I broke into screenwriting 16 years ago thanks to a big spec sale. I was able to make a career out of it, selling other scripts and landing various assignment jobs over the years.

Do you know what I was doing before I sold my first screenplay? 

I was washing dishes in New Jersey.

I didn’t go to film school, and I’d never been to Los Angeles until a production company flew my writing partner and me out there to pitch on a film project (one that we pitched successfully). Within one wild year, I went from being a dishwasher to a professional screenwriter, and it’s still what I do to this day.

But how did I accomplish this exactly? Were there any things I did, in retrospect, that made this happen? 

Below are 5 Things I Did To Become a Professional Screenwriter:

1. Wrote a Marketable Spec Script

First and foremost, I wrote a marketable script with my writing partner. Now the screenplay marketplace is constantly changing, so our spec script, an absurdist dark comedy, isn’t necessarily something that would sell today. However, our screenplay had some general things working for it that would be beneficial to any script during any time period:

• It had a strong protagonist perfectly suited for a movie star.
• It had impactful and quotable dialogue that jumped off the page.
• It was accessible yet subversive, and contained many “I can’t believe I just read that” moments.
• It had a clear and unique voice.

All of these elements can enhance your script, and we were able to write in this fashion because of our collective influences and going at it with confidence and abandonment. 

2. Successfully Submitted My Script and Got Representation 

You cannot make it as a writer if you never send your work to the necessary people and have them read it. In the case of a screenwriter, you have to submit your feature screenplay or television pilot to a manager or agent who reps scriptwriters (and ideally one who handles writers working in your chosen genre). 

I personally accomplished this via an email query sent to several different agencies, but luck played a role: my first agent later told me he only read my email because he was waiting to pick his kids up from school and had a rare free moment. Regardless of your method, there are various management companies and screenplay writing contests you can submit to. The important thing is to circulate your script and get as many eyes on it as possible.

In addition to getting lucky, I had composed a strong logline for my email query that effectively described the script in two sentences. I also expressed why I thought our script was marketable and compared it to a popular film at the time. This caused my first agent to solicit the script, and when the script delivered on the email query’s promise, he took us on as clients.

3. Learned to Address Notes From Industry Professionals 

After heaping praise on spec script, our agent gave us a single note:

“Give it a story.”

I know this sounds funny, but remember: my writing partner and I didn’t go to film school. We were total amateurs when it came to screenwriting and storytelling in general. Despite this, our agent was still willing to take a gamble on our script, and helped us improve it. This is also because no one working in the film business views a screenplay as a finished product, and it’s expected to go through several revisions. In fact, I would soon learn that receiving feedback and rewriting scripts is one of the biggest parts of being a professional screenwriter.

We rewrote the script to our agent’s satisfaction and gave it a fun story that worked great with the title character. In doing so, we also demonstrated our willingness to work with industry professionals and began to sharpen our skills as storytellers.

4. Owned Rooms When Pitching and Meeting People

In addition to impressing the right people with our script, my writing partner and I both had memorable personalities and were good in a room. We both had fronted high school rock bands and were comfortable with public speaking and fairly sociable. This led to us successfully pitching on several film and television projects, and our agent was able to create a brand for us as a writing team because our personalities aligned with the voice in our scripts: the humor that appeared on the page was likewise on display when we talked to people.

Unlike novel writing, which is often a solitary vocation, scriptwriting requires you to interact with a lot of different people at different stages of script development: managers, agents, producers, studio execs, directors, actors, etc. The easier it is for you to adapt to this lifestyle, the better your chances will be at becoming a professional screenwriter. If you’re inhibited, it’s something to work on.

5. Kept Generating Ideas and Kept Writing

Finally, we come back to what’s most important: the writing.

My writing partner and I didn’t stop after that one spec script we sold. In addition to working on several assignment jobs, we kept writing spec scripts. The more you do something, the better and sharper you get at it. Musicians refer to this as “keeping your chops” and it’s why the best music acts like to play or sing as much as possible. Also think of an athlete, always staying in shape via practice and a daily exercise routine. 

Writing isn’t any different. 

A professional writer — regardless of their medium — never stops writing. I haven’t stopped writing since I sold my first script 16 years ago: whether it’s a spec script, an assignment job or an article on the craft of screenwriting, every day I type out roughly 1000 fresh words. It’s what I do and it’s the main reason I’m still getting paid to write: I’ve stayed in screenwriting shape.

When you keep writing, it also keeps you motivated. 

Over the years, I’ve had my share of career ups and downs: not every spec script I’ve written has sold, yet I’m always glad I wrote them. This is partially due to artistic fulfillment, but it’s also what keeps me going. The prospect that what I’m writing might sell is the fuel in my creative tank. Every new concept, every new character and story is a new opportunity, and that’s how you have to look at it if you want to also become a professional screenwriter. 

So keep writing and keep creating that opportunity.