Thank you again for all the work in putting this together, Scott. Fascinating stuff. (I swear I'm not asking you for more work, but if you have the information easily at hand, I'd love to see a post on how many of these spec sales were for scripts that have been on the Black List--only if it's easy.) I have two thoughts: 1. I wonder how spec script writers can/will use this data when deciding on their next project? ACT genres are the big winners, obviously. Beyond that, if you knew you wanted to pitch a script to a specific studio, what do the individual lists tell you? 2. When I look at these lists, I see NOTHING that looks like my GOYOQ script, a black comedy. Now that either means that what I've written is far removed from what studios want--or else that no one else is writing anything like I've written, so there's no competition out there. Realistically, what it probably means is that this is not a big studio picture (although if a big studio wants it I'm happy to talk!). That said, I'll definitely keep all of this data in mind when I'm choosing my next project (very possible either a romcom or a buddy comedy/bromance that I put on the backburner for GOYOQ).

Shaula, I hit on a confluence of news items just today that is the basis of a new post that will serve as a counterbalance to studying the marketplace [look for that in the next few days]. Yes, we should be aware of who the players are, how movies are performing, what the buyers are buying. But at the end of the day, a movie is an expression of creativity, and that should always be the final determinative factor in what we choose to write. I'm just now in the process of interviewing scores of screenwriters, almost all of them who have had scripts on the Black List, and if there is one common thread through all their responses, it's this: Write something for which you have passion. It's that passion that will drive your ass to chair day after day to plow through the struggle of writing the script, that's one thing. But also it's your passion for your story and your characters that will make it come alive, lift it up off the printed page and into the imagination of a reader. So here's to your black comedy! If it's a story you love, you stand a much better chance of transmitting that energy and vitality to your pages. And if it's a strong concept, if it's well written, if it's a MOVIE, and if readers respond to it in part because of the passion flowing through its words, you have to believe someone will see what you see in it. From there, the sky is the limit. I guess the bottom line is write with your feet on the ground -- that is track and understand the current marketplace -- but always keep your head in the clouds -- believe in and write the stories which you love.

You know, my black comedy is a story I love, especially my protagonist, who is a magnificent bastard. (I've been calling him the Magnificent Bastard all along, the way pregnant couples have a nickname for their baby before it's born!) I'm having a blast working on the script, and I think it's got a good shot at finding a good home, and regardless of what does or doesn't happen with the script, I don't regret a minute that I've spent on it. I don't see a conflict between analyzing the market and writing from the heart. I can't write something I don't believe in (for better or for worse, I used up my lifetime cynical hack quotient in careers long before I came to screenwriting), but I don't see any problem with paying attention to the market and using market realities to narrow down your choices between different projects that you are excited about. I'm comfortable with my feet on the ground and my head in the clouds, too. I'll look forward the new post on creativity.