How likely is it to become a screenwriter?

How to become a screenwriter?

• Im interested screenwriter. I dont live in a city where movies are filmed, but i really like the work of a screenwriter. I'm 14 years old now, i live in the capital of Canada (Ottawa). What and where should i study to have one of these jobs? Where should i start? Thanks

• Answer:

  To become a screenwriter, you need discipline, imagination, and knowledge of the monomyth & an understanding of screenplay format. Monomyth: -------------------- First, it's important to know that virtually every story is written the same way (there. I've just ruined movies for you forever.). Read up on the Monomyth (Joseph Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces is a great book). You can do this here: http://www.skepticfiles.org/atheist2/hero.htm Format: -------------------- Your screenplay HAS to be in proper screenplay format. There's an EXCELLENT book for this, called the Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier. Dave's site is: http://www.keepwriting.com You should also read as many scripts as you can. This will teach you formatting, how a screenwriter communicates ideas, and the necessary brevity you need in both dialogue and description. You can read screenplays here: www.script-o-rama.com www.imsdb.com www.simplyscripts.com Once you've done your homework, you're ready to write. There are two ways to do this: the cheap, broke-down way or the proper and professional way. You can use celtx - which is free, and available here: www.celtx.com The proper and professional way, however, is to use either Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter. These are industry standard formatting programs. I've used both, and I prefer Movie Magic Screenwriter. You can get these programs here: www.screenplay.com www.finaldraft.com