5 More Inspiring Screenwriting Stories to Keep You Motivated

Sometimes, you just need to know you’re not alone. That others who’ve been exactly where you are, doing the thing you love doing, made it. 

Writing can feel like a lonely life. You create something in your head, and if you’re dedicated enough to get in on the page, you’re still in your head plotting, characterizing, and keeping yourself on track to hit all the beats, and deadlines.

Sometimes, it can feel like a relentless pursuit of the impossible dream getting that script out there. So here’s another round-up of those writers who transitioned from fairy tale to real-life tale of success as a reminder that crafting a good story takes practice, passion, and a healthy dose of patience. 

Brook Busey left her nine-to-five job at an advertising agency to work as a dancer, a decision she made so she could authentically blog about the experience. To preserve her anonymity online, she adopted the pen name Diablo Cody, a name that quickly gained recognition as her blog attracted a wide following. Hollywood soon took notice of her sharp, original voice, and while it might seem as though her rise to awards-season royalty happened overnight, especially with her debut screenplay Juno, it was in fact the result of exceptional persistence and determination.

Cody had always dreamed of being a writer, though the idea of making it her career once felt far-fetched. Her early blog only began to attract a wide readership after she started writing about her experiences as a dancer, a deliberate choice, since her goal was always to draw attention to her storytelling. Even then, the notion of Hollywood calling seemed almost unimaginable. Yet she took a leap, wrote Juno, and the rest is history.

“There’s so many interesting stories about women that still haven’t been told,” she once told Glamour. While that may have been a decade ago, it still holds true. Cody also believes in surrounding herself with strong, supportive women in real life (her “fempire” as she affectionately calls it.) A strong reminder for aspiring writers: surround yourself with authentic, supportive, and empathetic people. Doing so not only makes the writing life less lonely, but also provides endless inspiration.

Once described as an “ethnic Michael J. Fox”, Jeffrey Reddick - the screenwriter behind the hit horror classic Final Destination - began his career remarkably early.

At just 14, he wrote a prequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street and mailed it directly to Bob Shaye. The script was returned as unsolicited, but Reddick’s persistence garnered him a mentorship with the producer, and later an internship at New Line Cinema.

What he really wanted though was to be an actor. But his agent declared “they don’t write roles [for ethnic Michael J Fox]. If you rapped or played basketball, we could cast you.” So Reddick decided “if there aren’t any roles for people like me out there, then I’ll just write them, which I didn’t end up doing for myself,” he told The Successful Screenwriter. 

Writing became Reddick’s true goal, and even though he had a connection at New Line through his day job, he first secured two producers before pitching Final Destination. New Line ultimately purchased the treatment, launching what became one of the most popular horror franchises of the early 2000s - one that appealed even to audiences beyond traditional horror fans. The series has endured, with its sixth installment released just last year.

One-half of the screenwriting duo who brought Legally Blonde to the big screen was as determined as Elle Woods to achieve her goals. Karen McCullah hailed from a host of odd jobs, from furniture painter to creative workshop teacher for teen gang members, to marketing and public relations. When she first started sending out queries to production companies regarding her screenplays, she didn’t even live in Los Angeles – which at the time wasn’t as common as it is today.

Thankfully for her (and rom-com-loving audiences everywhere), McCullah’s future writing partner received one of those queries. Kirsten Smith was in the development department at CineTel Films at the time, and after she and McCullah met in person, it was a writing partnership made in heaven.

Their co-written script, 10 Things I Hate About You (a screenplay rooted in McCullah’s own high school diary '10 Things I Hate About Anthony', her then boyfriend), sold and went on to star Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. McCullah and Smith then went on to adapt Legally Blonde from Amanda Brown’s novel of the same name. 

A string of successful rom-coms followed for McCullah, most co-written with Smith, proving that chasing your dreams, no matter where you start, is always worthwhile. Equally important is listening to your instincts when choosing your writing team, whether it’s a partner or a critique group. These are the people who support, uplift, and collaborate with you - because, after all, film wouldn’t exist without collaboration.

Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) may have been disqualified for medical reasons from the Navy, effectively ending his aspirations to become a naval aviator, but the sudden career change put him on a different path that flew him straight to screenwriting success.

After dropping out of college and working some odd jobs, it was a chance tour of Star Trek: The Next Generation that turned the tides for Moore. A born Trekkie, Moore took a bet on himself and slipped a script he’d written to one of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s assistants.

This assistant helped Moore get an agent, submit his script, and see it produced as a third-season episode - immortalizing Moore’s origin story in Star Trek canon. He went on to write for that show, and later joined the production teams of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, before showrunning the cult hit revival of Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). 

Due to a severed facial nerve at birth, which caused partial paralysis and a speech impediment, Sylvester Stallone’s mother was once told that her son would be 'suited to run a sorting machine or work as an assistant electrician, primarily in elevator operations.' But Stallone had bigger dreams: he wanted to be an actor. And the way to make that happen? Write his own role.

“I was watching the fight [between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner] and I said to myself, let’s talk about stifled ambition and broken dreams and people who sit on the curb looking at their dreams go down the drain,” Stallone told El Paìs. Inspired, he wrote 90 pages of a screenplay in three days.

What he did next was even more impressive: he refused to let any other actor play the title role in what would become his Oscar winning movie Rocky. He turned down all offers until he could play the lead, taking less money in the end. He didn’t let his ambition be stifled and wrote the Stallone name into a massively successful career as an actor, writer, and producer. Naturally, Hollywood is making a biopic of Stallone’s “Rocky” story. And in a full-circle moment, apparently actor Antonio Ippolino went after the part of Stallone as relentlessly as Stallone did of Rocky Balboa. 

First thing’s first: Find and hone your voice. In Reddick’s words: “I read a lot of horror scripts and there were these things I would like that I would put in my toolbox. I didn’t copy a screenwriter’s style. I’d say, this gets across what I like to get across, so you start building your toolbox with your own creativity. You take those tools, and you’ll find your voice within that mashup.”

Learn to pivot, if you have to. Don’t tie yourself down to one idea of what screenwriting success looks like. Moore and Diablo didn’t. And that original “Final Destination” idea of Reddick’s? The concept was supposed to be an “X-Files” spec. How’s that for a third act twist?

Relationships provide both mental security and opportunities you never imagined. And if Stallone taught us anything, it’s to believe in what others call impossible. Rejection teaches us valuable lessons - like how to fail upward. Keep trying. You’re meant for great things. Believe it, act on it, and keep writing.