journey over the years. Now I pass them onto you. You got this!