Screenwriting : Is "luck" involved in the screenwriting and screenwriting business? by Victor Titimas

Many factors. Sometimes, it's who you know, not what you know. Luck also plays a role. I think persistence and patience is involved to a certain extent. People do get hit with lightning as they were at the right place at the right time. Throw yourself out there and see what happens is all in the game of finding who you are looking for. I'm still cruising along, hoping like everyone else. Some people do win the lottery!

Fortune favors the prepared mind. Meaning luck is like rolling dice. If you need a 6 the odds are against you with just one throw. But, if you have 10 throws...

I think luck is important everywhere. It is true that with the right people you can reach your goal sooner. But you also need to have talent. Knowing the best soccer player doesn't make you a great soccer player.

Luck only plays a small role if any. Most screenwriters fail because they quit before they paid their dues. Most people who have had some success were persistent and never gave up. They used their screenplays to make contacts in the business that could help them launch their careers.

@ Raymond ... As a screenwriter, wouldn't me knowing Steven Spielberg as a friend be of any help for me to launch my screenplays? Talent can be achieved by learning how and if you have someone with talent on your coat tails showing you how, wouldn't that be of any help for you to acquire talent?

Claude Gagne - I always wondered what the guy that punched Spielberg in the nose when he was in high school is doing now....

Syncronicity is a LOT more than dumb luck. It's the Universe telling you it's time and your positive energy is making things work in your favour.

I wonder what for! Would it be stealing his girlfriend?

Yes Sarah ... I figure you won't move ahead until you're ready.

Getting up every day, doing your craft every day, putting in 200% every day.... that is how us creative people get lucky.

I agree with Casey; luck could be interpreted as being ready when opportunity knocks.

I wouldn't say "luck" alone is the issue. Hustle plays a big part in getting that "luck" to happen. Opportunities don't just fall down from the sky. I know that some people do get lucky, but for most, opportunities are the result of hard work and preparation. Being ready when the opportunity presents itself is critical. Some people have their dream drop right into their laps, but I would guess that the average "lucky" person only appears to have been lucky. Hard work and hustle make for bread and butter.

Spielberg was bullied in HS. He was literally a nobody and suffered from dyslexia. The only notation on his HS graduation picture was "played clarinet" (AFAIK). It was prolly some HS jock-type that pushed him around.

Ditto to all of the above! Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Call is serendipity, call it synchronicity, but you can create your own luck by working hard and doing the hustle. :^}

I agree with everyone because everything suggested here comes into play. You must learn your craft and practice it repeatedly until your screenplays show people in the business that you know the business and how to write for it. That doesn’t happen by luck it happens by hard work. Almost every screenplay that gets made did so because the screenwriter knew someone, so it is a who you know business. Your spec screenplay is your calling card, so you must use it to make some good connections in the business. That is how most people break in. It took me years to sell my first screenplay. The last two I sold the producers contacted me. Sure, maybe luck happens but it happens to those screenwriters that are persistent and never give up.

It goes without saying that you need to have talent and talent you can get through working hard. But when all the hard work is done, you still need some luck and knowing the right people to get it out there. Atleast if you want Steven to buy it :) So yeah, I believe it helps to know Steven or any other cool big time director. But then again, there are also many screenwriters having a success without any help. But how about those black listed scripts? I mean some can be on there for a decade. It's it luck that get's them picked, assuming there are a lot of smart scripts in that list. It's just something I'm wondering though. I only know a few book authors :)

The different comments prove nobody knows what will work for anyone. lol

There is no such thing as luck. There is the randomness of opportunity intersecting with preparation... and you can only control the preparation part. Part of preparation is being in the right places and social and business circles as much as possible. This is true for all professional creatives, not just writers.

There is no such thing as luck. There is only opportunity intersecting with preparation. You can only control your preparation, but part of that work is to put yourself in places and circles that increase your chances of finding real opportunity. This is true for all creatives, not just writers.

Yes, yes! It's all been luck.

50 say luck and 50 say talent. I think it's a draw :)

Luck might get you an audition but Craft makes a 15-20++ year career as a working Screenwriter (steady paychecks).

I think some people have luck, but I'll go for hard work and craft always.

I'm a very firm believer that you "make your own luck." Put yourself in position to get the breaks. And, remember, wherever you go online - even Stage 32 - remember people view your work. I've seen people have MANY posts - I mean consistently, LOL, not just once - with grammatical errors, misspelling and incorrect or no punctuation. But, they're writers and you can trust them! Take your work seriously. I do agree with what Dan MaxXx said about Craft. Learn to network - go to film festivals, events and put yourself out there. There are many script web-sites, though I believe going to festivals, awards ceremonies and networking events are much better. You can meet contacts - contacts in independent film, who will give you a chance. Earn an IMDb page. Have pictures on it and a bio. Become a three-dimensional person when they are seeking a writer. Be proactive and work with indie filmmakers to write some shorts that can be taken seriously. I wrote and directed a short that had success on the festival circuit and qualified for the Oscars nearly eight years ago and it really helped me. My friend did me one better - he wrote and directed a short that had even more success on the festival circuit and WON an Oscar. If he did it, so can you, provided you're a good enough writer and you work hard enough. I truly believe that you MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK.

Yes. there is an element of luck. And being in the right place at the right time comes into play often. You can have a screenplay that is well written and interesting but not something ProducerA is interested in making. Bad luck. Wrong place, wrong time. Then you can have that same screenplay and randomly meet ProducerB who is looking for a script just like the one you have. Good luck. Right place, right time.

I agree with Sam. You need to get that quality screenplay out there to make your own "luck".

Agreed, make your own luck. Seek out connections to people who can connect you with the people, prodcos, agents, etc. on your short list. Like Marcus stated, what Producer A may not want, Producer B may see as a good fit. Then quality of script and your ability to pitch effectively comes into play.