How I Sold My First Script - Step 1

Step One Of Three

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The Formula

Back in film school, I think a lot of us imagined that selling a script would be a lot like winning the lottery. I know I did. It seemed like it had about the same odds and the same promise of riches. Heck, even people not in film school often see it that way. The old adage of, “Scripts are like assholes, everyone has one” exists for a reason. To some, it’s the fantasy of breaking into a business they’ve dreamt about their whole lives, for others, it’s the lure of getting a big chunk of cash for what they think will be minimal work.

However just like most fantasies, when you bring them into the light, when you conjure them into reality, they often are very different than the story you had created in your mind. I’ll get into that in another essay, what it’s like after you finally get what you’ve been grasping for, but this essay’s focus is on the first part.

The part where you did all of the magic things that made the dream come true in the first place.

That’s what people really want to know, anyway. How to do it, right? So, I reflected back on what worked for me, distilled it into actionable steps, and created a formula I’ll share with you now.

Ready? Here it is:

Step one: try for 10 years.

Step two: change your approach.

Step three: sell your script!

Hahahahaha I’m such a dick. Sorry.

I mean, these really are the steps I took, but I know that there isn’t much to go on there. How about I walk you through it? I swear, there really are a lot of lessons to be learned from my experience as well as concrete advice I can offer. It’s just that they’ll have a greater impact if I offer them in context.

Today I’ll explain Step One. Next week I’ll dive into Step Two, and wrap up with Step Three the week after that.

Step One: Try For 10 Years aka What I Did Wrong