Hey, guys.
You can probably tell by the title of this message that it's not exactly going to be uplifting. I've been rejected (yet again) for what feels like the 1,649th time (a rough estimate over my 16-or-so-years of writing). I don't know what I'm doing wrong because I barely get any feedback outside of this site and I'm at my wits' end. Am I too original or unique? Do I not know how to market my work? Or is it simply what I call the "Mad Genius Effect" (where people such as artists and composers do not get credit in their lifetime and only achieve posthumous recognition - people like Vincent Van Gogh and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are examples of this)? I've got no earthly clue. You can have a look at my loglines and screenplays if you think it'll help you paint a clearer picture of how I write and what I'm like. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Yours truly,
S. P.
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Paying for professional feedback will fix all that and cheer you up! Thats one of the greatest things they offer on this site. We write alone, but we can't get anywhere alone.
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Hi Stefano. I hear you and empathise. It can be tough struggling to make a success of your writing. And consequently, you're going to go through periods of doubt and despondency.
If you'd like to talk about how I might be able to help you - assisting writers is what I do for a living and have done for many, many years - then send me a message and let's have a chat.
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Stefano,
To be honest, I read the first few words of your first logline and immediately shut down. "A sociopolitical heretic and his girlfriend...". Unless they are into politics, the average reader will quit after the first three words like I did. What is a "sociopolitical heretic"? Sounds like a lunatic who lives in his mom's basement and trades conspiracy theories about the government over the internet. And why does he have a girlfriend? What is her role? The logline is overly complicated and uninteresting.
After looking over your other ones, they are all about the same. They neither spark a readers interest nor make them question why any of it is happening. In my opinion, each one sounds more like a political rant than sellable a story. Loglines are supposed to be simple tools to get across the main idea of the story. You may just be bad at them. Some people are. Not an insult. Just a fact.
I agree with Selena. Get some professional feedback. If you really want to succeed, pay for someone to read your script, lock your ego in a safe before you read the feedback, and learn what you are "doing wrong". Screenwriting is an art, not an exact science.
Stefano Pavone I just read Selena Lohan "paying for professional feedback will fix all that..." and must absolutely disagree!!! While here, network with professionals and most of them will willingly give you feedback. If you are going to PAY for feedback, pay ONLY those who already have sold several of their OWN scripts and have the credits to prove it. Seriously. As for your experience - understand that you are in a very, very competitive environment and you need to get to find producers and buyers who like your work. That's a numbers game and there's no way around that.
I've thought about this, and I've rewritten both synopsis and logline for all my remaining projects (and deleted those which I wasn't proud of) - again, I'm open to constructive criticism. I'm going to try to spend as little money as possible, and try to keep on running until that elusive finish line is reached.