The 4 Pillars of a Professional Screenwriting Career

If you are missing even one of these, your progress will plateau and you will be frustrated when you are unable to move forward.

Welcome to my Weekly Email Newsletter! Every week, I do a deep dive into an aspect of the craft and business of screenwriting from a (former) literary manager’s perspective.

Today’s post is for subscribers only. If you’re new here, I recommend checking out the free posts at this link to sample what this newsletter has to offer.

Otherwise, keep reading for my insights on what 4 things are guaranteed to turn a person into a professional screenwriter.

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At the beginning of this year, I sat down and asked myself:

Based on my 10 years of experience working in literary management, knowing what I know now, what would I have to give to a person that would actually turn them into a professional screenwriter?

As an assistant, a coordinator, and the finally a literary manager, I watched many screenwriters break into this industry.

Some succeeded. Some failed.

And I got a front row seat to it all.

I got to see the challenges overcome, the job interviews nailed, and the career-making opportunities fumbled. Now that I am building my own screenwriting career and teaching a community of people who are becoming professional screenwriters, I have clarified what I have learned into a framework that I can apply to anybody (yes, anybody!) interested in becoming a professional screenwriter.

The good news is that there is an actionable path here that is doable.

The bad news is that it is really hard. And it will take a really long time.

But if you have the resilience, the patience, and the drive, here is a comprehensive list of the four things you need to have in order to become a professional screenwriter as well as practical tactics you can use to gain each one.