Read This Before You Write a Screenplay

If you’ve ever thought of trying your hand at screenwriting, read this beautifully over-the-top rant by former agent Nancy Nigrosh first. Nigrosh, who repped Kathryn Bigelow among others, paints screenwriting as a bloody, Darwinian struggle: “Screenwriters not only routinely and eagerly replace each other, they are tactical in their competitive quest for credit.” The poor schlub who writes the first draft often finds himself shafted for money, credit, and the champagne toast at the premiere. “The screenwriters who do not receive credit lose their sense of professional self worth. … It is as though they never existed.” Now back to that novel…