The Life of a Working Screenwriter: Glamorous? Think Again!

Hey, Writers, today I wanted to cover some huge misconceptions about the life of those who make their living as writers in Hollywood.

When you think of a screenwriter, what comes to mind? Champagne-fueled brainstorming sessions in a sleek Hollywood office? Rubbing elbows with A-list actors at glamorous premieres?

Or maybe typing away in a sunlit room with a perfect view of the Pacific Ocean?

Getting heaps and heaps of huge residual checks and rolling around on our yachts in piles of money.

Well, let me burst that bubble for you. The life of a working screenwriter is not exactly what you see in the movies (irony intended).

It’s more like a mix of creativity, deadlines, rejection, and—if you’re lucky—those rare moments of pure magic when your words come to life on screen, but mostly, it's rejection, more rejection, and then some more rejection but then again, it's AWESOME.

Let me take you behind the scenes

It Starts with Coffee (Lots of It) Haha, is that just me? I don't think so.

Picture this: You, in your favorite sweatpants, clutching a mug of coffee like your life depends on it. Spoiler alert: It does. Writing is hard work, and caffeine is your co-pilot. Mornings are for brainstorming, outlining, or revising that one scene you’ve rewritten five times but still doesn’t feel quite right. Then you jump on a call or meeting in person with the producer, director, showrunner, head writer, or executive and talk about the story.

You swig down another shot of caffeine and mentally prepare yourself for all the changes you will make.

This isn't a bad thing but you must have a thick skin because no one has time to coddle you, it's just like "this, this and that aren't working, replace this with a scene that does this, cut this, add that, and then send it back to us."

In TV writing, it's faster and even more furious.

Deadlines Are Your Frenemy

Deadlines are both the bane of your existence and the only thing keeping you in check. Whether it’s a pitch for a producer, a rewrite for a director, or a self-imposed deadline to finish your spec script, they’re always looming. And trust me, nothing motivates like the panic of realizing your deadline is tomorrow and especially when the piggy is empty and you have bills to pay.

Again, doing this for a living means that you must think about getting paid.

As I Mentioned Above: Rejection Is Part of the Job

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: rejection. It’s not personal (even though it feels like it). Scripts get passed on for a million reasons—budget constraints, timing, or simply not being the right fit. The key is to develop a thick skin and keep writing. Because for every “no,” there’s a “yes” waiting down the line. You just have to stick with it. This is more for when you are pitching your spec script.

*A spec script is a script that you are writing "on spec" or FOR FREE. No one is paying you to write it, but you are writing it in hopes of making a sale. NOTE: in television writing when they say "send me a spec" they usually mean writing a script of an existing show. The reason you do this is to show that you can match the voice and tone of a show that is already going. This is the key to being hire on staff.

Collaboration Is Key

Screenwriting isn’t a solitary job. You’re constantly working with producers, directors, and sometimes even actors to bring your vision to life. And let’s be real—sometimes that means compromising. Maybe your favorite scene gets cut, or you have to rewrite the ending because it doesn’t fit the budget. It’s all part of the process. You must be a team player and OPEN to critiques about your work. It's not personal, it's business.

The Highs Are Worth It

For all the challenges, there’s nothing quite like seeing your words come to life. Whether it’s a table read, a scene being filmed, or the final cut of your movie playing on screen, it’s a feeling like no other. It's of the best part of the job, but honestly, for me, sometimes just getting paid to writer is enough.

On The Other Hand

There is nothing worse than heading into Starbucks and hearing two guys talking about how terribile that scene you wrote that aired last night was, or hearing them go on and on about how bad your film is.

REMEMBER--this is a business of opinions.

Balancing Act

Oh, and did I mention the juggling act? Writing isn’t always the only thing on your plate. Many screenwriters are also story consultants, script analysts, or even working other jobs to pay the bills. It’s a hustle, but one that’s worth it if you love storytelling. This is me, as you know, I'm also a working script consultant, story coach, career coach, and story/script analyst. I also draw and always have art jobs to help cover the bills. This is normal and I honestly don't know any working writers who don't do something else on the side. The exception would be famous directors who also write and produce.

Getting Credit Sometimes Doesn't Happen

You may or may not understand how we get screen credit for our work. Let me just say that sometimes we get credit, and other times you don't. There are so many different factors that go into play. I've worked on a gazillion shows and films and didn't get credit. Most of the time for me, I don't really care. It's like, I've seen my name a lot that I forget sometimes to ask for it in my contract or at least I did when I was greener.

But it means less than newbies think that it does.

No One In Your Real Life Understands

People in your life outside of the industry will never understand the hours, the ups and downs for getting paid, the when things are written to when they are out in the world, why things get canceled, why you can't always plan weeks in advance. It's just something that we, all in the industry, get but our families, friends, and social media peeps don't.

Why We Do It

At the end of the day, being a screenwriter is about passion. It’s about crafting stories that make people laugh, cry, or think. It’s about creating something that resonates. And yes, it’s about those moments when you realize that you’re doing what you love—even if it’s not always glamorous. I can't imagine not working in the fim industry. I took almost a decade off from writing to focus on coaching and also novels---which I love writing novels too--and I am published but it's a horse of a different color as they say but nothing compares to the film industry. I love it or I would do something more stable. The ups and downs and everything in between are great. It's the best job in the world.

Are you a working (getting paid) writer? I'd love to hear your experiences.

As always, thanks for reading!!

Steph

@stephobourbon on social