ONE IN FIFTY-THOUSAND CHANCE

Hi screenwriters and fans thereof, let's talk about something -- the screenplay lotto. Yep, it's a lotto. Unconfirmed sources say that nearly fifty-thousand screenplays were sent to Hollywood last year. That would be 1000 for every state, figuring many come in from other countries, the estimates are not odd. Quite frankly, they suck!

And, being in or around the trade, you know that half of what is passed around or sent out is not in proper format or structure and maybe should not have been written in the first place. So, generously, let's cut our figure down -- our odds are 1 in 25,000 now. So chances are we can sell a screenplay before we will ever get hit by lightning or win the lotto. Good odds, eh? I know, not really.

We could start a blog, right? Well, yes, and no. Maybe there's a "one in how many" shot to get known through this. It is, however, a good place to practice writing, network so maybe you'll have a friend who can offer crash space when you get to L.A.?

There's guerilla tactics -- the naked cowboy screenwriter, maybe B.A.S.E. jumping with your script in hand, in front of news media... and the police. No thanks, I value my life, and lack of police record.

A novel, that's it! For some reason screenwriters don't write novels from their scripts, very rare. And weird, figuring self-publishing is basically free online now. I mean, if you have a great story, wouldn't you try every way possibly to convey it, including putting it into a novel?

Don't let it get you down. Pull up your script and re-read it for fun, damn you did good! Remember writing that line? Remember when a friend chuckled when you said you could write a screenplay? How about that "FADE OUT" at the end, now that was a moment you'll never forget!

You've got your script. You should frame the title, keep a copy on your desk, tag it in your posts, maybe spray-paint the title on a boxcar (umm, please reference that thing about the police first!).

Sure, send queries, do your blog thing, tell your friends, but most of all, never lose your love for your script, keep that sucker close to your heart. It's something you made, nobody can ever take it away and mess it up... unless you're "signed", and that's a good problem to have!

FADE OUT