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HOW ASPIRING WRITERS CAN DEVELOP WRITER'S GUILD SAVVY

Copyright © 2002, Lenore Wright

Emerging writers aspire to be members of the Writers Guild of America. You don't have to wait till you're a member of the Guild to take advantage of many of their services.

Do yourself a favor and check out these WGA services:

1. WGA SCRIPT REGISTRATION => www.wga.org

All screenwriters should be concerned with protecting their original material from theft. For this reason, one important service the Writers Guild provides is Script Registration. You DON'T have to be a member to take advantage of this important feature.

Several commercial copyright registration services exist, but I recommend that writers use the Guild's registry service for several important reasons:

--> They're reliable.

--> They're affordable.

--> You can register your scripts online or by mail.

--> The Guild provides Legal Assistance if a dispute develops over your material. If you register your scripts with the Guild, their legal staff will advise you (without charge) even if you aren't a member of the Guild as yet.

--> Simply putting "Registered with the Writers Guild of America" on the cover page of your script alerts the producers or agents reading your script that you are aware of your copyright.

2. WGA PROFESSIONAL PROFILES => www.wga.org

Producers and agents want to deal with professional writers not aspiring amateurs so aspiring screenwriters should be interested in fostering a professional attitude. One way to do that is to model successful professional writers.

The Writers Guild Website offers dozens of profiles of successful writers, directors and produces currently working in form and television. Emerging writers can benefit in so many ways from these revealing articles. Here are some of the ways these profiles can benefit YOU:

--> You can learn how professional writers pitch a story successfully.

--> You can determine how to handle rewrite notes in a professional way.

--> You can discover how to be effective in story conferences and production meetings.

Access these profiles from the www.wga.org homepage by clicking on the FOR WRITERS tab at the top of the page, then click on THE CRAFT or THE BUSINESS in the Table of Contents on the left.

3. WGA MENTORING PROGRAM => www.wga.org

Successful Writer's Guild members volunteer to mentor emerging writers. You can sign up for this program on the Guild's Website. You choose a writer from the list of volunteers. Choose someone whose credits jive with your writing aspirations.

DO NOT be a PEST, follow these mentoring guidelines:

--> Contact the mentor by e-mail ONLY.

--> Be respectful of their time.

--> Limit your inquiries to writing-related questions, not marketing queries.

--> DO NOT ask your mentor to introduce you to his or her agent!

Go to the Writers Guild Website and take a look around, you'll be glad you did.

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About the Editor:

Lenore Wright has 15 years experience writing and selling screenplays in Los Angeles and New York. For free marketing tips and tools SUBSCRIBE to her newsletter Script Market News by sending a blank email to newsletter@breakingin.net

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