For a long time before my first professional screenwriting gig, I was known for being a screenwriter who didn’t spend much money trying to break in. While this was partly because my financial situation simply prohibited anything but a very minor expense, what some people don’t know is that I blew what little savings I had […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Blog
The One Rule Of Writing For Independent Film (And It’s Not Even A Strict One)
Rules, rules, rules – it can feel everyone wants to throw a new one at you when you get into screenwriting and they are almost always fear-mongering bollocks obsessed with the superficial. Good craft will always trump bootlicking but let’s not dwell too much on that because I want to share something with you that […]
Continue reading
The Two Types of Screenwriter I See Every Day
Quick bio; I’m a screenwriter based in an old rural market town in the UK who’s recently gotten back from LA where I got to see a feature film I’d written go through principle photography. After nearly seven years of screenwriting, I’ve had my first feature script option and feature script assignment happen within the […]
Continue readingSurviving on Set as a Screenwriter
I recently did what many say is impossible, not only did I manage to secure a writing assignment in Hollywood from the middle of nowhere in the UK but I was also fortunate enough to be flown out to Los Angeles to watch the feature film I had penned go through principal photography. While the […]
Continue readingThe Perks Of Being An Artist
Something strange happened to me this year. My screenwriting life took a shift in a new direction. A producer reached out to me about optioning one of my features and is now working hard to secure the financing needed to green-light the project. This is a strange new world to me and, being the the […]
Continue readingMy Name’s CJ Walley, and I’m a Writerholic
Before we get into this, I want you to sit down and be prepared for a bittersweet ending. You see, this isn’t one of those blog posts where I encourage every writer to keep fighting, this is a heartfelt and open case for why I may have to quit. As some of you may already […]
Continue readingPermission vs Validation
Which script should you write next? Would people want to read it? Is the idea bad? Do you have the skills needed? Are you really just wasting your time… and life? Look, I don’t know a single aspiring screenwriter who doesn’t have those questions running through their mind all the time. Creative pursuits are, by […]
Continue readingHollywood or Bust – Why we need to stop California Dreamin’
We’ve all heard it, within every screenwriting community: You have to grow a thick skin to survive this industry! This industry is desperate for high quality scripts! It takes years to break into this industry? This industry. What does your screenwriting dream look like? Is it red carpets and strobing flash bulbs outside the Dolby Theatre? […]
Continue readingTen Ways for Me the Best Things in Screenwriting Came for Free
It’s that time of year where our friends wonder where us aspiring screenwriting friends have disappeared to, why we tense up at the thought of going to the movie theatre, and why we escape out the bathroom window when it’s our turn to buy a round.
Continue readingA Plan vs. an Attitude: How Dr. Webber Changed My Approach to My Career
I remember when I had my epiphany. I was sat slumped on my sofa watching Grey’s Anatomy. It was an episode where Dr. Hunt and the recently demoted Dr. Webber were putting together competing proposals to perform a difficult tumor surgery.
Continue reading