Have you written a screenplay?

[autism2000]

I wrote a tv pilot, a comedy/drama. Some who have read it have said it appears written by someone on the spectrum.

 

[Fino]

I wrote one for a creative writing class in high-school. It was actually funny. I included many gay characters, and my teacher was a conservative Catholic. He circled every sentence in red that had any reference to anything gay LOL

 

[Jumpinbare]

I have not. I have written a few novels, novellettes, and short stories. In the Air Force I wrote technical documents. One of my documents was used by Air Force Systems Command Headquarters as the model for how to write such documents.
But no screenplays.

 

[autism2000]

I wrote one for a creative writing class in high-school. It was actually funny. I included many gay characters, and my teacher was a conservative Catholic. He circled every sentence in red that had any reference to anything gay LOL

Oh yeah? Well I suppose maybe your teacher felt your writing was inappropriate, but you saw it as freedom of expression.

 

[Fino]

Oh yeah? Well I suppose maybe your teacher felt your writing was inappropriate, but you saw it as freedom of expression.

Exactly. I was exploring my sexuality at that time. But I thought simply circling it in red was a humorous response, regardless of his personal beliefs.

 

[Misty Avich]

I used to make up screenplays of funny conversations between fictional people.

 

[SeanF]

I wrote a tv pilot, a comedy/drama. Some who have read it have said it appears written by someone on the spectrum.

Nice. I have written both novels and screenplays before I knew I was autistic. Since then, I have been toying with ideas about how I would want autism portrayed in a movie without simply perpetuating stereotypes.

Did you add an ND character, or were they commenting on your style of writing? If so, what attributes led them to think of your script as autistic? Also, were they commenting this way as it being a positive or a negative?

 

[Dagan]

I still do. The trade off is that the paying work is almost entirely writing / doctoring / ghost / spec work on other folks' ideas / scripts, though. I'm hoping to finally take the leap into my own graphic novels by the end of this year, as that should finally give me an easier way to have a visual and written way of completing "movie" projects that I have had gestating for however long. It'll basically be storyboarded films with the script included, but they will be fully realized enough to satisfy me, should they never become actual films.

 

[Wolfiedog]

I’ve written three comedy shorts. Two turned out great… one not so much.
With many comedy short scripts still in the oven that need to be fleshed out.

 

[Tom]

I've played around with stories but never with actual intention of doing anything with it. I am not really a writer. Its more a hobby.

My favorite was a experimental research facility located on a remote tropical island staffed almost entirely by Aspies, but under the ultimate control of NTs. But it goes horribly wrong when the food production experiments create giant crabs that eat people.

But I used real life people I greatly disliked as models for the bad and evil people and it was cathargic having them eaten by giant crab monsters.

 

[autism2000]

Nice. I have written both novels and screenplays before I knew I was autistic. Since then, I have been toying with ideas about how I would want autism portrayed in a movie without simply perpetuating stereotypes.

Did you add an ND character, or were they commenting on your style of writing? If so, what attributes led them to think of your script as autistic? Also, were they commenting this way as it being a positive or a negative?

I also wrote my screenplay before I had any inclination I was on the spectrum - which I view as a subjective medical opinion.

I created the characters as regular people, just as I view myself as a regular person.

I believe it's the tone of writing which led some (not all) to suggest it was written by someone with autism.

I think the comment - as far as I can remember - was intended in a slightly negative way.
I've entered the script in some contests and it has had a moderate success (quarterfinals in one contest last year). It's always been my goal to profit from my intellectual property. I wrote the script as I was inspired - yet firmly with the goal of profiting from it.

Oh and for the record - I imagine you are familiar with the tv show 'the good doctor'. I am not really a fan of it - in fact I think it could be humorous to have a 'good doctor' parody where 'Sean' becomes violent or delves into a bunch of autism stereotypes. I was a fan of MAD tv if you are familiar with that kind of humour. They didn't shy away from making fun of anything.

 

[autism2000]

I still do. The trade off is that the paying work is almost entirely writing / doctoring / ghost / spec work on other folks' ideas / scripts, though. I'm hoping to finally take the leap into my own graphic novels by the end of this year, as that should finally give me an easier way to have a visual and written way of completing "movie" projects that I have had gestating for however long. It'll basically be storyboarded films with the script included, but they will be fully realized enough to satisfy me, should they never become actual films.

That's a good point you bring up. I've spent a fair amount on services to edit my script. I believe my script is of good quality and I no longer spend money this way. There are a lot of people who want your money for their 'expertise'. I don't deny the value they can provide - but I think you have to stick to your instincts as a writer.

 

[Dagan]

You will be best served to just have to find your trusted path in the industry, no matter what level you achieve. It will only ever feel comfortable when you can trust your usual cohorts. I started out faster than most by getting picked up with my first ever script in 2002, and I quickly learned that every original that I shopped or optioned out was just part of a slate of "proposed" productions...but really just sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Otherwise, I learned how shopping my great, original ideas basically just got compromised by the same companies/scouts that read and then did their revised version. I found out that you must have 22 dead set specific similarities to take legal action against plagiarism and yada yada. It's cutthroat, it's a racket, it's essentially just like any other kind of industry. Everyone is trying to get ahead, and it really does matter who you know. I have become such a shadow, though, and I'm relying on others to steer contract gathering, that I don't have a real stake in "who I know" anymore. My best credit are exactly all of my credits, and yet most of them are "uncredited" because it's ghost-writing gigs / polish jobs / specs for middling amounts compared to the big shots. It's continued work, just that, that's the reality of continuous paying, writing work.

I've learned that writing contests aren't the best ways to get ahead, nor are going to any high dollar writing workshops. Sometimes..."some...times"...you may come across the truly honest ones, but that's not their true origins for existence. You can honestly learn more about present day / right now screenwriting by just downloading and studying the structure of this year's latest scripts that were great films. If you pay for and attend a screenwriting workshop or pay fees into contests, most of the time you are simply being one of however many others are funding those folks' next project. And per the workshops, likely those writers aren't giving you the latest and greatest information how to write what people are after presently. They are giving you their older formula(s) pretty much.

Register and copyright everything you do. Have your own NDA forms for readers that you don't trust. Of all the online sites that there are, I still think Jerrol Lebaron / Inktip and Nat Mundel / Voyage Media are about the best that I've ever dealt with. They are blunt and honest but fair and really do know what's what. They charge fees, of course, as this is really their day job, but they won't waste your time. In fact, they'll both tell you upfront how much more of your time it's all going to take instead of just them and their services. Again, that's another area where I don't fair well to be mega famous or whatever. I don't care about popularity at all anymore. I just really like to create, write, still do a film here and there, still do SFX, sound design, music. I barely use my real name at all, either. I just prefer nowhere near the limelight. Those guys mentioned, though, they will be happy to show you the ropes and all that it's going to take to be in that light and stay there. If you want it, they'll help you. Oh, and if you just want to start out with an agent, I'm not sure the first in requirements anymore, but my favorite agent ever has been through Zero Gravity Management. For the sake of throwing it out there, I prefer Pittman Casting for acting agencies but also very fond of Shannon Makhanian as a casting director specifically.

Word salad perhaps. Didn't mean to rant. All of this is per my experiences and learning first hand, so don't fear making your own path, either. Timing and effort and a little luck just happen to be major parts of it all, too. Mostly, it's just going to take work. Do the work. You'll see the results.

 

[autism2000]

You will be best served to just have to find your trusted path in the industry, no matter what level you achieve. It will only ever feel comfortable when you can trust your usual cohorts. I started out faster than most by getting picked up with my first ever script in 2002, and I quickly learned that every original that I shopped or optioned out was just part of a slate of "proposed" productions...but really just sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Otherwise, I learned how shopping my great, original ideas basically just got compromised by the same companies/scouts that read and then did their revised version. I found out that you must have 22 dead set specific similarities to take legal action against plagiarism and yada yada. It's cutthroat, it's a racket, it's essentially just like any other kind of industry. Everyone is trying to get ahead, and it really does matter who you know. I have become such a shadow, though, and I'm relying on others to steer contract gathering, that I don't have a real stake in "who I know" anymore. My best credit are exactly all of my credits, and yet most of them are "uncredited" because it's ghost-writing gigs / polish jobs / specs for middling amounts compared to the big shots. It's continued work, just that, that's the reality of continuous paying, writing work.

I've learned that writing contests aren't the best ways to get ahead, nor are going to any high dollar writing workshops. Sometimes..."some...times"...you may come across the truly honest ones, but that's not their true origins for existence. You can honestly learn more about present day / right now screenwriting by just downloading and studying the structure of this year's latest scripts that were great films. If you pay for and attend a screenwriting workshop or pay fees into contests, most of the time you are simply being one of however many others are funding those folks' next project. And per the workshops, likely those writers aren't giving you the latest and greatest information how to write what people are after presently. They are giving you their older formula(s) pretty much.

Register and copyright everything you do. Have your own NDA forms for readers that you don't trust. Of all the online sites that there are, I still think Jerrol Lebaron / Inktip and Nat Mundel / Voyage Media are about the best that I've ever dealt with. They are blunt and honest but fair and really do know what's what. They charge fees, of course, as this is really their day job, but they won't waste your time. In fact, they'll both tell you upfront how much more of your time it's all going to take instead of just them and their services. Again, that's another area where I don't fair well to be mega famous or whatever. I don't care about popule anymore. I just really like to create, write, still do a film here and there, still do SFX, sound design, music. I barely use my real name at all, either. I just prefer nowhere near the limelight. Those guys mentioned, though, they will be happy to show you the ropes and all that it's going to take to be in that light and stay there. If you want it, they'll help you. Oh, and if you just want to start out with an agent, I'm not sure the first in requirements anymore, but my favorite agent ever has been through Zero Gravity Management. For the sake of throwing it out there, I prefer Pittman Casting for acting agencies but also very fond of Shannon Makhanian as a casting director specifically.

Word salad perhaps. Didn't mean to rant. All of this is per my experiences and learning first hand, so don't fear making your own path, either. Timing and effort and a little luck just happen to be major parts of it all, too. Mostly, it's just going to take work. Do the work. You'll see the results.

That's quite the reply. You sound like you have a lot of experience. 2002 was the year I graduated from high school. I don't have an agent and I'm not well connected. I was on InkTip at one point but was kicked off because I contacted a company that had viewed my material - against their protocol. My script is in the US copyright office.
Thanks for your thoughts.