Being asked to name three famous screenwriters is not a question most people would want in a pub quiz. Despite putting words into the mouths of our most recognisable characters, most screenwriters never become household names. But if you have a talent for writing and want to exploit our culture’s dominant storytelling medium, it might be the job for you.

The first question: small screen or big? Most screenwriters start in television, many as junior writers on a soap opera. Although contracts are usually temporary, TV work is more regular and better paid, but expect a degree of snobbery from the film industry, says Brian Dunnigan, head of screenwriting at the London Film School. “Working to a set of existing characters in an established world is very different to writing independent films,” says Line Langebek, a freelance screenwriter. She works on film scripts from outline, to treatment (a prose version of the story), to screen with directors and producers. Her first feature, I’ll Come Running, has just gone into production after six drafts.

Life experience is the most relevant, Dunnigan says. “It’s a wonderful excuse to hang out in cafés and listen to what people are saying.” A talent for dramatic writing is essential, but a dedicated course can be useful too. “You’ll be a better writer – you'll be challenged, given feedback, made to rewrite,” he says. Langebek has a degree in scriptwriting from Bournemouth University and an MA in television writing from the University of Leicester, and says that work placements helped her to make contacts: “You have to get to know producers and directors or your script will stay in a drawer.” Dunnigan suggests joining writers’ groups, reading the trade press and “watching lots of telly” to learn key names. Screenwriting is not only for lonely writer types. “You need to be able to work on your own but also with a lot of different people,” Langebek says. “The job is 5 per cent talent and 95 per cent perseverance.”

Regular salaries are almost unheard of and it is rare for a young screenwriter to earn more than £15,000 a year – but at the top, Hollywood writers can name their price.

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