Screenwriting : Writing Sample by Sharon Hankins

Before you do it might be a good idea to get it copyrighted. Only $55 on line. Better safe than sorry. Of course, if you are sending the entire script. Just a suggestion.

You already have immediate protections under “copyright” the very second you create a fixed work, i.e., a screenplay. What you do is register a claim of copyright. And the person asking to see your writing samples may prefer that your work is indeed registered. That person may ask you to sign a release form of some sort as well. I would also assume completed works is what is being requested. Or ask the person for specifics. What would she/he like to see? Good luck!

Yup. A simple, single claim, not for hire, is $35. Most people here are registering spec scripts they wrote alone for themselves to either enter into screenwriting competitions or to post online or to pitch or to use as writing samples. So a simple, single claim is enough. Should someone sell a work then it gets a little more complicated. ;)

Thank you all for your insight! I definitely have the work registered and done the copyright. Fingers crossed. Thanks again everyone.

The entire script.

Sharon- Best wishes. When you win. Stage32 wins. That's why it works. We all help and support each other.

You should send the full script.

full script.

Just to clarify Beth Fox Heisinger's statement, copyright does indeed attach the moment it the work is created. However, registration affords additional protections. Including attorney's fees and statutory damages if you register PRIOR to infringement. If you wait until someone infringes, you lose the benefit of that portion of the statute. So yay to everybody who is registering as a matter of course. :)

Yes, should you ever wish to bring a lawsuit, which is rare, you need to register. Or should you ever need a stronger standing in a court of law a registered claim is indeed valuable. So registering is both common sense and often common practice, but it is voluntary. However, there is much more to actually bringing a lawsuit. This idea that a registration is a catch-all fix-all is a bit over-simplified. There’s so much more to prove in a case of infringement. But, I digress... Anyway, everyone can easily do their own due dilligence, there’s lots of information online or perhaps talk to a lawyer. ;)

I don't think anyone was saying that registration is a catch-all, and if I gave that impression, I certainly didn't mean to. And absolutely, everyone should do their own due diligence. But if you are in a position where you need and/or want to sue because of an infringement, you are in a very precarious position if you haven't registered. And sadly, infringement does happen. And often results in litigation. As an IP attorney, I saw a lot of cases and represented a lot of clients (I'm not currently licensed; that was another life). More personally, I've been a victim of it, and though we settled without litigation, had my work not been registered, I wouldn't have had a chance to recover any damages since my work was a free promotional bonus story I'd written for my then-publisher's website and not a $ earner.

Julie, I was just making a side comment (in the catch-all sentence) that was not directed at anyone in particular. ;)

Sharon, did you send those examples? I hope it goes well for you. :) Fingers crossed indeed!

Hi Sharon, It seems like the answers on this thread swerved towards copyright and away from your original question about writing samples. Here's my take: A "writing Sample" should be a scene. 10-15 pages is typical. If your writing is professional and polished, they can see everything they need to know in those pages. When selecting a scene, make sure there is snappy dialogue, that there is a "beginning, middle and end" for the scene and that there is intensity and/or intrigue. A lot of times I send the first 10-15 pages of a script because I usually load the opening sequence with action and set up significant information about my main character. Make it a "page turner". Your object should be to blow the producer away so that they ask for the rest of the script. I once got a completely unrelated writing assignment because I sent the first 16 pages of an adaptation I did and they were so blown away that they requested the rest of the script, read it overnight and called me the next morning. Good luck!