Screenwriting : 10 Things Screenwriters Should Expect When They Finally Break In by CJ Walley

Tremendous share, my good friend.

Great advice, CJ! I didn't have anything like this when I started writing scripts. Hope your advice helps up-and-coming screenwriters save time and money and avoid unnecessary headaches and pitfalls.

Very insightful, thanks a lot for sharing CJ Walley !

Awesome article ! Thank you so much for sharing CJ. This is exactly the advice and feedback I heard during my training from a seasoned screenwriter, and I remember thinking to myself, I'm happy to be doing this not to get rich and famous but because I love telling stories. Your article is lucid, clear, and oddly comforting. I'm not surprised by the Reddit and Facebook ban, I feel like some people are wallowing in their fantasy view of this profession. So thanks for taking the time to share your experience!

CJ, this is a f*cking brilliant article and 150% true all around. So honest and so real. Everyone in my network, please make sure you read this, you will learn so much (and maybe have fancy tea with CJ afterwards, too)

Glad you guys enjoyed it.

Great share, thanks CJ Walley

This article holds nothing back from what I can see. I'm looking forward to read this more and explore this website more. Thanks for sharing CJ.

This is a completely awesome post and blog that every writer should read. I highly recommend this to everyone in my network. Bravo, CJ. And thank you.

CJ, thanks so doggone much for sharing! So very glad you're in there!

Fantastic piece! I laughed out loud when I read about chain of title because I literally just learned about that last night and now I get why it's so important.

Excellent reality check, CJ Walley! Another break in, expectation oriented quote I heard long ago was something to the effect of, "You have ten years to write your first script, then twelve weeks to finish your second."

A quote from THE NATURAL comes to mind.

Iris Gaines: You know, I believe we have two lives.

Roy Hobbs: How... what do you mean?

Iris Gaines: The life we learn with and the life we live with after that.

Thanks for another great article, CJ!

Great insights, CJ! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for sharing, CJ Walley! This is a great read for everyone in the community!

Spot on! ;)

Thanks for your time in putting this together. Very helpful.

Thank you for sharing! Great read :)

CJ Walley a mahoosive thank you, CJ Walley

Thanks again for all the kind words.

THIS is one hell of a PHENOMENAL writer's playbook you've created, CJ Walley! I absolutely admire your "No Sugar Coating" approach and professional expertise, peppered with a healthy dose of humor. I began the read with a quick scroll in order to determine the article's length. "Hmmmmm. This may take some time." Scrolled back to the top and started reading with the notion-- "Well, ten individual sections, huh? I'll just read the good part, then stop." And soon, my scrolling eyeballs yelled at me-- ALL OF IT IS THE GOOD PART!!!! Especially #7. Boy, what a royal pain-in-the-ass #7 is! Luckily, I wrote, directed, and produced my first two films, so hoping for credit (actually 4 credits-- I acted in both.) wasn't an issue. Each film eventually appeared on the big screen in two separate theaters. One was at a film festival I attended in North Carolina and the other was at a world premiere screening here in Virginia that I actually paid for (Knowing a theater manager does have its benefits.). Thank you SO much for sharing your journey with us. I'm currently in the process of printing out a copy of this Top 10, so in the event I ever need your guidance, I'll step outside, gaze at the stars, and scream, "CJ WALLEY!".... Then head back into the house, open a drawer in my roll top desk, and reach for your sage advice! : )

Interesting photo at the top of the article, which begs the question: Why did Pink smash that mirror?

This post is full of information -- some I've never thought about! Thank you for giving some highlights of your experiences and expectations of the industry.

I tell everybody that you are being groomed as you try to sell your first script because it is a bitch and many circles to get to the right people. As far as having an Oscar script, my script Boy Blue will win Oscars when someone decides to make it.

@Bill Brock, that endorsement really means something, brother. Thanks so much. These things take a lot of time and energy to put together, so it means the world to see it so appreciated.

That model does indeed look like Pink!

CJ Walley , You're quite welcome, man. Thanks again, for sharing your vast knowledge and hopefully forgiving me of my fun, weird humor! I have provided photographic evidence of the aforementioned printed pages of said knowledge. Be well, pal. See ya 'round The Room! : )