ABSTRACT
A screenwriter’s purpose is to connect. The best screenplays, long or short, are written by those who know how to connect—to themselves (their unique vision, material, process), to what drama is, and, most important, to others. Movies are the most powerful empathy machine in all the arts. The overriding purpose as a screenwriter should be to create short or long screenplays that create empathy—identification, understanding, compassion—in the hearts of the audience. An ambitious student may well want to write the script for that short film that will open Hollywood’s doors. And that can certainly happen, but it will not happen unless his/her screenplay connects. Connecting with others is what one must do to succeed as a screenwriter, and it will also be one's greatest success.
