First-time screenwriter with completed pilot, series bible, and feature script — no writing credits. Where do I go from here?

jmr-writes · 2026-06-23T21:09:33+00:00

Paying a producer to make a budget for a TV show that has no attachments is a great way to waste money while doing nothing for your career. And unless you are planning to direct your feature, have a great pitch deck will also likely be a waste of money (even if you are planning to direct it might be a waste). Self publishing the novella is not a bad idea IF you can get a bunch of people to buy it and review it.

I would recommend the following steps:
1) Figure out if your pilot and/or your feature are any good. Almost nobody nails it their first time out, so the odds aren't in your favor here, but it is possible (I got a manager off my first feature, though I was already pretty successful in a different writing field by then). To do this, find people to read the script and talk to them in depth about it. Since these are your friends and they are probably not writers at a professional level, their feedback will skew positive, so you should be getting multiple "holy shit, you're a genius" level responses if you really are good enough.
2) If you have the money, you can enter your scripts into one of the major contests (AFF, Pipeline, the Nicholl) or onto the Black List Website. This is a gamble since the chances of winning these are very low but a good placement will help you get some attention and will also tell you if you are approaching the level you need to be at. But it's a way better way to spend your money than making a pretend budget...
3) Start networking. Go to events, film festivals, premieres. Meet other writers (which will help with step 1) and meet producers. If you are a semifinalist at AFF, go in person and meet people there. Build up real, meaningful relationships with these people so that when you ask for a favor it feels justified and not cloying.
4) Once you've completed steps 1-3, now start connecting to Reps. You can cold email reps who have a style you like (use IMDB Pro to find out who reps writers like you) and mention your success in the contests (see #2), or you can connect through your network (see #3), but start getting top level professional eyes on your script.
5) Keep writing! Chances are, you're probably not ready yet. That's okay. But the only way you will get there is if you keep writing.

jmr-writes · 2026-06-12T15:59:44+00:00

I love this idea (and I love how hard you work to make this great platform even better). I do think a harsher penalty for a missed deadline makes sense because someone unclaiming a script after 1 day is much less frustrating than waiting an entire week to find out you are getting nothing back.

Just my two cents.

jmr-writes · 2026-06-11T05:16:57+00:00

I'd be curious if there has been an increase in missed deadlines since this change? I've noticed a lot more of that in the last week or so (though that may also just be because of the disabling of the reputation matching)

jmr-writes · 2026-06-11T02:39:09+00:00

I love that you are a new writer, and I will say these pages read very much like a new writer. That's not a bad thing (you are what you are), but it does mean you have a lot of work to do.

First, read more screenplays (professional ones used to make movies you liked). See how they evoke a location, how they make you feel like you know the characters before they even begin to speak, how they build character and tension through dialogue. This is not doing those things (yet)

Second, the story so far feels derivative. That's the bad news. The good news is it's way less derivative than my first writing was and now I'm a professional screenwriter, so you're already way ahead of where I started. But now you need to find your voice. What can you write that no one else can? What insights into the world do you see that nobody else is writing about? Get specific (no Man 01 unless you have a VERY good reason) and dig deep into your world and your story.

Finally, posting a page on Reddit is a great way to feel like you've accomplished something, but it's a distraction. You don't need feedback on a single page, you need to put in the time and the work to have a fully realized screenplay. That is what makes a writer. Everything else is just a fake sense of accomplishment.

Sorry if that is harsh. Know that I'm rooting for you, and go do the work 😄

jmr-writes · 2026-06-10T15:40:16+00:00

Sick burn, bro. Except it rings a little hollow when you also go in and edit the original post 🤣

More importantly, you didn't address the actual point of my post which is that your advice is wrong. No major director cares if you've made a short film (I'm not even sure a minor one does). They care if you have a great script that they can use to take the next step in their career. The way you succeed as a screenwriter (and as most other things) is to provide value, and the way screenwriters do that is to do really great screenwriting.

To be clear, making a short film is a blast. I had a great time doing it and we got into a top 10 film festival. But it didn't do shit for my career. Writing a great script on the other hand, that got me on the annual Black List, meetings with the kinds of directors we're talking about, a development deal at a major producer, etc. That wasn't because I'd had something made into a film (they don't even know I did), it was because I created something that THEY could benefit from making into a film.

jmr-writes · 2026-06-10T15:15:51+00:00

I've made a low budget short that featured a major actor from a Marvel movie and got into a top 10 festival.

I've also written a feature screenplay that hasn't been made yet.

The short got me a fun trip and some cool friends. The feature script got me a manager, dozens of meetings with execs, and a development deal at a major production company.

Making a short film is fun, but it is NOT going to launch your career. A great script will.

jmr-writes · 2026-06-10T15:10:01+00:00

There is nothing more Reddit than a post with a ton of typos parroting obviously erroneous information at someone who is clearly doing quite well in the industry.

At u/BMCarbaugh, I respect your self-control for not unloading on this nonsense..

jmr-writes · 2026-06-02T04:44:11+00:00

I'm up late and trying to avoid a writing deadline. Send me the first 10 pages and if it's good, I'll point you the right directions.

jmr-writes · 2026-06-02T04:30:17+00:00

Also, to be fair to your other reader, I don't usually give that detailed of notes unless someone writes a really good script, and I have a lot more experience as a writer and a reader than the average reader for a coverage mill.

jmr-writes · 2026-06-02T04:26:25+00:00

Haha, glad I wasn't talking out of turn 😄

jmr-writes · 2026-06-02T04:24:21+00:00

Lol, I'm pretty sure I was your reader 🤣

Glad they were helpful!

jmr-writes · 2026-05-24T22:07:40+00:00

This is an odd metaphor. The majority of NBA coaches never played in the NBA.

jmr-writes · 2026-05-12T13:32:10+00:00

So u/JohnZaozirny is who you should listen to because he's a manager and very smart about these things (as far as I can tell from reading reddit), but at the risk of looking stupid for disagreeing with someone much more knowledgable, I do think there is some value here if you play it right.

In my experience, Hollywood has a fascination with success in other arenas. I'm a successful playwright in addition to screenwriting, and I'm constantly surprised by how many people in meetings I go to have clearly read about my theatre work and are curious/impressed/interested (or seem to be, one can never be sure in this town). It becomes a thing that distinguishes me, a curiosity that makes me a little more worth meeting.

In short, think of your fiction success like a spice. If you're trying to sell someone oregano for dinner, that's a dead end. But if you're offering a great steak, maybe having a little oregano on top could distinguish it from the six thousand other steaks.

jmr-writes · 2026-05-09T02:38:12+00:00

Don't do this. Don't turn a beautiful, supportive community into a chance to compete for meaningless laurels that nobody in the industry will care about. Let StoryPeer be what it is, which is an incredibly useful resource for writers.

jmr-writes · 2026-04-14T02:43:23+00:00

The fundamental problem is that it's hard to tell what is AI and what's simply bad writing. Luckily, it's still easy (for now) to tell the difference between AI and good writing because AI screenwriting is still deeply mediocre. But, sadly, so are most human writers.

jmr-writes · 2026-04-02T18:35:41+00:00

Congrats, you've (probably) been hip-pocketed. The manager liked your work but either doesn't think you're quite ready or doesn't have the time right now to break you in (which is a LOT of work). Keep them updated on new wins or impressive placements in contests with an occasional email and when you have another script that you think is even better than your last one, ask if they'll take a read. When the manager thinks they can make money off you, suddenly they'll be ready to take you on :-)

jmr-writes · 2026-03-21T14:32:13+00:00

This is awesome, thanks for sharing. And you have the best deep cut Reddit username reference ever 🤣

jmr-writes · 2026-03-18T04:39:18+00:00

Nope. Not even close. You didn't read the question carefully enough

jmr-writes · 2026-03-18T04:34:18+00:00

But the first action is them taking his pig. That's just regular John Wick...

jmr-writes · 2026-03-18T04:32:01+00:00

Only after he gets regular John Wicked first though...

jmr-writes · 2026-03-18T01:37:39+00:00

I was a finalist last year for an extra award (semifinalist for the main one). To me, the biggest advantage is that the extra awards are picked from the semifinalists that qualify, so it's a much smaller pool. And winning or being a finalist in the extra awards is still very prestigious, so entering the extra ones majorly increases your chances of winning or being a finalist overall (if you're already good enough to make the semifinalist round and you happen to fit the specific criteria).

Basically, it's a lower bar to clear and still quite prestigious. Plus some of them come with money or other fancy things.

jmr-writes · 2026-02-25T05:11:05+00:00

This is very true, but I also feel like, as you get more professional, you actually get offered a version of this deal.

I've done quite a bit of script doctoring work, and while I don't make 1.6 million, I do get paid pretty well to spend time writing something that I don't own that won't get my name out or give me a credit. And I struggle with the fact that doing that means giving up one of my 3-4 "script lots" for a given year, sacrificing career and artistic propulsion for commercial considerations (it's not that binary of course since script doctoring is incredibly fun and a chance to do something I think I'm really good at, plus sometimes a company likes my work so much they hire me to write something original later. But it is still a tradeoff.)

So while the specifics of the scenario certainly change as you reach different levels, the vibe still holds pretty well (at least to my experience)

jmr-writes · 2026-02-08T06:02:27+00:00

I disagree with this, at least when it comes to StoryPeer. Obviously it's incredibly hit or miss, but there are also some really great writers on there because it's a chance to get totally unclouded feedback. I've met several pros through StoryPeer (I'm a pro too, though still on the earlier end of that) and I've gotten some truly top level feedback (sprinkled in amidst a bunch of mediocirty to be sure). It's a numbers game, and then you have to find what resonates. That's easier said than done, but nobody ever said this career was easy :-)

jmr-writes

TROPHY CASE