A reader question from Marina:

Hello, my name is Marina and I found you in a post that appeared on my twitter. I am writing to you to ask a advice. I want to make writing my profession, but I’m still working on it hehe I just published a book in Italy (I’m Brazilian, but currently living in Italy, long story) anyway, since the beginning of the year I’m very interesting in screenwriting. I did an online course that helped me to understand the structure of it, then I made another one more focused on TV and I’m reading several books. But now I’m not sure what is the best for me to enter in the market. If it is to make a course of longer duration, with teachers from the area, or if it is to write and write and send for those who might want to do it hehe. What do you advice me? The school I’m thinking about doing it is called Griffith, but I do not think you should know it because stays here in Italy, anyway, it is not cheap, so I want to be sure that it will worthwhile.

Marina, the first thing I recommend is you choose one: TV or movies. Focus on one or the other. While similar, there are enough differences between the two that you need to immerse yourself in one to really learn that part of the craft. Later if you want to explore the other, that’s fine. But you’ve got a much better chance of breaking in as a TV writer or film writer if you’ve focused on one or the other.

More generally in terms of education, the fact is every writer is different. Some will benefit by going to film school, others not. Some will learn the craft by reading every screenwriting book, attending every writing seminar, and so on, while others will insist on grasping it intuitively. Just as there is no right way to write, there’s no right way to learn to write either.

One approach which I have espoused on this blog over and over is simple:

Read scripts. Watch movies. Write pages.

The first two force you to immerse yourself in the world of cinema and story. The latter allows you to practice what you learn. In all honesty, if you’re motivated, persistent, and willing to spend the time analyzing what you read, watch, and write, you can probably learn the craft that way.

However most writers benefit from some sort of formal education. The good news is there are so many options available, both online and onsite, you have plenty of choices. The bad news is there are so many options available, you have too many choices. How to know where to study?

If it was me, I’d look for the following:

* Are they a professional screenwriter: There are many things about the craft of screenwriting that can only be learned by doing it over many years as a professional. So look for educators who have actually worked in the business. In the U.S., a simple dividing line is this: Are they a member of the WGA (Writers Guild of America)? If not, consider someone else.

* Are they a professional educator: Similarly I think it’s important to work with people who have extensive experience in the classroom. A professional screenwriter may know a ton about the craft, but if they haven’t had to spend time organizing their thoughts into lectures, providing feedback on writing exercises, and interacting with students on a daily basis, they may not have the chops to be a good educator.

* Have they ever sold a spec script: If that’s your goal – to sell a spec script – wouldn’t you want to work with someone who had successfully done that?

* Do they offer both lecture and workshop-based classes: Lecture-based classes are essential as they provide a writer the fundamentals of the screenwriting craft. But workshops are also critical so you can get in the practice of pounding out pages, and having them critiqued by fellow writers and your instructor. Ideally you want a program / mentor that offers both, so you can learn both the theory and practice of screenwriting.

* Do they have a real life understanding of how the movie business works: The spec script market, pitching, working with managers and agents, producers, studio executives, directors, actors, writing and rewriting, generating and developing story concepts, tracking trends — there is a ton to know about how to survive and thrive in the actual movie business. It helps if you can find someone who has a real life understanding of all that.

[Obviously, Marina, if you are interested in working in Italy or Brazil, and not Hollywood, then it's important to find people you can work with who know those cultures and film markets].

* Do they offer a comprehensive, coherent approach to screenwriting: In my view, this is critical. With so many educational opportunities available, it’s entirely possible to take a course from this outfit, a weekend seminar with that screenwriting guru, buy a DVD series from another group, read books from yet someone else, download tips from this website, post comments on that discussion board, and on and on and on. And yet, how do you pull all that together into a viable, coherent approach to screenwriting, especially when all those theories, methods, and paradigms seem to espouse ideas that are in conflict with each other? Here your best bet, I think, is to dabble with this mentor or that, and see if you feel a connection with their style and basic philosophy. If so, then focus on what they have to say. At least you’ll get a coherent take on screenwriting. Hopefully they’ll also cover a wide range of subjects related to the craft so you get a comprehensive immersion in it, too.

* Do they take into account the emotional aspect of writing: Finally we all know how difficult writing can be. There are many educators out there whose instinct is to scare the crap out of students about how incredibly difficult it is to break into the business of screenwriting. There’s definitely a need for that voice because if you are serious about learning the craft, you must know the long odds against you. But in the long run, it’s important to work with educators who understand the importance of the emotional side of writing, and in particular that one aspect of our psyche that keeps us coming back to our stories day after day after day: Hope. Hope that we can nail this story. Hope that we can get better as writers. Hope that this script has a chance to be great. No matter how enormous the odds are against success, the fact is that there is always a possibility of success. So if it was me working with a teacher or mentor, I’d look for someone who not only knows how hard it is to succeed as a writer, but also someone who embraces the power and potential of creativity, persistence, and hope.

These are some of the qualifications I’d look at if I was starting out learning the craft of screenwriting.

I’m interested to hear from the GITS community. What would you recommend for someone in Marina’s position? What’s the best way you think there is to learn screenwriting?

UPDATE: In comments, Marina asked about The GITS Club. It is our peer script review site. It’s totally free and open to anyone. Currently 359 members. Go here to check it out.