The only mistake I think he's making is that he refuses to temp with entertainment companies: 'I Just Don't Want to Answer Phones at Some Place I Used to Pitch'

Seems like a good argument for having an MFA.... If you have produced credits or scripts that have been purchased by the big studios or production companies, there's a chance you could teach to bridge the gap between paid writing gigs... Right now I curse the fortune I spent on my MFA, but if times get tough as a write (once I break in), I hope I can rely on my degree and my credits to get me a teaching gig. Sure beats a 9-5 at an insurance company.

Good for him! Not sure about his use of "slings and arrows," though. He might need to read Hamlet again.

i have just watched a good south korean movie about this topic. It's called "Passerby #3 " (2010) . "Written and directed by Shin Su Won, Passerby No. 3 is an indie movie about the quest to make a movie. Aspiring director Ji Wan (Park Hyun Young) quit her day job to dedicate herself to writing screenplays, but time keeps passing and she's no closer to realizing her dream. One day, Ji Wan sees a rainbow in a puddle while walking around depressed, and it inspires her to start on another screenplay. Her teenage son (Baek So Myung), who has problems of his own to deal with at school, wants to play Passerby No. 3 in the film. " The movie won an award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Go to your favorite asian dvd shop !!!(don't trust Imdb ,the movie is good) The trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE_K39a05I8

That stinks for Anonymous, and I feel for him, but this is why you always have to keep on writing your own stuff, rather than just waiting for the next assignment. Because it's not always going to come. You have to have another spec ready at all times, in case the well dries up, and you need to throw in some water yourself. This is why I haven't started my break-in process until now, now that I've written 7 scripts. (Also because the first two were terrible!) If I'm lucky enough to sell or get meetings from even one of those, I've got plenty after that one to back it up. Now that I'm starting my eighth one, though...it's just for the fun of it!