Scripts I want to read

It occurred to me a few days ago that, while I read a ton of scripts, I may not be reading the scripts that will best teach me how to get noticed in Hollywood. Sure, reading classics and works of the greatest screenwriters out there today are great ways to improve at the craft of writing screenplays, but these scripts were written by some at the height of their careers. What about reading those scripts that got an unknown noticed? What was it about those early works that caught a reader's eye and sent the script up the chain to be purchased and developed?

I took the question to one of my best Twitter partners-in-crime, @tracinell, who started getting the feelers out there to our online screenwriting community. It's been an interesting few days. Two scripts came up immediately, Juno by Diablo Cody, and Little Miss Sunshine by Michael Arndt. Beyond those two, I then pulled up the analysis of spec sales in 2009 by Scott Myers from Go Into the Story. For 2009, Scott had listed 67 sold scripts. I looked up each of the screenwriters listed to see how many of those were first time sales for the writer. The time-consuming task between the list and IMDbPro was an eye-opener. Here are my rough observations:

• By my loose criteria, maybe 11 of these scripts were from first time, unconnected writers. 
• Many of the scripts purchased were written by teams. While one may be a newcomer, the other was generally well connected which eliminated them from my list. 
• That's about 17% of sales.
• Many of the sold scripts were topping that year's Black List.
• Once someone sold ONE script, several others followed quickly. This is important. Have an arsenal of material. When you're hot, you're hot.
• Finding those first scripts to read isn't an easy task. Even back from 2009 sales, many of those films are still in development or in production making those scripts scarce.

I'll get to later years' analyses, but for now I'm letting 2009 sink it. Not the greatest news for unconnected writers but it's also encouraging: It does happen. Now it's just a matter of working on the craft to up those odds.

TWS

Best Books about Screenwriting and TV Writing

Whether you are a beginning screenwriter or have been honing your skills during the past decade, you are most likely always ready to read the best books on screenwriting. Sometimes, it's for inspiration, other times for motivation to stick to the craft despite the years of tenacious efforts seeking the first break into the business.

I have compiled a bibliography of the best screenwriting books I know about and use, and have made the list available on my Web site, AcademicBib.com. There are books on screenwriting and books on TV writing, each with a link to Amazon so you can get some information about the piece, read reviews and see if it's a book that interests you.

AcademicBib.com is a work in progress, so navigating the site is still a bit rough. However, using the links directly to the books on screenwriting and TV writing should make the search easier. Missing a book you're looking for? Let me know! You can post here in a blog comment or email the information to TheWriteScript@Yahoo.com.

Happy reading and, better yet, happy writing!
TWS

The Reluctant Grad Student

Most of the coming week will be spent working on a human subject research project in my department, not writing. My colleagues were caught in a bind: summer vacations have resulted in a low number of grad students hanging around and able to work odd hours shuffling subjects through the rigors of the labs. I don't need the money, but at least it pays well enough that there's something left over after parking. However, I can think of better things to do with my summer than taking DNA samples from people with bad breath.

It's not that I don't like people...I do. In the aggregate. In theeeeeeeory. But not all at once and certainly not in close proximity. In praxis, I want distance. I love the asocial aspect of social networks. Dealing with a strange individual's spit is taking me about 2.5 feet outside my personal space, my bubble. There aren't thick enough latex gloves for the job. This is why teaching works for me. Classrooms and lecture halls afford the perfect buffer. Class over, they leave. It's the rare student who crosses the invisible line to "chat" or beg for grace or engage in some intellectual debate to prove to me they are smarter than their last exam may have (erroneously) led me to believe.

So it is with great reluctance that I lend my latex-protected hands to my fellow grad students and faculty. I will handle the spit. I'll be courteous to the subjects and think about the Pacific Ocean to quell the dry heaves forming as I mix chemicals and label vials. This was NOT what I had in mind when I enlisted in grad school.

MARGE SIMPSON

Bart, don't  make fun of grad students! 

They  just  made  a  terrible  life choice.

Most days, I disagree with Marge. Most days, I'm grateful to get paid to go to school. Most days, I don't have to play with spit. Those are good days. They'll be back.

Letting go...

At some point in every paper, it's time to say, yeah, it's done. I want to be at that point right now. I think it's done. It feels done. It is concise and has all its parts. It's not my best work -- nothing is these days, grad school doesn't allow for that. Not with parenting tossed into the mix.

I'm going to consider this paper done, but since there's another six days before its due. I'll let it percolate. Moving on to the last research project. Time to build a dataset and see what's missing before running the regression. Yeesh. Due Wednesday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to see if things blow up in my face.

Back to work.