Where has all this push for writers to enter into this field come from?
"Shane Black, whose $4.5 million fee for "The Long Kiss Goodbye" kicked off the spec-script boom in 1996, remains especially upbeat about the profession, despite a lot of hard knocks in recent years. "I think screenwriting can be enormously satisfying work -- not just financially but spiritually as well.
"So everyone is getting in on the act, and the Great Screenplay Gold Rush -- which was kicked into high gear by a frantic Hollywood buying spree of freelance or "spec" scripts in the late '90s -- has spawned an industry of logistical support and a culture in which Seattle has found a special place."
Like any other area of life, when everybody has caught on to what's going on, that's a good time to be careful of all the hoopla.
Keeping that in mind, it is still a great opportunity if it is hit right.
"Yet these caveats hardly seem discouraging in the face of the reality that a screenwriting skill is the best entree to the creative core of the filmmaking process: It's the steppingstone to directing and sometimes even to stardom, as Sylvester Stallone proved with "Rocky" and Matt Damon with "Good Will Hunting."
Of course the pay for all of this is pretty good also as it is not rare that writers just starting off can score million-dollar deals away. Not only that, but spec scripts by more established writers can pay up to $2 million and $3 million dollars. Some have even soared into the $4 million and $5 million range.
The love of writing and rewards at the end are keeping writers up late at night looking for that door to open.
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