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Personal Scriptwriting: The Edge
William Goldman, in his amusing book about screenwriting, Adventures in the Screen Trade, advises that new screenwriters realize that an excellent screenplay is a well-structured screenplay, but no one knows what constitutes a successful screenplay.1 An entire world of difference exists between these two desirable adjectives—excellent and successful. Many elements beyond your control determine whether your screenplay is excellent and successful. Agents, producers, directors, and, above all, actors, influence the outcome of your screenplay.
If Goldman’s proscription is dire, it certainly isn’t overly dramatic. Screen-writing is not akin to a lottery, but time is pushing it in that direction. As successful screenwriters ...
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