"Truly write something that moves you. There's an old saying that you
should write what you know, and I actually think that's a bad rule. Because if
we only put down what we know, we'd be short a pretty decent "Star Wars" trilogy.
I think you need to write what moves you."
Mike Rich
Screenwriter
Executive Summary
Executive Summary:
Mike Rich joined Cyberways and Waterways to talk about his experience writing screenplays and working in the movie industry Here are some highlights:
Writing
- Writers have to develop an eye for a story, the same way photographers have to develop an eye for pictures. You have to be always open for what may be a one-paragraph story in the newspaper, or something on the "Today" show.
- There will be days when you write 6 pages. There will be days when you write no pages. Be accepting of that. I am a firm believer in the power of walking. So turn the computer off. Get out, and go about your daily routine.
- I do feel that my experience writing radio news helped me in screenwriting because of the fact that when you write news, you have to get to the point very quickly. Screenwriting is no exception.
- I typically find that I spend more time researching my screenplay than I do writing it. I typically will spend probably 4-5 months in research, and then 3 months writing.
- My interest in creative writing dates back to when I was in high school. I wrote primarily short stories through college and while I was working in radio, but there's just such a joy in finding a story and writing it.
- Screenwriting is now my full-time career. I write in the morning. I'm not one of those writers who gets up at 3AM. I start writing at 8 in the morning, for about 4 hours.
Getting Started
- I recommend the Nicholl Fellowship Competition. It is a competition that is limited to screenwriters who had never sold a screenplay. I also recommend the Austin Competition, which is also online, at www.austinfilmfestival.com
- To get attention, from a screenplay standpoint, don't try and focus on a specific genre that you feel is popular at the time.
Movie Industry
- The industry will respond to a well-written screenplay, whether it's written by a 20 year old, a 30 year old, a 40 year old.
- I do travel to Los Angeles about once a month for a day or two, but more and more writers are living where they want to live, and that's a very positive thing.
- Screenwriting has become a very lucrative profession, but it is still a very fickle profession, and writers who are "hot" one year can be cold the next.
- The harsh truth of the matter is that once you sell a screenplay, it's no longer yours. It belongs to the studio, and the studio can and will do anything that it chooses to with that particular screenplay.
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