Did you fall off a horse as a child and break your coccyx, Scott?

Hysterical post that overlooks who you really anger when you say "no" - your representatives. Their goal is simple - get you paid to write so they can collect a commission. What is this ungrateful hypothetical writer doing in the room in the first place? His agent or manager got him there and you'd be awfully dumb to make light of their hard won connections and relationships. The idea that the writer in Hollywood is some respected individual that exerts their own will is a joke and you know it. It takes years and years to earn that right - and even then it's only temporary. Control the content means control the writer means take what your given and we'll give you more when we feel you're ready. (and won't challenge the status quo)

No, Marc, but if I had, it would likely have been my head that hit the turf... which would explain a lot about some of the illogical decisions I make like running this blog!

This is good advice for life, not just screenwriting: Know your strengths. Know your limitations. Value your skills. Don't feel compelled to put yourself out on the marketplace as a take-all-comers 2-bit rent boy. Exercise discretion, free will, and self-determination.

Hi Scott! An established writer such as yourself might have the leverage to do that~say no! But for those who are just starting to earn a living as a writer and establish a name or reputation for themselves in an already saturated market, saying no might just put a damper to whatever dreams or ambitions they had in start to write script! As the story goes, one would have to capture hearts and minds of those who have the power to decide when it comes to film or TV drama projects. Its terrible over here in Malaysia, the way it is. Just sharing with you and your readers that things aren't quite the same in any given part of the world. Connections still make or break any budding screenwriter's career path. I for one am learning much from writings such as yours. Thanks for sharing with us and please keep it coming.

Haji, I addressed this issue in another TBOS post which you can read here. Sometimes you have to say 'yes'.

I'd add -- there's a difference between being difficult and sticking up for choices you think are stronger. Especially, if you can voice your opinion in the affirmative. Read the Lucas, Spielberg, Kasdan RAIDERS story discussion transcript. There's some straight up stupid ideas in that thing. In all 129 pages, I don't think 'no' is uttered once to rebutt an idea. (It probably is). The point is 3 people spitballing ideas back and forth -- and they tend to let bad ideas just go away, rather than head on confrontation. They latch on to the good ideas and expand upon those. Where you draw the line is a personal choice. But I wholly agree with Scott. I think many writers that haven't felt acknowledgment for their work feel the need to prove that they'll agree with everything. And I think it's wholly counterproductive. I've never met a producer that wanted a Yes-man. In fact, if they did, I doubt they'd want me. They'd probably just write their own stuff. Generally, people want me for the things they can't think up themselves. For my unique take and opinion. How am I going to make this different and still make it work and successful? That's what they want. And trust me when I say -- if you turn in a draft that is utter shit because you are following someone's notes/directions -- they aren't going to care who's notes it was. They aren't going to blame themselves for shitty notes. They're going to blame the writer. They're going to blame you. So might as well write to what your heart desires. Once you start getting meetings you'll see. Even when you are first starting out. You'll get pitched ideas that you don't get / can't connect with. They'll ask you what you think -- just be honest. I don't get it. It feels like we've seen this before. What I end up saying a lot with these scripts that don't work (cause let's face it -- if they have a completed script and are bringing you on to do something -- something isn't working -- and they know it) I'll usually say... I like the premise a lot. Here's what I would do with it. I'd take this character and do X. I like this idea over here and think it plays well with the relationships of Y and Z and we can build to the finale you guys already have setup in the script. If you want a career, I wouldn't bullshit them. I'd just put everything you have on the table.

I remember watching an interview once featuring screenwriter Robert Towne. I think it was on the “special features” second disc of the “Chinatown” DVD Collector’s Edition. I don’t have my DVDs right here to verify, so let’s say that is correct. But I do remember that Mr. Towne was being asked about the origins of the writing; how he interested the studio in the script; and he also described the rewrite process with Roman Polanski. This was in the early 1970’s, before Robert Towne was Robert Towne. Approaching 40, he had made his name so far adapting literary works. No original screenplays yet. So Robert Evans of Paramount asked him to adapt The Great Gatsby for the studio. Towne said no. Evans pressed him. Again, no. The pay would have been good. But the prospect of adapting one of literature’s greatest works simply wasn’t appealing to him. He said no. Besides, he really wanted to write this story about the origins of Los Angeles and this powerful family and the drought in the valley. And there was a private investigator involved, who was roughed up some. The story was Chinatown. John A + Joan A