Do It Because You Love It
Back in 2012, a longtime reader of the blog forwarded me some numbers in a post I titled: Facing the Odds. I included his observations in that post:
As you are known for tracking sales, I thought I’d throw in some stats I got from someone at the WGA yesterday (stats are circa 2007):
* About 250 films are made by the studios’ major divisions; another 100 are made by independents, some of whom are owned by the studios. (Another 50 or so foreign features are released each year).
* The WGAW Registry processes approximately 65,000 transactions per year. Of these registry transactions, about half are film, the other half are TV, and some are repeat registrations of further-developed drafts.
I do have an article from the blog Fencing with the Fog, Screenplay Sales statistics which puts the odds of a spec sale at one in 1,100.
Also, this CNN Entertainment article “Screenwriters Chasing the Brass Ring in the Land of Dreams” puts the odds at a spec script being purchased and then produced at 1 in 5375 (1998) if I am extrapolating correctly: (it says that the California lottery is more likely to produce a millionaire!)
Your odds are better at winning the California lottery! I’ve heard other comparisons:
You have a better chance at making the NFL than selling a spec script.
You are more likely to be struck by lightning than sell a spec script.
And it’s not just spec scripts. From that 2012 post, some of my thoughts:
Get used to it. Even when you break into The Biz by selling a spec, you will face odds against you at every turn of your screenwriting career: Odds against selling that pitch, odds against landing that OWA (Open Writing Assignment), odds against your project getting a green light, odds against the movie turning out well, odds against the movie being a hit, and on and on.
Whatever the analogy, the facts are clear: The odds are stacked against us.
So how to deal with these cold, hard numbers? Here’s one way:
Not recommended. Here is a better approach: Do it because you love it.
Do it because you love the act of writing.
Do it because you love creating something out of nothing.
Do it because you love typing the words FADE IN… and especially FADE OUT.
Do it because you love giving expression to your Voice.
Do it because you love rewriting… and rewriting… and rewriting…
Do it because you love Story.
Do it because you love seeing the movie you create play out in your head.
Do it because you love it… and you can’t do anything but love it.
You may beat the odds. You may sell that spec script. You may achieve whatever Hollywood fantasies you have cavorting around in your mind. But at the core of your being, that’s not why you should be doing this.
You should do it because you love it.
