This would seem all fine and good but when you are out in the trenches with a compelling script that no one will even read because it is 121 pages long, being a rebel starts to hold a little less interest. With all of the little rules we have all read over and over (3 holed punched scripts with two brads, scripts must be between 90 and 120 pages, you must live in L.A. or New York, 12 point currier type etc. etc. yaba-daba-do) screenwriting is more constricted than a minuet. It may be that one who has sold a number of screenplays and who is actually making money (read that won the lottery) can afford to experiment. The rest of us out here in the hinterlands most often can't even get read unless we toe the line exactly or we are related by blood to some person who was previously lucky to win the Hollywood lottery.

Jim, I hear your frustration. And the situation is frustrating. The very competitive nature of the entertainment business at ALL levels -- writing, directing, acting, even assistants -- it's just a hard slog to break in let alone sustain success. However ACCESS to Hollywood has, in my view, never been wider. With the emergence of online script hosting by the Black List, as an example, anyone anywhere can get read by professional script readers, receive actual coverage of their story, and if the response of those readers is strong, can choose to upload the script to the site where it is downloadable to nearly 2,000 industry insiders. In the 7 or 8 months the site has been live, at least 20 writers have gotten representation, some of them landing actual deals. I interviewed one writer from Ireland (Declan O'Dwyer) who set up a script with Thunder Road he posted on the site. Another Richard Cordiner landed a two picture deal with Warner Bros. from a script he posted there. I make no money from that site, so I'm simply pointing out a transparent truth: There ARE ways to get read by professionals nowadays. And if you want to go the more 'traditional' route, nowadays many Hollywood managers will read scripts based on loglines submitted to them via email. That is unprecedented considering how insular and buttoned up Hollywood used to be. As to your point about observing conventional wisdom: On the whole, you are probably right. The line of least resistance with that first set of threshold guardians -- script readers -- is to toe the line re page count, subject matter, style, etc. But we have to balance that out with a more important consideration those very same readers look for: The writer's voice and vision. If that is so unique and fresh and strong and capable on the page, it will trump almost any risk the writer takes in terms of screenplay schematics. Last point: Because the odds are SO stacked against all of us, I think it's important to discover whatever joy we experience through our writing and cling to that. It's easy to lapse into cynicism. God knows there are enough cynical writers in Hollywood so there's certainly room for one more. But what sustains a writer, both creatively and psychologically, is likely not cynicism, but hope. At the end of the day, we achieve financial and professional success as a writer... or we don't. But that's not the only way to interpret SUCCESS. If we enjoy writing and persist in learning and practicing the craft, I know it sounds corny, but that should, at one level, be its own reward. Long-winded response, but I was moved by your comment. I hope something here has given you at least some inspiration.