What does a screenwriter do?
Being a screenwriter is no small feat. The screenwriter is the person who creates, takes, or adapts an idea and turns it into a screenplay or script. Without the screenwriter, there would be no movie–period. The screenwriter is the person who starts the often solitary process of imagining, thinking, planning, and ultimately getting that screenplay formulated into the following: acts which build upon one another and propel the action forward, scenes which heighten the tension and hinge on conflict, and characters whose words and actions ring true, in order to ultimately deliver words which leap off of the page, into the mind’s eye of the reader.
While it’s true that there are movies which start with the studio, come up with the basic ideas, and attach the actors, in most cases, the screenwriter is the person who gets the proverbial ball rolling down the hill. Thus, the professional screenwriter is a creative pragmatist who knows how to prepare for the mission ahead, by fortifying themselves on research, and operating with a keen understanding of structure, dramatics, and mastery of the form.
If you are someone who wants to get your own film made and years to share your solitary vision with the world, know this: your success hinges on your screenplay. Even if directing is your first love but you plan to write that killer script on your own, take to the challenge with serious commitment. It may look and sound easy but that’s deceptive. Your success starts with a quality, viable screenplay people want to see, which engages the reader’s senses, whets their appetites, and activates their imaginations.