Five Key Skills of Working Screenwriters
Sorry for clickbaity title, but in my experience, if you want to earn your living as a screenwriter, you must become an expert in at least these five things.
Being a great writer is a lot, but it’s not everything.
In order to become a working screenwriter, there is a set of skills you need that no one really tells you about when you’re first getting started.
It took me a long long time to learn these skills were essential and even longer to internalize them and make them part of my regular writing practice.
Before we launch into the skills, it (almost) goes without saying that the main skill of professional screenwriters is the ability to write well.
You need to be able to clearly articulate action in as few words as possible. You need to write dialogue that feels natural. You need to have a deep understanding of story structure and how to wield that to create a truly compelling screenplay.
Most of all, you need to understand character and how that is going to inform all of the above.
It also (almost) goes without saying that in order to become good at writing screenplays, the only way to achieve that is to write, read, watch and repeat. Hundreds and thousands of times. There is no shortcut or magic formula. It takes a lot of work and an almost delusional level of dedication.
Cut to: Your first gig. You want to keep this job and ideally get even more work in the future, right? From this first gig you’re going to have to prove that you’re not just a great writer, but you’re also a writer who is great to work with.
If you incorporate the building of these below skills into your overall practice as a screenwriter, you’ll be more ready when that first gig comes to be hired for the next.
Five skills for screenwriters to keep getting hired
Adaptability
Having your own voice as a screenwriter is essential. It’s what sets your writing apart from the rest. But if you want to become a screenwriter who writes for someone else, be it a TV thriller movie, an existing TV series, or a show on YouTube, you need to also be able to adapt your writing to fit the needs of the project.
This doesn’t mean forgoing your voice as a writer, but rather making your voice fit into the given parameters.
If I had to describe it, I would say my writing voice is wry, witty, immediate, darkly funny and high brow in an accessible way. I love making the audience feel smart as I take them along with me.
The essence of my writing never changes, otherwise it wouldn’t be mine. When I’m commissioned to write something, however, I have to tweak the levels to deliver something that feels like me but still works for them.
For example, when I write for Animalogic, I crank up the witty and high brow in an accessible way, since this is a show that uses humor to make learning more fun.
Another example: I love to use a good swear or a “Jesus H Christ!” in my writing, but such language is off-limits when you’re writing TV thriller movies that will air on daytime television. I find other expletives, while also toning down my brand of dark humour and amplifying the immediacy.
Being able to adapt can be challenging because writers have a tendency towards preciousness about our own writing. Which leads me to the next essential skill…
Losing your ego
Yes, losing your ego is a skill. It takes time and practice to be able to separate yourself from your writing without it feeling like an amputation.
The first short film script I ever sold (which in and of itself should have been all the ego-stroking I needed, since short film scripts almost never “sell”!), the director wanted changes to the script and paired me with an experienced story editor.
Initially, I took this as a massive insult to my prowess as a writer. This director had chosen my script out of something like 100 submissions: Didn’t that mean that my script was perfect?
The hard-for-a-novice-to-swallow answer is: No, it wasn’t perfect. It was promising, but it wasn’t perfect. Through my work with this story editor, the script became what it is today. It’s truly a beautiful film that was the result of many artists coming together for the benefit of the picture.
Had I been ego-driven in this process, it may not have just prevented me from getting more work afterwards, it may have even lost me the job. If I had let my ego win and refused to make any changes or work with the story editor, the director might have abandoned the project. He may have even told the next five industry professionals he met to avoid working with me.
The film industry is like attending a giant, multi-national high school. If you get a bad reputation, people are going to find out by lunch.
Ditching your ego, of course, doesn’t mean constantly capitulating, especially when it comes to something you really believe in. It’s knowing when to bend and when to be steadfast that is the real challenge. It takes time and experience (and a sprinkling of wisdom, probably) to know the difference.
Taking notes gracefully
In my experience, something that sets me apart as a working screenwriter is my ability to implement notes with grace. The execs, showrunners and collaborators I’ve worked with have almost always pointed that out, which makes me suspect that this ability is not actually that common among writers.
It took a long time to become graceful in my implementation of notes. When you’re first starting out, it’s hard to decipher which notes are meant to be helpful, which are unhelpful and which are actually helpful but are rubbing your ego the wrong way (see “Losing your ego” above).
What I do not mean by taking notes gracefully is unquestioningly implementing every note. Cause that will make you tear your hair out, especially depending on who is giving them. What I mean is the ability to sift through the notes that you receive and know which to implement, which to challenge, and which to abandon (with good reason).
I’m writing a whole post about taking notes gracefully that I’ll share in the future where I’ll get into the nuts and bolts of implementing, questioning and refusing notes so that everyone feels valued. Until that post materializes, I will simply share that for me, notes always elicit one of three types of responses:
Absolutely! Making the change now. AKA Yes!
I’ll have to think about this. Can we have a call to discuss? AKA Maybe?
Hmm. This one likely won’t work because [valid reason]. AKA No.
The relationship between note-giver and note-taker is just that: A relationship. Like any other relationship, it needs to be founded on trust and mutual respect. Taking notes gracefully is what will help foster that relationship. And we all know that in this business, relationships = work.
Working quickly
As a working screenwriter of TV movies and YouTube shows, the other skill that I am constantly praised for is my ability to work quickly. Not everyone is built for this frantic pace, and that’s OK. There are other kinds of screenwriting that don’t require these breakneck speeds.
When I have to write the first draft of a TV thriller film, I get 4 weeks. Subsequent drafts? 2 weeks. Polishes? 1 week. I also get about one week to write a YouTube episode.
These turnaround times can be extremely stressful, but the ability to write and write well under pressure is the only thing that makes these deadlines possible.
You can, of course, train yourself to write faster. Like all of the skills in this list, they are acquired. I was not born with the ability to write an intricate 100-paged screenplay in a single fortnight.
When it comes to TV movies, I developed a system of outlining that has helped me write my first drafts more quickly. You can read all about that here and implement it yourself, if you like:
My recommendation to flex this muscle is to set yourself shorter and shorter deadlines. This alone is a huge challenge, since I myself have a lot of trouble adhering to self-imposed deadlines.
Sometimes I’ll ask my agent to give me a deadline for my own projects, just to have someone to be accountable too. Writing in sprints is also a great way to train writing quickly: Set yourself a timer for one hour and write as quickly and as much as you can during that window. Practice often!
Having patience
This final skill is one I have struggled to develop, since I do not naturally possess a single nanogram of patience. It takes a long time to become a working screenwriter. That alone requires a lot of patience. But even as you become a working screenwriter, patience and staying calm in the face of the waiting you’re forced to endure is going to help keep you grounded.
I am currently waiting on notes on the first draft of my latest TV thriller movie. Is the waiting making me stressed and worried? No. Because I’ve learned to take things as they come.
The deliberation process of the grant that I applied for to fund my directorial debut is 5 months long… am I checking the portal on a daily basis? Ok, yes. Yes I am. Hey, it’s an acquired skill and one that I’m still working on!
All of the skills that I’ve mentioned here, just like becoming a great screenwriter, are things that take time and practice. I wish I could just wave a magic wand for everyone that reads all the way to the bottom of this post and make them inherent abilities.
Hard work, another skill that needs lots of determination, is the final skill you’ll need to make it in this business. What other skills have helped you on your journey to becoming a working screenwriter? Let me know below!
These are great, Lauren. Agree all round. I especially appreciate now having the three responses to the request for changes. Always good to know how to phrase those responses diplomatically!
One of my big jumps forward was learning to just send the damn script without explaining, or apologising or justifying. Here it is. Send me your notes. Thanks.
I've also taken to telling people when I think they give great notes and why. The last time I did it the person looked genuinely shocked. But feedback goes both ways.