Question of the week 2/14 How's your philosophy?

Question of the week for 2/14 taken from Philosophy of a Great Screenwriter class:
Presented by Hal Croasmun at ScreenwritingU.com

Tip 12. Some People Get Lucky. Make Sure You're One of Them.


In this industry, you often hear about "lucky breaks." Many of the most successful writers, producers, and actors credit part of their success to a few lucky moments.

But let's be clear. The vast majority of those people absolutely deserve their luck because they created it...and so will you.

Having said that, there's the other side of the coin. Some writers don't want to accept luck as part of their model. In fact, they'll refuse a lucky break if they get one. Either they don't recognize it, or they don't like how it is being presented to them, or they don't want luck to be the reason for their success. Whatever the reason, they have sabotaged their own success. Don't let that happen to you.

Creating Your Own Luck

This is all about driving your own story (Tip 1). You can't control the industry, but you can control the actions you take. Here are some easy steps for creating your own luck:

1. Make sure you're prepared.

Overall, this entire philosophy is about getting you ready for a lucky break. But you also need to do the work to have screenplays that are attractive to agents and producers (Tip 3). You need to have a pitch that will instantly intrigue an industry player. And you need the confidence (Tip 4) to present yourself as a professional.

2. Put yourself in situations where luck/opportunities can occur.

Interact online with writer's groups, filmmakers, and producers. Go to events where you can network. Don't wait for opportunity to come knocking. Knock on opportunity's door!

Even if your script gets turned down (Tip 9), there's still value that can come out of it. You can build relationships with the production company. Use the feedback to improve your script. Then, learn from the experience so your next submission is more successful.

3. Accept lucky breaks and take action on them.

The opportunity has shown up. Don't put on the brakes. Just step forward. Take the appropriate action. If it is an important connection, build a relationship. If it is a chance to collaborate with a production company, jump in. If it is an offer, give yourself permission to make the deal (Tip 5) and move your career forward.

Very likely, you've created opportunities like this at some point in your life (Tip 7). Thinking back on how you "became lucky" might give you insights into how to do something similar for your screenwriting.

ACTION: Create a plan RIGHT NOW to take action on the three steps listed above. Don't wait until later. Design your future success today.

QUESTION: How can you set up your screenwriting career to create more opportunities and take advantage of lucky breaks?

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Write right and write on!