Get in line, and at the end. The truth of the matter is that you have better chances of scoring by playing the lottery or laying down bets in Vegas. Cracking the screenwriting game is akin to breaking into Fort Knox, both in its near impossibility and the golden rewards to be had if you do.

I like to quip that the reason I started writing movies is the same as what the legendary bank robber Willie Sutton said when asked why he robbed banks: Because that’s where the money is. (Duh) In truth it’s hardly the first motivation, though still a primary one.

I’m writing movies because I love film. And because once I started doing so, I found I loved the process of developing a story and characters, and even more so the experience of sitting down at the computer and writing the script. Ideally, it can be as much fun as one can have as a writer, even if the cliché is that screenwriters are tortured souls like Barton Fink and that it’s a tough haul to get the movie down on the proverbial page as a viable screenplay.

And, yes, the money to possibly be made is one hell of a major motivation. It’s certainly one of mine, and in good part because of why I not just think I can crack the game but am confident I will: I’ve been a professional writer for nearly 35 years. At anywhere but the top levels, it’s hardly the best-paying profession out there. (And the fact that I’ve made a good part of my living by writing all these years for hundreds of publications and for other entities means I am some kind of success, even if my bank account tells me otherwise… hence why I want to shoot for the big screenwriting payday).

So my first advice for anyone who wants to be a screenwriter is very simple — write. And not just scripts. In fact, they may not be the best place to start if you are just starting out as a writer, I’m of the opinion that writing is not so much something that can be taught but is better learned by doing so.

And by doing so for publication, and for payment. Writing is a talent as well as both a craft and art, and doing it well merits payment. But the main reason to write professionally is that it inculcates you into the process of writing: working within structures and guidelines and styles, and also having your work reviewed, critiqued and edited. Trust me, if you do sell a screenplay, you will get notes galore, and likely see your work changed (and maybe not for the better).

So I say write in a way that brings you into the professional writing process so you can get used to being edited and critiqued. And learn how to abandon any preciousness about the brilliance of your prose, and develop the thick skin one needs as well as other skills to deal with receiving feedback and changing your work. And learn how to step outside your work and critique and edit yourself.

And of course also don’t just write (and do so a lot), but read (and do so a lot). And of course watch movies, and a lot of them, and read movies too (i.e. scripts).

If you want to be a screenwriter, become a writer, and a good one, maybe even great one. That’s step one of what we shall explore in this space in the weeks and months to come. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see each other at the Oscars!