Hello All I have just joined after finishing writing a play. I've never done it before, and I am ignorant about what to do with it. Assuming it has some worth (I hope so) how do I protect myself from have it stolen? Do I send it up to the BBC? Do I send it to an agent? Please help a novice Keep well.
Thank you for replying. I'm so inexperienced that I had to look up "Beta Read" That's why I need help. My wife always has her head in a book andshe has read it. No professionals. Any ideas?
You can get beta readers here. There's what we like to call the Collaboration forum—just ask for some beta readers. You're more likely to get some if you've been hanging around, interacting, maybe doing some critiques in the Workshop. Or do a couple of beta reads yourself. People you've helped or interacted with are a lot more likely to help you.
Take some time to learn the business side of things, don't rush into the next steps, is my biggest piece of advice. This is your very first script. Get ready to do a ton of edits, even rewrite it from scratch multiple times with feedback, and read popular screenplays to further hone your skills. This will probably take a couple of months. In the interim, do lots of research on the business side; it's a lot more complicated than can be covered in a quick forum post. Read books and blog posts, and work on sorting out the good advice from the bad. I don't mean to discourage you, just to tweak your mindset. This is the beginning of your journey, not near the end of it. A few things you will definitely need: A logline: a one-sentence hook to sell your story A query: A one-page hook for your story that has a specific format and guidelines which probably differs between a novel and screenplay. A synopsis: A summary of your full story, with all the twists and the ending. Varies in length based on whose requesting, but also has a specialized format and conventions. Each of these will take some time to learn how to write and edit, so they are a good place to start. Much of the advice I've seen for aspiring scriptwriters suggests you really want a portfolio (multiple scripts to show off) so go ahead and get started writing the next one. You don't want to jump into sending it off to agents or the producers at the BBC, take your time, and search out other avenues (Screenplay contests are a great way to get writing credentials and eyes on your work, for example, joining professional organizations is a good opportunity for networking). Unfortunately, most of my knowledge is on the business side of books, not screenplays, so I can't be of much more help. Best of Luck!
