Screenwriting : Just Finished My First Screenplay – Seeking Guidance and Networking! by Ryan Wilford

Congratulations on finishing your first script, Ryan Wilford!

I suggest registering your script with the U.S. Copyright Office if you haven’t already.

You could get feedback on your first script to make sure it's in the best shape. Stage 32 has feedback services (www.stage32.com/scriptservices).

After that, I suggest networking as you write your next scripts (build a portfolio). Here are some blogs about networking: www.stage32.com/blog/tags/networking-41

Hey Ryan Wilford congrats on finishing your first script! An awesome first step and with the next step, the possible paths to take are endless. A good thing to do now that you've completed your project, is to get it read by someone or multiple someones. Whether that's an industry pro reader or a friend, that's up to you! But after I finish a project, I always try to gather up feedback wherever I can, to try to get an idea of what's awesome and what can use some work. From there you'll find writing is rewriting! And you do that until you feel it's polished and good reflection of your voice. Then start pushing it out there every which way you can

congrats, Ryan – now go and write another three or more screenplays

why? – to apply what you've learned writing your first screenplay, and to have an answer to the inevitable question: "What else have you got?"

Pat and Maurice's comments seem to assume that your script hasn't been read by anyone else – i hope that's not true – you can't really 'finish' a screenplay without running it past people who don't know the story and what you're trying to accomplish – their 'ignorance' is the only way you can check to see if you've succeeded in achieving what you've set out to do

i've developed a process to get feedback on my scripts that you may be interested in, and which I've explained in excruciating detail, here:

https://assortedprojects.net/the-blog/2024/06/27/non-professional-readers

Thanks! Maurice Vaughan appreciate the advice! Yeap, I registered it this past summer! I already have 20+ ideas ready to go and definitely will begin working on those, but for now, I'm looking to pour energy into getting this script out there.

Thank you! Pat Alexander I finished back in July and have been working on pitch information for a couple months now. Thank you for the advice and feedback! I'm somewhere between getting feedback on the script as well as trying to get it seen and network.

Robert Bruinewoud Thank you Robert! I appreciate you sharing! I'll give that a look when I can. I have shared it with friends, positive feedback, but no one in the field or industry.

You're welcome, Ryan Wilford. You said you've been working on pitch information. Stage 32 has a weekly Pitch Practice for Writers' Room members I suggest checking out. It's the best pitching resource in my opinion. Pitch Practice is every Thursday night at 5:30 P.M. PST/8:30 P.M. EST. You can sit in and listen to members practice their projects and give them feedback. You can pitch your project too, but you have to sign up. The hosts, Noel Thompson and John Mezes, take sign ups at the start of each practice. I think you have to sit in and listen at the practice one or two times before you can pitch, but it's been a while since I've been at a Pitch Practice, so that might've changed. I plan on being back at the Pitch Practice this week.

You can sign up for your first month of the Writers' Room for free here: www.stage32.com/writers-room/plans-vip

Congrats. Keep writing - outlining, scripting, revising - and apply all you learn. After 5 scripts written and revised, I've turned my 1st one from a simple genre piece to something with a unique edge of its own.

Congratulations Ryan Wilford

Go man Go! Recommend starting with competitions. Win one of the better ones and your screenplay will probably be picked up by a major producer or streamer. Outside of that...from what I've heard you pretty much have to be referred by someone on the inside to get your work in front of the right people...manager or agent.

One more suggestion..... Filmfreeway is a great place to find and enter competitions. https://filmfreeway.com/festivals.

Hey, Ryan! I’m new too (with my first tv pilot called RAINY LAKE, based on my historical novels set in 1920s northern MN). I want to cheer you on with your first script! Great advice here to go ahead and find readers and go write more scripts. Have you sent it to festivals yet?

I appreciate the support and information! Thank you! I'll check it out. Maurice Vaughan

Michael Dzurak Thank you for the advice! and congrats on that. I definitely plan to start my next screenplay in the beginning of the new year.

Thank you! Mark Deuce

You're welcome, Ryan Wilford. Happy Holidays!

Thank you for the insight! That's what I've been gathering from my research, getting the script reviewed by peers for any edits/changes, and then yeah, entering contest which is another way to get agent's attention. I'm in the process of checking out contest, I've joined multiple networking sites, but this is the only one so far, where you can create post and connect freely, so I like it! Fonde Taylor and I'll check out the site, thanks!

Hello, Mary! how exciting! nice to meet you, love meeting my fellow incoming writers. Congrats! is it in the works? that's awesome. I haven't sent anything to festivals or contest yet, I'm in the process of reviewing them and budgeting lol they can be pricey!

The best thing you can do right now is study the craft and start networking. With better craft skills, you'll see ways to improve your screenplay and go in better armed for the next one. The seeds you start planting now in terms of networking may pay off in another ten years.

You're going to get a lot of bad advice. Do your due-diligence on where it's coming from. Stay away from competitions. Don't use feedback as a crutch for craft skills. Don't go looking for representation as an unknown. Most importantly, know that it might another ten years of solid work before you even start to get traction.

Thank you CJ Walley appreciate the advice!

I'm late to this party, but wanted to chime in as well. Like you, Ryan Wilford , I recently finished my first screenplay and am working on my second, so it sounds like we're in very similar circumstances. As I write my second screenplay, I have my first registered and in the festival circuit to see if I can generate any momentum. I'm picking festivals across three tiers within my budget - top tier (PAGE, Sundance, Nicholl), mid tier but the best fit for my genre (I won't list them because your genre probably isn't the same as mine), and low tier (cheap to enter, easier barrier to win, but the laurels don't mean as much). I recommend researching the festivals (don't just go by their ratings on Filmfreeway). Look for festivals that provide actual tangible momentum, not just generic "agents and producers are interested in our festival" type verbiage.

From there I've registered at InkTip (good for independence producers and directors to find you), Virtual Pitch Fest (if you want a proactive approach), Blacklist (good for mainstream production companies and agents to find you; you need an 8 or higher rating though), and last but not least, right here at Stage32, which as Maurice mentioned has a ton of valuable resources and a supportive community. Most of this costs money, but if you don't mind a passive approach you can still do nearly all of this for free.

Last thing: if you haven't already, you can post your logline in your profile for others to review. Their scores can help judge at a high level if your concept sounds intriguing.

Good luck, keep us posted! - PK

Networking can really be a pain, especially based on where you live. But I usually find just regular friends and family aren't bad for reading a draft of something, way more willing than you'd think and with feedback that is often great and helpful, in some ways even better than from a pro because most people in an audience aren't pros.

Patrick "PK" Koepke Thank you so so much for the insight! Good luck with everything. I really appreciate it. currently I am looking into contest, getting things reviewed and budgeting, so many things, but this was very helpful!

Zackary Goncz I love that, and I agree! that's in my next steps getting notes and opinions from different parties. Thank you

Congratulations!!

Congratulations and good luck. Now comes the hard part.

Entering contests is usually a great way to gauge the general appeal your script / if it's hitting all the right technical marks. My best advice would to make some writer friends or get your current writer friends to read it as well, and collect some notes/feedback on how to make it better / the best it can be

THank you, kindly! Mark Deuce

Thank you! Bill Albert appreciate it. haha that makes me nervous, but ready!

Thank you Pat Alexander that's the plan! get more eyes on it as well as enter contest. Thank you much!