Sharing your background

Trying to distinguish yourself when you're Just Another Hollywood Wannabe to pros can be difficult.

You have to separate yourself from the pack, and there are a number of ways you can do that.

One of the most important ways is to... actually have a professional writing background.

It's not as hard as you might think it is, and experience in all sorts of areas can count. For me, it's a little easier because I went to school to be a journalist. Throughout high school and college, I was a newspaper columnist and an editor.

And now I'm the managing editor for the Scriptwriters Network newsletter.

So I've got plenty to talk about when I meet other writers.

But what if you don't have that kind of a background?

Well. Get going!

You can start a blog, on any topic you feel knowledgeable about. It's free. If you blog often and frequently, that's writing experience. Put the URL on your business cards, and post on other similar blogs to get more traffic.

You can see if your local newspaper accepts columns, again on any topic that makes you feel comfortable. Bring a sample column and propose a schedule. You're going to have to meet deadlines in Hollywood, so why don't you start right now?

You can volunteer with an organization like The Scriptwriters Network. The SWN hosts the Hollywood Outreach Program, where they will teach you to give coverage on scripts. That's Hollywood experience, and you'll become a better writer for it as well. Or hey, you can pitch a column idea to me. If we publish it, you've got a work sample.

What else can you do? If you've got experience in other aspects of film production, then write and shoot a short. Post video blogs.

The point is, you have to DO SOMETHING and start building your resume.

Then when you start to meet people, you're not just a hopeful. You're a screenwriter with a vast body of other work to show for yourself -- as long as you remember to tell people about what you do. And don't forget to ask them about what they're looking for and what they're working on.

You'll look serious and professional, and you'll likely be taken far more seriously while you're making those all-important connections.