Every writer trying to break into the Hollywood rat race writes a spec script. The dream is simple: write a script, send it off to an agent who will love it, send it around town and sell it, maybe for big bucks. Where in the first half or so of the 20th Century the dream was to write the next great American novel, now throngs want to write the next great American screenplay.

But the simple truth is that in a good year maybe only five to twenty percent of all writers who get paid for writing are being paid for a spec script. Most movies that hit the screen are developed, not bought. Even in the world of independent film, a lot of the films that get completed were developed rather than bought. Granted, independent film probably has a higher rate of spec scripts getting made, but that’s because most of the films are directed and/or produced by the person who wrote it or somebody who helped the writer with the idea. The script was written because from the beginning it was intended to be made by the people closest to it, and therefore it wasn’t bought.

With the independent market taking a huge hit lately, the risks of trying to get your own project off the ground and have it see the light of day are getting larger than they have been in years. And with the economy in the crapper, studios and the so called mini-majors are sticking to projects developed in house.
So what the hell do we all write a spec for anyway? Even when things are good the chances of selling that spec are slim.

Don’t get me wrong, it is possible to sell a spec. It does happen. But the reasons we write them, or the reasons we should be writing them, are not for that direct sale. It’s much more important to think about what people look for in a spec than if they are going to pay you for it.

First, spec scripts are the only way writers can get any practice and experience. There is no bottom wrung in the writing world, where if you hang around long enough some producer will give you a shot at writing a page of his latest project, and if that works out next time he’ll give you a shot at writing a whole scene, and so on. So we have to slave away for hours working on our own little gem of an idea (or at least it is until we send it out and somebody trashes it). The more of our own ideas we work on the better we get. The more we learn about structure, character and developing both. Not to mention the fact that getting through that first script is like climbing Everest without oxygen while chain smoking. So the first reason for the spec is to show people, ourselves included, that we can write a script.

Take this part of it very seriously. Don’t kid yourself that with enough effort and writing you will just get better. That isn’t the case. I read a lot of scripts from people who have claimed to be writing for a long time and the thing is still a piece a crap. I also get a little tired of reading a script and giving my feedback only to be trashed myself because I “didn’t get it” or “can’t see what they’re doing” or worse, implications that I don’t know what I’m talking about. I don’t claim to be an expert or genius (at least not to everybody) but I do claim to take the craft very seriously. If you want to pound out that spec and then have the people who read it kiss your butt, give it to your mom. Don’t give it to other writers and certainly don’t send it out to agents or production companies. They aren’t going to kiss your butt. Ask for and look for and demand serious, honest criticism and then listen to the feedback. It may hurt you, but help your career.

It’s also important to point out that writers need to write more than one script. At least three is nice, and if they can all be different genres that’s even better. Unless you want to stick to being only a one genre writer. Work will be harder to come by in that case, but some writers have made great livings at being a one genre writer.

Writing more than one screenplay isn’t just for the practice. In my case (and I’ve heard I’m far from alone in this), the first question you’re going to get from an agent or even producer is “What else have you got?” This is often the best you can hear from the person who read it. It means they like your writing. Something about it in any case. It’s important to have something else to send them. This shows them that you didn’t just pour everything you’ve got into one script and that’s all you’ve got in you. They want to see that what caught their eye is something you can duplicate.

Which brings me to the next thing spec scripts can do: show off your strengths. Now, I hear you all saying “Shouldn’t writers be good at all of it?” Sure. But let’s face it, writers that are great at all aspects of script are few and far between. Most are competent at all of it, pretty good at certain things and maybe good or even great at one thing. That one thing may be plotting, dialogue, character, whatever. Think about what kind of a writer you want to be. Do you want to be that person that gets called in to write the project being developed at the big studio? Of course you are, so by all means you need to show that you can handle all aspects of story. Especially if you want to keep other writers off the project. But if you are truly great at some aspect of script, play it up every chance you get. It will help cover for the areas you’re still working on improving. If you’re great at dialogue, go for it because you can do a lot to tell story with it, so if your plot development isn’t so great, it’ll be harder to see.

Also, by playing up your strengths you can get some early work being one of those “script doctors.” Let’s take the dialogue example again. There are lots of writers that get called in to save a weak script simply because they can write great dialogue. Now I’m sure they are pretty good, maybe even great, at just flat out writing a script, but they make big bucks and work all the time because they can come in and elevate a soggy script with their dialogue skills. And wouldn’t that suck to be working all the time because you’re a specialist? That may be enough for you, but if it isn’t, it’s a way in until you’ve got a few producers that know you, know your work, trust you and who will not freak when you tell them you’ve got an idea for a movie you want to bounce off of them.

Spec scripts should really be thought of more as resumes than a ticket to a write up in The Hollywood Reporter. For instance, a few years back I met an assistant to a producer to whom I happened to mention I was a writer. Turns out the producer was looking for a writer for a project he wanted to get off the ground and couldn’t afford to pay an ‘A’ list writer at the time. So the assistant told me to send a script. My best script. So I did. The assistant didn’t like the story but he liked my writing. So I got that first question “What else do you have?” So I sent another script, one I thought was a bit more commercial. This one was even better received and the assistant decided to give it to the producer. The producer read it, gave me notes, didn’t really love the script (wasn’t a big fan of westerns), but again liked my writing and wanted to meet. That’s where he really kicked my ass over the script he’d read, but I took it like a man and went home to bite my pillows later. Turns out he wanted to see if I was somebody he could work with. Passed the next test. So he tells me the idea and I listened and gave him some ideas for it and what I thought could be done. He liked what I had to say but then went on to tell me he wasn’t going to be developing that project for a while. Well, hey, at least I got to meet with the guy. But I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t done my work on the specs.

Your spec is going to be your writing sample. If you do get an agent they will use it to send out to show producers what you can do. Or if it goes directly to a producer, that spec may remind the producer of the project they are looking for a writer to complete.

Every writer should still treat their specs as if they intend to sell them. As I said, that could well happen. The other reason for treating them that way is because if you don’t take that approach it will show, and who’s going to hire a writer that doesn’t even care enough about their own ideas to go all the way with them? But always keep in mind there is much more a spec can do for you than be that ultra lucky one in twenty that gets bought. A great spec is your calling card. It is your ticket to the big party.

If all your spec does is open doors that get you assigned to projects life won’t be all the rough. After enough assignments you can pull out that precious spec, blow off the dust and then present it as something you want to sell. Keep in mind in the beginning though, that day may be years away.

Jason M. Eng is the Sales and Marketing Manager for Write Brothers™, Inc. and a regular contributor to the Scoop, the monthly newsletter of Screenplay.com. He has written over fifteen scripts, two of them having been optioned. He is currently developing a film for independent production.

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