Diversify, my fellow writers, diversify!

Those of you who cling to the dream of selling a screenplay to Hollywood studios by getting an agent and getting paid for a script on speculation... it's over.

Prose! Poems! Greeting cards! Songs! Comic books! (very close to screenwriting in many ways, take a gander at the comic scripts over at mypdfscripts.com)

There are so many angles we can approach a story with. Do yourself a favor and explore some. And if you happen to toss off a script every now and then... well, no harm in that.

There's another way to look at the situation: The fact is the studios bought as many spec scripts as they did is encouraging. They have every motivation in the world to do nothing but remakes, sequels, and pre-branded brands. That is the safest bet. But over 50 (and perhaps 60) specs sold in 2009. Down from 2008, yes, and significantly from the heydays of the 90s, yet still a viable path to Hwood.

A writer just has to be smarter nowadays. If they want to write a script that has any chance of selling, they have to think high-concept, strong characters, and plunge into the story to find their own unique vision and voice.

The other thing: Even if a spec script doesn't sell, it can be a great calling card to get representation and go up for open writing assignments.