exclusively wrote female-centered dramas. I say“ almost” because I was the weirdo who wrote one about an 8-year-old cannibal.( Don’ t steal my idea, guys!) So, from my tiny pinpoint-sized piece of the universe, the numbers just weren’ t there, and of those women who were there, their chosen genres generally aren’ t the most sought after by studios.
The fact is, though I really do wish women took more than just a sliver of a piece of the screenwriting pie, I’ m not so sure if sexism or discrimination carries as much of the blame as it does with other areas of the film industry. A good story is a good story, and I highly doubt that readers are paying a whole lot of attention to the gender specificity of the name under the title.( Please tell me if I’ m wrong.) There’ s not a whole lot left to prove once you have a finished product, anyway.
My screenwriting professor told my class at the end of Spring Term that a studio will rarely turn away from a great story if at all. It doesn’ t matter the content, the genre, or how“ girly” and Steal Magnolias-esque it is— if it’ s good, someone will pay it some attention. Maybe that’ s just me being naive, but if that’ s what it takes to keep me writing, instead of being bogged down by the cold hard facts, then I’ m totally fine standing at the base of an uphill battle— thinking it’ s an escalator.
ORIGINAL Publisher writersguildsa. org | 41