ABSTRACT
A writer is someone who writes every day. Writers are used to the blank page—the Herculean task of putting fingers to the keyboard despite the glaring empty screen in front of them. But the task of taking the first steps toward building a career as a writer can often be even more overwhelming than the writing itself, particularly when it is an industry and career track with nebulous rules, apparently involving a move to either Los Angeles or New York. A person cannot become a physician without a license to practice medicine, and to get that license, there's schooling involved, as well as passing a series of exams. These are facts. Although there are no explicit rules for how to become a working screenwriter, there are guidelines, and a person can begin to compile a person's own list of guidelines as he/she gathers insight from the pros.
